Use of a terminal for receiving and issuing orders in the laboratory

We were asked to solve problems of recieving and issuing orders by a customer that uses the Laboratory module for task management in the measurement laboratory. Employees bring parts to the laboratory for measurement and then take the parts back after measurement. These movements should be recorded in order to know both the status of each order and in the long term, for evaluation of key laboratory performance indicators such as duration of types of order.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The use of a standard PC for laboratory tasks was not suitable for this purpose. Movement records must be made on site and on dedicated equipment to avoid disruption of other tasks in progress. Therefore, we decided to prepare a separate device that allows the user to record the desired movements in the most simple manner.

The terminal, which was created for this purpose, is built on a single-board computer with an ARM processor running Windows loT Core. The terminal is also equipped with a fixed 1D and 2D code scanner to search tasks quickly along with an integrated access card reader for user login. An essential part is the touch screen which enables easy control of the terminal functions. An Ethernet interface is used to communicate with the Palstat CAQ server.

The terminal then runs a single application in kiosk mode, with which the user makes the required records. An essential part of the installation is the CAQ Server - server module of Palstat CAQ, which provides data access to external devices and applications via the API.

The requirement of measurement originates in production, development or another department. There, the employee enters the basic requirements of the test and a parts guide with a 2D code identifying the test is printed. The parts together with this guide are transported to the laboratory, where the employee identifies at the terminal using their attendance card, scans the code from the guide and records the physical handover of the parts for measurement. Upon completion of the tests in the laboratory, the laboratory worker records the completion, test period and preparation of parts for handover in a way similar to the automatic e-mail notification upon request of the tests. 

Installation of the terminal greatly simplified all movement of parts to be tested and shortened handling times. Thanks to more accurate data on the movement of parts, it is now possible to evaluate the key performance indicators of the measurement laboratory more accurately.

Thanks to  these companies for their cooperation on the project

CODEWARE Praha
TECHTRONEX Vrchlabí