4 Ways Product Development Companies Can Improve Testing


For product development companies, testing any process or device can be time consuming and expensive. The need to perform accurate and repeatable testing across multiple components only adds to the time and resources required of product developers. Manual testing can take hours, and often results in inconsistencies and inaccuracies based on the range of technologies used and the skills of the tester.

So how can product development companies reduce test time while increasing accuracy?

The solution is in four key areas:

  1. Establish formal procedures that are accurate, flexible, and consistent – but also easily understood and performed.

  2. Collect and measure meaningful data using a controlled, purposeful, predictable means.

  3. Store data securely and accurately and make it easily accessible for presentation and analysis.

  4. Design a tester experience that is consistent across multiple testers, across multiple skill sets. The testing interface must be user-friendly and intuitive. Complicated systems and hard-to-follow input instructions invite confusion and can compromise data.

Tecnova took these steps when designing automated testing of multiple types of fly-by-wire autothrottles for Boeing, Gulfstream, and Canadair aircraft applications.

The client was experiencing long manual test times for its autothrottle assemblies used in their commercial aircraft. Testing would take four to eight hours, depending on the skills of the tester. The need to interpret high-speed waveforms for a range of technologies in multiple assemblies further slowed the process. In addition to the slow speed was reduced accuracy. Results were inconsistent based on each tester’s experience and ability. Procedures were not standardized or repeatable and, as a result, data was often inaccurate.

What had to be addressed?

As part of establishing procedures, we designed a single automated test platform that can be used to test all types of autothrottle assemblies. We were able to customize off-the-shelf commercial tools and components, creating customized modules for each autothrottle. We could then easily swap out the electronic interface depending on throttle I/O requirements to easily move from one assembly to the next within minutes.

Through electronics prototyping, we established the individual components that needed to be tested and measured and developed a design architecture sequencing those components.

For data storage, data acquisition instrumentation was developed to capture critical measurements and log that data to a secure database. Final test reports could be easily run to show meaningful data for analytics, including all measurements and pass/fail status at the end of each test run.

Finally, we ensured that testing would be consistent across users. A graphical user interface was developed to provide simple on-screen instructions for all testers. Testers are guided through each test procedure, eliminating confusion and reducing errors.

Addressing these key areas dramatically reduced test time and improved accuracy for this client. Test times were reduced to a consistent 30 minutes per autothrottle, while measurement accuracy and repeatability went up.

Professionals in any industry experiencing cumbersome testing that slows operations and compromises data collection and analysis can benefit from a fresh look at their systems, approach, and electronic product development.

What other improvements can product development companies make? 

 

 

Topics: End of Line Test