Reliable software for industrial applications
Supporting customers from design to delivery
My services
New machines
The development of machines is impossible without quality software. I can support the whole process from preliminary design to factory acceptance test with my years of experience.
Contact me for a quote to develop the software for your new machine.
Support & revisions
Machines have a long service life. Sometimes even longer than the components used in the machine. In those cases a software update might be required in order to work with replacement components.
Happy customers like to utilize their machines for ever more different jobs.
Those wishes can result in software updates or changes to facilitate new methods of work or new extensions.
Did you ever have a machine with some strange fault that cannot be found?
With my experience I can help in effective fault finding and analysis.
Ther is no joy like a machine that works under all circumstances.
Quality software is the bedrock of durability and stability.
I find joy in creating software that works everyday no matter what gets thrown at it.
Increasing challenges is increasing fun!
Software development
Proper software does not suddenly burst into existence.
A combination of strict design and agile approach to faults makes for a smooth customer experience when it comes to their new machine.
Throught the years I've build experience in the following phases of industrial software development.
(Prelimemary) Design
A good software engineer can make a machine work. A good industrial software engineer also knows the limits of hydraulics, pneumatics and electrics.
I can support your team during proposal and design phases for questions on the (im)possibilities of many different techniques.
Preparations
Preparing software for a machine is a clearly defined process. Together with the customer I define what will be delivered at which time. The designdocument is used to specify what the machine does and how testing is to be conducted.
Now I'll prepare the software for the different components within the machine, like PLC, visualisation and motion controllers.
Software preparation is done according to schedule and there are regular updates to the customer about the status of the software.
Installation & tests
Once the software has been downloaded into the hardware, the real visible job starts.
First the safety is thoroughly tested, after that the functionality according to the design document. Testing finishes with trying to create as many exception situations as possible.
Exceptional situations like a defective sensor or incorrect input from the user will makeup the lion share of all customer requests for a machine. It benefits the customer if most of these situations are already covered and documented during testing. This way the machine operator can get effective help when the machine might not work according to expectations.
Specializations
In my 20 years of work within the field of industrial automation I've gained experience in different specializations.
This small selection of my experiences showcases the technologies I'm comfortable with.
Production lines
In over 20 years I've gained most experience with creating software for food and non-food production lines.
Some of my bigger projects were:
- dosing & cutting lines for bakeries
- Handling & packaging for mussels
- Laminating lines for licence plate blanks
Mobile machines
The mobile construction industrie has stolen my heart in the last 4 years.
Controlling the vast power of hydraulic and electric machines gives a new dimension to the any software project. Especially safety has become an important focus when failure means that things can break in disastrous ways.
Robotics
Robotics were my first love.
The one reason I started on the journey of industial automation.
Since the beginning of the century I've developed software for an exciting selection of robotics project.
A sample of the projects I've worked on:
- Boxpickers for packaged food
- Palletizers
- Loading robot for cnc machines
- Assembly robots voor shavers
- Specialty machines like grinding of springs
Technologies
During the years I've workied with many different technologies. For some technologies, it's relevant to know what brands I used.
These are the technologies I used in the different specializations.
Production lines
For the different production lines I've used these brands and technologies:
- Lenze motion controllers
- Lenze PLC's (codesys)
- Lenze visualizations (VisiWinNet)
- Siemens TIA Portal (ST)
- Hitachi PLC's (Ladder)
- PILZ safety controllers (FC)
- SMC motion controllers (Modbus)
Mobile machines
For the mobile machines I've used these brands and technologies:
- IFM PLC's (codesys)
- IFM visualizations (codesys)
- Scanreco G3 remote (SGC)
- Scanreco G6 remote (QT)
- Dens batteries (CAN-open)
- Bender Isolation guard (Modbus)
Robotics
I've worked with a selection of robotic brands:
- Denso (4 & 6 axis)
- Kuka (6 axis + traverse)
- Fanuc (6 axis)
- ABB (cobots)
- Vision controllers (Ethernet)
About me
My passion for machines and machine development probably started at kindergarten. Legos ware my tools, and robots were my inspiration.
My choice to do applied university on industrial programming was a logical step in my desire to work with robots.
In the past 20 years I've worked for three different employers, and Ive succesfully worked with many different technologies.
To keep developing myself and to work freely on the most challenging projects, I've started Thinkman productions.
Alex de Bruijne, owner and primary software engineer for Thinkman productions
Contact me
Thinkman productions is based in Vlissingen, Netherlands.