Development

OUR OXYGEN: Innovations

OUR TEAM: With which we can achieve practically anything

OUR GOAL: To develop the best solution together with the customer 

We listen to exactly what our customers need and put this into practice. When we design a requirement specification together with a customer, all essential preferences and requirements are defined. The integration of appropriate innovations ensures that our customer gets an ELOTECH product that meets their expectations and sets standards. These principles apply for ELOTECH standard products as much as for individual customer solutions. 

Many requirements must be fulfilled for a perfect solution:

  • Identifying and implementing the USP (Unique Value Proposition)
  • Optimum price-performance ratio for the development as well as for the end product
  • High product quality
  • Full scope of performance
  • Clear, innovative operation
  • High reliability
  • Easy to service
  • Rapid availability
  • Long term availability

Getting into the right gear to ensure a perfect solution

What hardware platform, what operating system, what interfaces, what is the cost structure...

At the start of each development these are the first questions we need to answer to find an optimum solution for the customer. ELOTECH is able to draw on a repertoire of high-quality series components. These include hardware components as well as the software blocks (operating system, protocols, ...). The customer therefore also saves on development costs and benefits, due to multiple use in other products, from high availability and excellent purchasing terms. 

 

Learn from the best and implement in customer projects

PID controllers have been around for over 100 years. However, this technology has never lost its fascination. Rather it keeps reinventing itself. Even faster regulation, even less overshoot and even more efficient processes stand at the forefront of research and development. Then as now, the issue is often the control of traditional ohmic heating systems but the spectrum has considerably broadened. The control of non-linear controlled systems, for example in the case of viscous materials or form memory materials, are just two examples of new innovative challenges. These new material technologies require new approaches in the area of adaptive PID control combined with model predicative, learning controllers.

In this field, ELOTECH works closely with a range of research institutes and universities to offer the best controllers for its customers both now and in the future.   

Structured and agile development

Developments are generally dynamic processes. Traditionally, our development work involves a requirement specification, performance specification and development timetable. However, "agile development" is becoming increasingly important. Often in the development phase new requirements are added, the control surface is changed or expanded or yet another interface is needed at the last minute. 

  1. Developing the requirement specification together with our customer for complete description of the scope of performances
  2. Developing a customer-specific concept and subsequent implementation in a precise performance specification
  3. Detailed timetable planning of all necessary development steps for a strategically optimised process flow
  4. Product development including prototypes, verification, documentation and introduction to production

 

Prototyping

Agile prototyping in controller development

One of our principles at ELOTECH originates from software development but has also taken hold in hardware development: Agile development. A prototype is provided as early as possible, in order to verify the suitability of the developed concept.

Prototypes of different stages are produced in different runs: First a mock-up for packaging-tests in the machine, then an already functional prototype and finally a near-series version, to gather experience.

Numerous new developments every year

A variety of projects gives the ELOTECH team long-term experience in making and testing prototypes rapidly and agilely. Current processor technology and modular design save valuable time in development process and avoid the sources of errors of preceding technology generations.

The prototypes are therefore dependable and user-friendly, so that their utility value in the production process is recognised early.

Steps towards the destination in prototype making

  1. Production of a concept with concrete definition of the customer requirements.

  2. Production of an individual inspection sample for the following installation tests.

  3. Circuit development and ultra-precise, manual configuration of the systems.

  4. Integration of a function sample for concept verification of feasibility and closeness to reality.

  5. Integration and test of a function sample for application tests.

  6. Integration of a function sample for concept verification of feasibility and closeness to reality.