With HMI and Analytics, TwinCAT offers powerful extensions to PLC functionality, including visualisation, data storage and data analysis. However, these complex functions are not necessarily easy to use and are oversized for many small tasks. Furthermore, a proprietary file format complicates data exchange with other platforms, such as the NI ecosystem, which we at müller+krahmer […]
They come in numerous configurations and are located all over the world – our test benches for end-of-line testing of pneumatic components. Continuously refined over almost 30 years, all systems have one thing in common: NI DIAdem as the central software component, which not only provides the user interface but, above all, controls the test […]
It is widely said that measurement tasks are becoming increasingly complicated because the complexity of the systems under test is growing, whilst at the same time the demands regarding the information to be obtained are also rising. All of this is reflected in more channels, higher sampling rates and more complex functionality in measurement hardware […]
Most customer enquiries we receive regarding LabVIEW fieldbus communication relate to cyclic communication, i.e. the clock-synchronous exchange of process data, referred to as PDO (Process Data Object) in EtherCAT or CANopen. However, for performance reasons alone, by no means all parameters of bus devices are available for cyclic communication. In particular, parameter sets for complex […]
Although our main focus as an NI partner is naturally on NI hardware, at müller+krahmer – as specialists in fieldbuses and interfaces – we have extensive experience in integrating components from different manufacturers. Sometimes this requires in-depth knowledge of protocols and technologies as well as complex programming, as in the case of our LabVIEW libraries […]
It has been some time since our joint success story with Hilscher, “PC-based Automation with Unified Interfaces for all Formats and Protocols” , was published. In this article, we describe our solution for the multi-bus capability of end-of-line test benches for pneumatic valves at AVENTICS Laatzen. The application has undergone further development in the meantime, […]
We hear everywhere that software developers no longer ‘code’ – instead, AI is taking over this task, and in future the human contribution to these services will consist solely of testing and verifying the resulting program code. For us, as developers of software solutions in test automation, this is also an issue that makes us […]
We often hear this from customers who operate their own LabVIEW (or DIAdem) solutions, or those created by third parties, on a PC running Windows. And we would say that an application exhibiting such behaviour does not, in principle, work properly. This is because such behaviour suggests fundamental errors in the software and means that […]
When developing our LabVIEW library for IO-Link , we actually had PC-based applications in mind, as the original interface solution was created as part of a complete solution for testing IO-Link devices. But when we were asked if we could also offer an IO-Link interface for compactRIO on this basis, we immediately said ‘yes’, because […]
This was the title of the presentation that Manuel Hofmann from NI and I gave at NI Days 2026 in Munich. Manuel described the basic requirements for modern test solutions and showed how these can be met with the comprehensive NI ecosystem of hardware and software. Following this, I used the example of our end-of-line […]
The requirements for connecting devices to industrial buses are as varied as the tasks that can be solved with NI-PAC compactRIO. While the controller must be a bus master for connecting sensors and actuators, slave interfaces are usually easier to connect to an existing PLC. Control tasks require real-time behavior with low latency, while for […]
Today, 30 years ago, was my first working day at GfS mbH in Aachen and also the first day I came into contact with the DIAdem software. Since then, my entire professional life has been closely linked to this product, which has been part of the NI ecosystem for more than 25 years. Over the […]
However, for formats that are not supported by default, these programs require assistance in the form of DataPlugIns—extensions that connect to a standardized interface, describe the format of the data to be imported, and thus enable the import. While DataPlugIns for reading simple data formats can be created with the help of wizards, those for […]
… – the one on the left in our picture? And does it work the way it looks? Graphical programming languages in general, and LabVIEW in particular, promise an easy introduction to programming and quick solutions. This is certainly true for very simple tasks, but very few programming tasks are that simple. That is why […]
Class structure, encapsulation and inheritance in LabVIEW are virtually part of everyday life in LabVIEW development at müller+krahmer. In our long-standing collaboration with customers, where LabVIEW projects involving several man-years of development time are continuously being refined, structuring is essential. Topics such as encapsulation of data and methods of accessing it, definition and inheritance of […]
According to the NI website, DIAdem is ‘… is high-performance software for seamless test and measurement data management, exploration, analysis, and automation’. What we and many of our customers feel is missing is a reference to DIAdem's measurement and control capabilities, which make the software unique as a whole. While DIAdem supports a wide range […]
This was a frequently asked question at presentations of our solutions for LabVIEW fieldbus connectivity. Now we can answer this question ‘yes’ for LabVIEW RT on NI Linux Real-Time. To make physical integration as easy as possible, we initially limited the hardware options to netHOST LAN gateways.. In the first development step, our libraries enable […]
With Industrial Communications for EtherCAT and the EtherCAT master available with it, NI has created a powerful interface for integration into industrial environments for its compactRIO PAC family and, with EtherCAT, NI has chosen what we consider to be the most powerful and flexible Real-Time Ethernet bus. A wide range of sensors and actuators can […]
Testing sensors and actuators with fieldbus interface means first and foremost being able to handle a variety of different buses – in addition to Real-Time Ethernet, also "wired" fieldbuses such as Profibus and CAN / CANopen and the IO-Link communication system – and to be able to switch between several buses in one test system. […]
