Albert Einstein put it best when he said, “out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” For Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, this means identifying the challenges that manufacturers struggle with each day and providing simple solutions that improve their overall efficiency. One aspect of our business that we are always looking to improve the overall experience for our customers when using our products. So, when the Capstone Director from the University of Rhode Island (URI) Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering reached out to us to sponsor Capstone, we had the perfect idea for a project. With a fresh look and using latest toolsets, our sponsored students were able to analyze our software for efficiency during different modes of use and implement working models to demonstrate those improvements. A new Capstoneproject was born and named, Workflow Optimization for Industrial Software Applications.
Hexagon and URI hold a strong relationship and regularly look for ways to cooperate with each other. Each year, URI seeks out company sponsors through its Capstone Design Program to initiate projects that give students real industry experience in exchange for project work for the company. URI’s College of Engineering is a diverse community of scholars, learners, and professional staff dedicated to the development and application of advanced technologies, and working together to enhance quality of life for all.
The Students’ Challenge
This year, the challenge was twofold. First, we tasked the students with investigating the workflows for various applications in our existing software portfolio. The second task was to design new interfaces that could reduce the number of steps, or otherwise simplify the implementation, of solutions through the software.
The research project investigated the workflows needed for several key applications and tested the implementation using existing software products. Existing software products include PC-DMIS, QUINDOS and several others found in related areas, for example CAD/CAM software, in addition to metrology software. With Technical Director, Jonathan O’Hare from Hexagon, and their own version of PC-DMIS in hand, the students had everything they needed to evaluate the software workflows.
The Big Take-Away
Each of the students took on a portion ofthe project to develop the GUI in three areas: Menu Bar, Probe Qualification Process and the Refined Data Structure. This included making each portion in PC-DMIS more efficient and more appealing to the user. After working on the individual portions, they combined these portions using the Menu Bar GUI as their base for adding the two other portions. This allowed for a much more efficient workflow.
The proposals made by the students are now under review with Hexagon’s software engineering department. While the designs that the students implemented were only proof-of-concept, the concept changes from our current software will likely be adopted in stages over the course of the next couple of years.
Looking To The Future
The challenges that manufacturers face today offer opportunities for prospecting technical engineers tomorrow. By giving these students an inside look into how companies are shifting towards smarter technology, they will have a better understanding of how to solve these challenges in the future. With a commitment to the development and application of advanced technologies, the University of Rhode Island is well on its way to molding the minds of our future.
To learn more about this Capstone project and URI’s Department of Engineering, check out the Workflow Optimization for Industrial Software Applications Capstone project page.
