ToolCommander® for StratNanoTech
In just five months, a ToolCommander® control solution at StratNanoTech replaced a high-maintenance heterogeneous software solution.
OEM from Belarus found with ToolCommander® framework for own equipment control solution
StratNanoTech were looking for a modern, open equipment control framework for replacing their old control solution. The challenge was to find a product as well as a strong partner behind it. Both were found at Kontron AIS.
A high level of standard modules from the ToolCommander®, combined with the open und modular software design of the software framework, allowed easy customizations for a first system. By using ToolCommander®, StratNanoTech was able to realize their new tool control platform within shortest time. Kontron AIS were always present by providing project support and design proposals from experienced application engineers and software architects.
“Before we finished our first machine with ToolCommander® on board, there was a certain level of skepticism in the company about the ability of automation department to deliver this level of automation and usability of the software. Now we are done and this feels great!” Yauhen Simalatsar, Head of Automation Department, StratNanoTech
Goals
- Find and introduce a new equipment control platform
- Get a competitive advantage on the market
- Improve quality of control software significantly
Challenge
- Replace an existing approach for equipment automation
- Fast time to market
- Convince the stakeholder very limited resources (budget and man power) to develop a complete new control platform
Result
- PC-based automation approach based on ToolCommander®
- New control solution in less than five months
- SEMI standards supported out of the box
Goals
StratNanoTech is a young team of specialists and very experienced in various technologies. The existing control software solution has been growing for many years and became a heterogeneous landscape at the end. Modifications of the software were expensive and lead to instability. The old solution was no longer able to provide functionality, stability and usability requested by the market for new systems. The market of StratNanoTech is also very competitive and the new control system had to provide a unique selling point. Beside the functionality, time to market was a key requirement. A new software development from scratch was therefore not possible and the focus was on a platform which already provides a high level of basic functionality, standardized interfaces, usability and a well-structured modular software design.
Solution
StratNanoTech and Kontron AIS worked out a plan that was addressing the major goals as new state of the art software and fast time to market. The plan included an intensive training and the utilization of the ToolCommander® software framework. As control architecture, a PC running the ToolCommander® application and an underlying PLC for some designated control functions was chosen. Components e. g. MFCs, valves are connected to the I/O units of the PLC and are controlled by the ToolCommander®. The graphical user interface was realized by WPF, supported by the framework of ToolCommander®.
Results
After only eight days of intensive training at Kontron AIS, two engineers from StratNanoTech started to develop the first own control platform for a new equipment type. With only a few hours of following support by Kontron AIS, the software engineers from StatNanoTech were able to realize the control solution within only four months after the training. All the sceptics could be convinced that a right decision was made. New applications with di erent functions and layout as well as additional components can easily be integrated now with limited effort based on the wellstructured but very open ToolCommander® software framework
If you would like to learn more about ToolCommander® system control and FabLink®, we look forward to hearing from you.
