Key# ®,
Gain Faster Development Times with our Unique, Powerful & Proven Software
Key Tech has developed a PC-based software tool, called Key#® (pronounced KEY SHARP), aimed to reduce time to testing for prototypes. The average Key Tech client can save 1-2 months on the front end of a program leveraging the myriad powerful features of Key#®. Key#® provides a clean and intuitive UI to enable more team members, like Key Tech’s customers and manufacturing partners, to test devices who previously were unable to without a custom PC application. The result is more data, sooner in product development programs to inform decision making.
Getting the desired data efficiently isn’t always straightforward – Enter Key#®
During development, it’s easy for Key Tech’s clients to think about what the end product will be, as they should. However, it is our job as the development partner to discuss the intermediate stepping stones to get there. Testing tools during development are some of these stepping stones that we find ourselves discussing with clients often.
It’s easy to understand that for an instrument or test fixture to work well, you might be looking at a few design iterations during development. Some subsystems may require more iterations to get it right than others. Characterization data, or simply test data, is needed in every iteration to inform design update decisions. For a design to be effective, it takes lots of data to get there, gobs of it. However, getting the desired data and getting it efficiently isn’t always straightforward. Many of these tests should be repeated to verify performance improvements over design iterations or prove reliability over time. A good set of testing software is critical in getting consistent data, and it should be collected at a reasonable schedule and cost.
Why is Key#® Better?
Frequently, a custom PC application is developed from scratch for a custom-built instrument for the purpose of testing during development. This can take significant time and effort. In many cases, if the PC application isn’t planned cohesively with the other software needs during the development cycle, the testing PC application may not have enough longevity to provide long-term value for our clients.
Key#® is built with the goal of flexibility and reusability from the get-go. It is a common software framework that can be easily customized to unique project needs, like medical devices or test fixtures with sensors, cameras, pumps, motors, etc. Key#® UI can be customized for the engineers/scientists/operators that will be using it. Because of its innate flexibility and reusability, it can be easily adapted to fit many different needs during the development cycle including early data gathering during design iterations, late-stage verification, used as a foundation for end-user-facing software, or during manufacturing. As a result, Key#® can result in significant schedule and budget savings for many development programs.
Learn more about how Key#® can benefit your development program in our video series below.
