National Instruments at Advanced Manufacturing

mtec Stand 320
National Instruments measurement and automation hardware and software products work seamlessly together to meet the application requirements of scientists and engineers, irrespective of business or industry sector. With a proven track record and over 30 years of experience and a large and knowledgeable UK based support team, National Instruments has brought the concept of virtual instrumentation and graphical system design to reality.

National Instruments is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. Over the past 30 years, NI have pioneered the concept of virtual instrumentation; the idea of combining open, intuitive graphical programming software with powerful modular hardware to give unparalleled flexibility in the design and implementation of user-defined systems. By adopting this approach, engineers and scientists at more than 30,000 companies annually simplify development, increase productivity and dramatically reduce timescales. From testing next-generation gaming systems to creating breakthrough medical devices, NI customers continuously develop innovative technologies that impact millions of people.

Visit stand 1320 in the MTEC hall to experience the latest NI product innovations in virtual instrumentation and graphical system design through modular hardware, powerful software, and advanced COTS (custom off-the-shelf) platforms.

Do More with LabVIEW 2009: Parallel Programming, Wireless Technologies, and Real-Time Math

Now, more than ever, the tools you use must be flexible and evolve quickly to changing environments.

NI LabVIEW 2009 is a platform-wide software update with new features for taking advantage of parallel multicore and FPGA (field-programmable gate array) based architectures as well as new capabilities for programming wireless sensors and mathematical algorithms in real-time hardware. The latest version of LabVIEW 2009 adds programming and productivity features to drive more efficiency and performance into your applications, helping you do more with evolving PC and embedded technology platforms.

New and Advanced Technologies Products and Technologies to be Showcased at MTEC by National Instruments:
New WSN Platform Delivers Reliable, Low-Power Wireless Measurements
The NI wireless sensor network (WSN) platform provides a complete remote monitoring solution that consists of NI LabVIEW graphical programming software and new reliable, low-power wireless nodes for remote measurements.

Based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the NI WSN protocol supports mesh routing, which means a WSN router can relay measurements from end nodes to a central gateway. If a primary router is unavailable and an alternate router exists, the protocol automatically routes measurements through the alternate path. Operating for up to three years on just four AA batteries the NI WSN platform offers reliable connectivity from a gateway to end nodes at a distance of up to 300m line of sight or further using mesh networking,

Generic 4 channel 16 bit analogue input nodes are available alongside more specialist nodes such as the 24-bit thermocouple node and all closely integrate with LabVIEW to simplify and accelerate system configuration and deployment by delivering a drag-and-drop programming environment. LabVIEW also facilitates the ability to deploy code directly onto the nodes creating standalone embedded data-loggers with user defined decision making capabilities.

The combination of LabVIEW and NI WSN measurements provides a reliable, low-power system for remote monitoring, environmental monitoring and resource monitoring applications.

Flexible Technologies for Data Acquisition, Test, Measurement and Automation

NI's position holds the position as world leader in DAQ, new enhancements in counters, advanced timing, and parallel software execution are enabling cutting-edge applications across the globe and cementing this position for years to come. Data acquisition applications frequently involve multiple types of analogue, digital, and counter measurements and can consume hundreds of megabytes per second. Featuring NI-STC3 timing and synchronization technology, X Series DAQ devices for PCI Express and PXI Express are the most advanced DAQ devices ever designed by NI.

Leveraging this advanced technology NI has also released for MTEC this year a new generation of CompactDAQ for USB applications in every industry. With over 60 different modules the popular C Series platform gives the CompactDAQ unimpeded I/O versatility while with four 32-bit counter timers, external triggers and the ability to run modules at different rates, CompactDAQ elevates USB DAQ to new heights in power, versatility and affordability.

PXI, the open, rugged PC-based platform for test, measurement and control, is the perfect system for high performance measurement, parallel test and advanced automation systems. Through modular instrumentation, engineers can choose from a wide variety of measurement, signal generation, RF, power, and switch modules, and then configure the instruments in software to meet their specific needs. Based on Compact PCI, PXI supports measurements from high resolution DC to 6.6GHz RF, making it an ideal platform for high performance applications. See the latest modular hardware on display including the new NI FlexRIO product family which provides flexible, customisable I/O for NI LabVIEW FPGA.

NI Programmable Automation Controllers (PAC) and Machine Vision
On display at this year’s event is the NI CompactRIO PAC which combines real-time and FPGA technologies to deliver high-performance in a small, rugged industrial control and acquisition platform. This architecture combines:

• Reconfigurable I/O to provide the reliability of dedicated hardware circuitry and the performance of true parallel execution
• Real-time embedded processors for stand-alone and distributed deterministic operation with a built-in web-based human-machine interface
• Industrial hot-swappable analogue and digital I/O modules for direct connection to industrial sensors and actuators.

For the first time, you can add imaging capabilities to your CompactRIO system! With NI Vision Development Module 2009, you can now deploy imaging libraries to both deployment targets, as well as acquire compressed images from IP cameras with the latest NI-IMAQdx image acquisition driver. The vision capabilities on CompactRIO are ideal for autonomous robotics, industrial monitoring, and embedded medical device applications.

Also on display at Advanced Manufacturing 2010 will be the latest additions to the NI Smart Camera family. The NI Smart Camera is a high performance, low cost embedded device that combines an industrial controller with an image sensor. It integrates seamlessly with NI vision software to offer image processing directly on the camera, making it ideal for applications such as locating parts, inspecting packaging, verifying assembly and reading 1-D and 2-D codes.

See more on exhibits at Advanced Manufacturing 2010 covered by Read-out for the last ten years!