AMETEK VTI Instruments recently delivered an Automated Remote Functional Test System to Tata’s Power Strategic Engineering Division (SED) environmental testing lab in Bengaluru. Tata plans to use the system for environmental stress screening (ESS) of electronic modules and sub-systems. The architecture of the new test system is based on AMETEK VTI Instruments “FlexSys” Series automated test equipment (ATE).

The test system was conceived, designed, developed, integrated and tested by AMETEK engineers entirely in India alongside Tata engineers. This joint effort reflects AMETEK’s commitment to the “Make-in-India” initiative, which was launched as a way to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub.

One of the unique features of this system is that Tata engineers can operate it remotely. No longer do members of Tata Power SED’s acceptance team have to be on site to witness the functional tests each time they perform an ESS testing cycle. The requirement that team members be present often created delays in the overall delivery schedule. Scheduling constraints made it difficult for members of the acceptance team to be physically present in the environmental test lab when tests were performed.

The new system allows the acceptance team to remotely control and monitor qualification tests. This saves both time and money by eliminating the need to travel to the test lab to witness the tests. Observers can monitor the entire test run through a live video feed and control the tests via a web-based software interface. The new system also allows the testing team to record the entire test cycle and test reports for future reference.

In addition, the system has improved the quality of Tata's products by minimizing the opportunities for human error, reducing test times, and increasing test throughput. At the same time, the new system has enhanced the quality and repeatability of the tests performed, thereby increasing confidence in the accuracy of the test results.

One of the keys to the success of this project was the teamwork between the Tata Power SED technical team and the AMETEK engineers. Tata was impressed with the AMETEK team's ability to grasp the requirements and solve complex interface-related issues, thereby enabling the team to complete the project without any major setbacks.

Tata also remarked, “The success of this ATE project has enabled Tata Power SED to quickly turn around its ESS testing for all future large-volume production orders. This  will result in a tremendous savings in terms of time and cost for its customer QA agencies, as well as its internal QA team”.

In congratulating the development team on the success of the new system, Jatin Kumar Tanwar, Senior Business Development Manager at AMETEK Instruments India, noted, Tata Power SED created a clear vision as to what was needed in the test lab. That allowed us to design a scalable ‘enterprise’ test solution, which could be used across multiple platforms.

“By working as an extension of the Tata test engineering and quality teams, we were able to meet all their requirements in a timely fashion. I’m very proud that our team in Bangalore was able to help Tata Power SED achieve its objectives so quickly and effectively.”

FlexSys™ ATE systems
FlexSys ATE systems are scalable, integrated test and measurement systems designed for use in medium- to high-mix production environments. Applications for the systems include aerospace/defense, environmental stress screening (ESS), and electronics manufacturing testing. In addition to boosting test throughput and reducing floor space requirements, the systems are designed to preserve signal integrity through the entire test system, including cabling and signal switching to the user interface, maximizing the performance of the test instrumentation.

FlexSys systems offer manufacturers a new approach to minimizing their capital equipment and system development costs by providing fundamental ATE building blocks of pre-engineered components, which reduces development costs and speeds time-to-readiness. These systems are configured from precision power, instrumentation and switching blocks produced by AMETEK Programmable Power and AMETEK VTI Instruments.

To download a datasheet or case history on FlexSys ATE systems, visit https://www.powerandtest.com/system-solutions/flexsys-core-ate-solutions or contact AMETEK VTI Instruments directly at 858-450-0085 or sales.ppd@ametek.com.