Beyerholm & Moe International speeds up their development process

To ensure profitability and optimal time to market, Beyerholm & Moe International uses Etteplan’s (previously TekPartner*) senior consultants to solve ad hoc development tasks and boost learning internally within highly specialized areas.

The company is about to launch its fifth-generation motion controller on the market, which is especially designed for laser cutting and engraving. 

We work in an area with a high level of complexity and handle all the development and testing of our electronics, hardware, and design software ourselves. We know our control systems inside out, which means we can quickly solve the challenges that our customers face. At the same time, we have enough experience see the bigger picture, which gives us an edge in terms of understanding the customer’s needs. We know our strengths and limitations and can – with a few helping hands from Etteplan – develop solutions that would normally require a much larger capacity measured in developer hours. 

We use Etteplan when we’re stuck with a development task. It’s financially advantageous and much faster to bring in a specialized consultant than to try to solve the challenge ourselves. We didn’t think about doing this 20 years ago, but we’ve learned through experience. When we need a consultant, it’s for ad hoc tasks that need to be done preferably ASAP. Etteplan’s size means that the company can provide a senior consultant for the task with the right skills at short notice. 

Our collaboration began when Etteplan first started. We know Etteplan’s competencies and how the company works. The agreement with Etteplan is that the consultant transfers their knowledge so that we understand how the solution was developed by the time they are finished. This means that the collaboration also helps to increase our own know-how in highly specialized areas. Erik is also associated with Etteplan’s consulting network as a senior developer in electronics and software, e.g., in the medical devices industry, while Carsten has been working on a large EU project in the field of laser engraving in recent years. The fact that we work on external projects in parallel with the development of Beyerholm & Moe International ensures that we are always at the forefront of the market. 

Our most recent collaboration with Etteplan involved developing tools for FPGA development that generated a number of ‘false’ warnings. To ensure real warnings were not overlooked, we needed to make the tool filter out the false warnings. We did not have enough experience with these tools, so we decided to solve the task with the help of a consultant. Previously, we have used HW assistance, for example, for setting parameters for controlling stepper motors. 

Our industry is moving towards laser machines as an alternative to mechanical machines and is an area that is in rapid development. Therefore, there is a time-to-market perspective while simultaneously, the products must be able to be continuously updated to perform in an ever-changing market. 

Our fifth-generation motion controller is ready for the market. The steering has a high capacity, increased speed and precision. The design includes options for being able to change the configuration, while at the customer’s site too, which makes it very flexible. In addition to firmware upgrades, the controller also includes hardware reconfiguration. The software uses an acceleration profile that regulates the engine speed and maintains a completely smooth operation, which makes it suitable for laser engraving. Unlike pick and place robots, laser engraving requires the beam to move along the curves with high precision. 

Our goal is to become a technological leader in the niche area that deals with low-end but high-quality laser machining. We produce better results than most of our competitors and can outperform others in the market because we are agile and competitive on price and quality.