It is by far the most widely used PLC in Europe – the Siemens S7. It is therefore not surprising that it is also used on many test benches for both central and peripheral tasks. And the number of communication variants is almost as large as the number of applications. Many proprietary solutions are used […]
25 years ago, NI acquired GfS Aachen and added its flagship software DIAdem to its portfolio, ensuring its worldwide distribution. During this time, DIAdem's data management capabilities have been consistently developed further – just think of the TDM data model, the DataFinder and the DataPlugIns, which make any data format accessible. At the same time, […]
They are installed in many systems and we have used them for numerous applications: the programmable automation controllers (PAC) FieldPoint and compactFieldPoint from NI. With numerous robust I/O modules and easy-to-use communication interfaces, the two device families were a good choice for a long time when it came to implementing typical PLC tasks with NI […]
When considering the combination of LabVIEW and EtherCAT, most users will probably think of the EtherCAT master on the compactRIO controllers, which is used to connect slave chassis. We also use this option when it comes to acquiring large quantities of signals. At the same time, however, the cRIO EtherCAT interface also offers the option […]
Once created, most fieldbus applications remain unchanged – the bus topology rarely changes and the protocol never does. The situation is quite different on test benches where devices with different bus interfaces are tested. Unless separate hardware and software is to be installed for each bus protocol at great expense, the only remaining option is […]
Interfaces communicating with diverse fieldbuses are crucial for the integration of LabVIEW in modern networked production. While the capabilities of LabVIEW and NI hardware in the processing of analog signals are undisputed, the situation is different when it comes to connecting Real-Time Ethernet buses. Numerous forum discussions and questions from our customers prove this. For […]
Unlike other real-time Ethernet buses, Profinet requires station names and IP addresses for slaves (IO-devices in Profinet nomenclature) in order to communicate with them. However, since these parameters are assigned on an application-specific basis, they are usually not available for Profinet devices that have just been manufactured and are now undergoing end-of-line testing. However, since […]
We at müller+krahmer have many years of experience in testing pneumatic components. The range of devices we test includes simple directional control valves as well as high-precision proportional valves, valve terminals, intelligent pneumatic sensors with bus interfaces, components for industrial applications as well as for installation in road and rail vehicles. The test methods and […]
As we have already mentioned here , while LabVIEW is inherently strong at connecting analogue and digital signals, special solutions are required for communication with fieldbuses, such as our interface for the real-time Ethernet boards of Hilscher's cifX family . Sometimes, however, a complete fieldbus connection is not necessary and it is sufficient to connect […]
NI describes its DIAdem application software as a tool ‘for quickly finding, testing, analysing and documenting measurement data.’ It is often forgotten that DIAdem is also a practical tool for performing a wide range of measurement and control tasks. Numerous drivers and interfaces are available for this purpose. Finally, the integrated script functionality not only […]
This amount of data must be processed by one of our evaluation applications for test bench data. Only a handful of characteristic parameters remain from complex time curves and a million measurement values. And only these parameters – and, above all, their changes over the course of the test, which can last days or weeks […]
After a longer break, we recently held another LabVIEW training course – a combination of LabVIEW Core 1 and 2 on behalf of NI. Although we work with the software on an almost everyday basis, it is always useful for us to discuss the underlying programming concept and question some of our own practices. This […]
Our software for universal automotive test benches is available in three versions: as a pure LabVIEW solution or based on TwinCAT with either LabVIEW or DIAdem as the user interface. We can vary the software structure depending on customer requirements in terms of software environment, flexibility, hardware interfaces and, last but not least, software licence […]
Up to four railway wagons, equipped with hundreds of sensors and exposed to cold, heat or storms, deliver data over days and weeks in the world's largest climate wind tunnel at Rail Tec Arsenal in Vienna – and the results are available in seconds. How does it work? With an NI DIAdem-based application for automatic […]
That's what the project manager at Volkswagen says about our solution for recording and evaluating quiescent current measurements in motor cars. How does it work? Through consistent, end-to-end automation. All the information is obtained from the test order system in order to automatically perform both the respective measurement and the associated evaluation. The parameter structure […]
We recently posted on LinkedIn about an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a PC with a Profinet interface from Siemens. Of course, this did not change the customer's needs. And since system integration is also part of our services, we now offer the IPC327G with Hilscher cifX M3042100BM – fully assembled, with all the necessary software […]
This has been the trending topic of our customer inquiries in recent weeks. While the capabilities of LabVIEW and NI hardware in the acquisition and output of analog signals are undisputed, the situation is different when it comes to connecting real-time Ethernet buses. Numerous forum discussions and questions from our customers prove this. For a […]
And how much software services tailored to your needs could you purchase with the money saved if you only paid for the software licences you actually need? Those who offer software services based on standard software often encounter a striking contradiction: while the costs for a solution tailored to the client and the application are […]
For more than 20 years we support the Emerson subsidiary Aventics with solutions based on NI hardware and software, such as compactRIO, LabVIEW and DIAdem. Therefore we look forward to see what synergies will result for our work from Emerson's acquisition of NI.
