From Research to Commercial Product
Problem: A team from The University of Manchester, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, have developed an innovative Beam Position Monitor capable of being used in a wide variety of applications. Their skills in the field of electronic engineering have enabled them to design and produce a system which is very robust and superior to other modules on the market due to its novel design. The group has been looking to commercialize the module firstly within the synchrotron and light sources market. The challenge was to develop a software interface useable by the light source market i.e. an EPICS interface.
Solution: DSoFt Solutions is a spinout company from a national research facility – the Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS), Daresbury Laboratory. DSoFt staff have over 20years experience of software development for instrumentation and detector interfacing with backgrounds in experimental physics and software engineering. The skills and experience, gained at large research facilities, particularly light sources, was a primary factor in selecting DSoFt Solutions as the software partner for this project.
DSoFt worked closely with the development team from The University of Manchester to develop a specification for the EPICS interface. With our experience in equipment control in the light source field we were quickly able to understand the requirements for the project and its application.
Delivering the project in stages kept our customer informed and confident that the development was going to plan and on track. Our flexible approach provided an opportunity to highlight possible improvements to the project within the development cycle.
Due to the close working relationship between DSoFt and The University of Manchester team the handover went very smoothly being completed in an afternoon. We were also able to setup a portable test system providing a demonstration capability for the device.
Benefits:
DSoFt staff were able to quickly understand the requirements of the project and utilize their experience of the light sources market to develop a tailor made solution effectively. The test system has been effective in building confidence of the device’s capabilities and benefits to potential customers.
The success of the project has opened the way forward for The University of Manchester to license the device to an established leader in the supply of synchrotron beamline components.
"As well as the efficient delivery of the software, DSoFt's input over and above the project specification, was invaluable and contributed to the robustness of the product. This project helped ensure a successful transfer from research to commercial product."
Dr Roelof Van Silfhout – Senior Lecturer