Testream®/CS is a PC-based lab automation/product quality information system. It consists of a number of software components available separately or as a fully integrated system. The following is a brief overview of the system’s key components; complete details on each program are presented on the following pages.
Testream®/CS Interface Application (IA) program
The role of the IA software is to automatically acquire measurement results directly from the test instrument assigned to it, display that data to the tester, offer many other edit, analysis & audit features before sending it off to the production floor or other other testing labs. Each IA comes with one driver program to pull data from any testing instrument with an electronic output. Over the last 30 years AcquiData has developed an extensive library of software driver programs for virtually any materials testing instrument in use today. Running in the browser environment, different IA programs can run concurrently in one PC permitting different samples to be tested by different technicians, at the same time.
Testream®/CS Lab Server program
The heart of Testream®/CS is its Lab Server program. Lab Server’s job is to control the flow of information into and out of each laboratory within the system. For example, the Lab Server receives sample IDs entered directly into Testream®/CS or imported from other information systems, and broadcasts those identifiers to all of the IAs (see above) in the system so a tester only has to select their sample from the list displayed – there is no need to re-identify samples at each station or create and scan bar codes. In production support labs, Lab Server can also receive and broadcast quality control limits for color coding and alarming purposes. These limits can be maintained by the Testream®/CS Product Specifications Entry & Management program or by some other software program outside of Testream/CS – the choice is yours. Lab Server’s final job is to instantaneously deliver lab data to the Testream®/CS database.
Testream®/CS Database
The Testream/CS database has been designed specifically for the unique data model that materials testing lab results represent. Based on Microsoft’s SQLServer database engine, the Testream®/CS database can be standalone, or can be configured as a front end data collection component, exporting lab data to some other information system.
Testream®/CS ReportWriter
ReportWriter is a browser-based tool which is designed to produce and display a wide range of information such as graphs, spreadsheets, daily production reports and this software is easy to use and incredibly customizable. Templates are created quickly using a simple drag and drop method and can display multiple test data in a variety of methods. Once a template is created, it can be set to auto-populate with test data which will make frequently generated documents such as daily production reports quick and easy. With ReportWriter, you can be certain that the quality material you produce is displayed in a simple, cohesive way which will be easy to understand by all.