At müller+krahmer, we develop software for a wide variety of test applications. This works best when the hardware we use is flexible and easy to handle. And what could be simpler on a pneumatic test bench than hardware that covers all electrical and pneumatic interfaces in a single system? One such system is the AES […]
… that doesn’t mean the prophet has to go to the mountain. For us at müller+krahmer, this means, if our customers’ test benches can’t come to us (and they almost never can), we don’t necessarily have to travel to the customer’s site to commission systems, implement changes, or troubleshoot issues. Wherever remote access is unavailable […]
It has been several years now since NI switched its licensing model for its widely used development environment, LabVIEW, to annual subscriptions. Although this change has since been reversed, as it was recognised that it was unsuitable for many applications, it caused quite a stir in the relevant forums and social media channels for a […]
We regularly run DIAdem training courses, including both customised courses for specific users and standard courses on behalf of NI, such as the course entitled ‘Exploring Data Interactively Using DIAdem’. Of course, the course is primarily designed to provide participants with the necessary practical knowledge. However, we too are constantly gaining new insights or confirming […]
… or made solely by consulting the software manufacturer? Probably most of them. And when speaking with the participants of these training courses, it often becomes clear that their needs were not adequately met. In our experience, the best training is provided by someone who works with the software himself and has already solved the […]
There are many reasons why there is a shortage of skilled workforces, particularly in Germany. Based on our own observations, we would like to add another factor: the inefficient use of skilled employees. It becomes clear in many conversations with clients: skilled workers spend a significant portion of their working hours on tasks for which […]
They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. In some cases, that’s true. Very often, however, there is much more to a situation than a picture would suggest. This image also appears on the cover of our joint application story with Hilscher and shows one of our pneumatic valve test benches in action. Although […]
Among other things, by the fact that we are testing a LiDAR sensor on a Christmas stollen (a typical German cake). However, it is not actually the sensor from Sick's TiM5xx series that is being tested, but the DIAdem driver that we have created for it. As mentioned many times before, NI DIAdem can not […]
Yes, if the aim is to continue using proven functionality and enable cost-effective adaptation to new requirements. Yes, if each software is used to do what it does best – DIAdem for visualisation, data analysis and reporting, LabVIEW for creating a wide variety of hardware interfaces, and TwinCAT for PC-based real-time control. Yes, if easy-to-use, […]
Or rather: what is the data meant to tell us? The desired information and the required conclusion determine which data needs to be collected and to what extent. For a simple product, it may be sufficient to produce a straightforward ‘pass/fail’ result. And to assess the associated production process, it is then sufficient to analyse […]
Key criteria for selecting a data analysis tool include its ability to access and correlate metadata, its capacity to process large volumes of data, the algorithms available, and the user’s familiarity with the chosen tool. After all, even the most powerful tool is of no use if the user does not know how to utilise […]
Whether it’s a database or individual files, a local drive, a server or the cloud – when it comes to where you store your data, the most important thing is that it is secure – protected against data loss and unauthorised access – and accessible at all times. More important than the choice of storage […]
In principle, information can be extracted from any type of data. However, the content, structure and descriptive information (metadata) play a key role in determining the effort required to do so. Here at müller+krahmer, we therefore regard it as a key advantage that we offer both test automation AND automated data analysis. Because we understand […]
Measurement systems, test benches and data analysis solutions, no matter how complex their design, have only one purpose: to obtain and document information about the device under test, with regard to its functionality and quality. All the effort spent on testing technical systems always leads to a test result which – regardless of how it […]
For a long time, it was everywhere, but recently there wasn't much to hear about – NI's big analogue data (TM), characterised by the five Vs: volume, variety, velocity, value and visibility. Of course, it is still there and growing. Perhaps it has fallen out of the spotlight because we have become accustomed to it. […]
The use case is typical: many sources provide data that is evaluated in a standardized way and then used by a group of users. In this specific case, measurements on vehicles in drive simulations produce large amounts of data around the clock. This data is processed, searched for events and used to calculate characteristic parameters. […]
Process data objects (PDOs) are typically used in EtherCAT (and other fieldbuses) to transport (cyclical) real-time data, while service data objects (SDOs) are used for (acyclical) parameterization. But what if the PDOs are not available for cyclical control due to customer requirements, but the reaction of the test object to cyclical setpoints is to be […]
This week's NI workshop in Munich focuses on DIAdem software. NI describes DIAdem as a tool “to quickly find, test, analyze and document measurement data.” It is often forgotten that DIAdem is also a practical tool for performing a wide range of measurement and control tasks. Numerous drivers and interfaces are available for this purpose. […]
At müller+krahmer, we spend a lot of time and effort convincing our customers that Excel – despite all its functionality – is not the tool of choice for analyzing technical data, especially when it comes to large amounts of data. But there are exceptions to the rule. We have just made the latest one with […]
Testing the durability of seat foams for motor vehicles means measuring the hardness several times, conditioning the foam, carrying out a cyclic fatigue load (the so-called fatigue test) with precisely defined parameters, recording the results of all steps and finally evaluating them. This usually requires several expensive and highly specialized devices, various software and a […]
