Boston — Test-system integration and National Instruments Alliance partner Averna is expanding its reach from test into manufacturing through IoT by teaming up with PTC, Boston-based producer of manufacturing software ThingWorx.
Based in Montreal, Averna's hardware for testing components and systems will now extend ThingWorx to cover manufacturing of electronic components, subsystems, and systems. Averna has long specialized in RF testing. Adding Averna's sensor, measurement, and test experience to ThingWorx extends the software by adding test data to manufacturing data through the use of IoT devices. The agreement will make Averna a ThingWorx Platinum Partner.
ThingWorx connects to machines used for assembly, automation, and measurement, collecting data that can be used for analyzing and predicting processes to keep them fine-tuned. Data can be used to identify trends and prevent products from going out of tolerance.
Averna is best known as a test-system integrator, building ATE systems for manufacturing. Source: Averna
As industrial IoT takes off, machine connectivity is growing. "Through ThingWorx, we'll be able to combine test data with manufacturing data, analytics, and machine learning to extract value," said Benoit Richard, VP of Strategy at Averna, in a conversation with EE Times.
"If you look at the end result of a test," continued Richard, "it's often pass/fail. By connecting to ThinkWorx, we'll be able to provide engineers with data that goes deeper, combining test and manufacturing data to identify yield problems and their causes."
ThingWorx combines data from sensors and machines to produce manufacturing applications. Source: PTC
"People want to do things with IoT," PTC's Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Timm, told EE Times. "With our Averna partnership, ThingWorx will be able to integrate sensor data from IoT devices. Data can be stored in the cloud. Small companies don�t have to invest in their own storage, just rent it from cloud-computing sources."
According to Timm, ThingWorx users who aren't software engineers can develop apps called "Chevrons" that model manufacturing systems. From those systems, engineers can analyze data and take actions. Software engineers generally develop the lower-level connections to the machine or IoT device. Chevrons typically take a few hours to develop.
—Martin Rowe covers test and measurement for EE Times and EDN. Contact him at [email protected] 
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