Positronics has developed material handling applicationsfor the Disk Drive Industry. Programming machinery to handle from aluminum to glass disks at high speeds and high reliability within a cleanroom environment are well known challenges to our staff.
We typically work with the manufacturers of the equipment and help out with the testing and troubleshooting of the hardware first. So our first order of business is to create software that will exercise the hardware and prove out the intended functionality of the equipment. This is typically developed as part of the machine's Maintenance screen.
Software development begins with the Software Specification. Once this specification has been developed and reviewed by the pertinent engineers, software development can begin. This typically occurs well before the hardware has been assembled. One of our goals is to be in a position where the software is ready prior to the hardware's availability. In this way we are ready to start exercising the hardware as soon as there is enough hardware available to do any meaningful testing of the machine. This allows our clients to have the best chance to make their delivery goals.
Positronics employs simulation of hardware where possible to allow testing of project deliverables prior to hardware availability. Also, once a system has been deployed into its manufacturing environment, it is possible to test many of the software changes and minimize the impact on the manufacturing floor.