K-Team offer a one stop service of research and development from the specification to the production and not only in the Robotics. Our R&D team as a strong experience in various domain such as industry, Timing, watchmaking, …
What is the strength of an R&D office?
Its experienced team in various fields and its vision of the finished product to anticipate its globality!
Indeed, each new area of development is an unknown land that will require the acquisition of new experiences that will often be marked by failure.
This is what our Research & Development office puts at your disposal, its formative successes and failures so that you can reach your goal more quickly and at a lower cost. Thanks to our long experience in a wide range of fields in robotics and electronics devices and our close proximity to our production department, we are committed to delivering a solution that is not only functional, but also cost effective and producible.
Our skills:
Electronic development:
Realization and assistance in the definition of the specifications
Realization of electronic diagrams
Routing (or Layout) of printed circuit boards
BoM entry and component cost optimization
Replacement of obsolete components
Follow-up of CE/FCC certifications (with our usual laboratory or the one chosen by you)
Development software:
Firmware development
User interface development
Development of algorithms
Mechanical development:
3D modeling of parts and drawing up of plans
Production monitoring and injection mold validation
Design of your device bodies using plastic injection, extrusion, machining, thermoforming or other processes
Packaging design for your product
List of domains and application mastered:
Timing
Metrology
Industrial
Solar
Robotics
Watchmaking
Animated displays (POS for watches)
Medical
Life safety
Help for the disabled
Educational
Academic Research
Consumer product
Humanitarian
Sport
Parking
Bell tower management
Safe
Fireworks
Video
IOT
List of technologies / processes mastered:
Microcontrollers
Expertise in motor control (brushed, brushless, stepper)
LED lighting
Quartzwatch movements
Battery
Low-Power
LCD display
Membrane keyboard
Proximity sensor (Infrared, Ultrasound, …)
Timing
Linux
Tactile sensor
Thermal sensor
Odometry
Power
electronics
Analog electronics
Bluetooth (2.0 & BLE)
Wifi
GPS
GSM
RF Communication
USB
I2C
Serial Port
Precision mechanics
Engine block with reduction
Plastic injection moulding
Hydraulics
Pneumatics
Phase 1: The specifications
It defines all the functionalities and characteristics of the device or more broadly its system. The specifications are in principle provided by the client’s project manager but they will be discussed, worked on and completed with our team. Without an anticipation of the needs, there will not be a solid basis for the product.
Phase 2: Design and development of the electronic schematic
It is a technical drawing that defines how the different electronic components will be connected, thus enabling the functionalities of the device to be realised. In this macro step, it is essential to perfectly master what is being done and to correctly dimension the elements in order to obtain a safe and reliable device. It is also necessary to anticipate the needs for the different CE, FCC certifications or any product compliance criteria.
Phase 3: Layout Design
This is the phase where we will transform the schematic into a technical plan for the realization of the physical printed circuit board. The printed circuit board (or PCB) and the mechanical element that will support and electrically connect, according to the electronic schematic are designed and virtually tested to match the product functionalities. Here again, experience and rigour are required in order to create a robust, functional system that complies with the standards in force.
Phase 4: Production of one or more prototypes
This phase verifies whether the device / hardware will be producible without major problems and whether the functionalities work as desired. Our production takes care of this assembly, which allows a quick assembly and guarantees a precise feedback to our R&D department regarding possible assembly difficulties.
Phase 5: Software development
Most electronic devices are equipped with a microcontroller that requires an embedded program to operate. It is during the software development phase that this will be done, usually once the prototype is made. The software (or code) containing the algorithm makes up the core of the system. This represents the device’s intelligence. It may also be necessary to develop interface software. The latter is a program that can be installed on a computer and will be used to interact with the card functions. During all these phases, the code must be clean and well designed in order to be fast, bug-free and robust.
Phase 6: Mechanical development
Devices composed by different electronic boards can constitute a complete R&D. For a robot, it is as well necessary to design the mechanical assembly around this board. This can be only the housing or the different standard or custom mechanisms such as the gearboxes to be made for the device. The mechanical design work therefore consists in designing the housing from a design, imagining the mechanisms and their operation. The parts thus imagined are modelled in 3 dimensions allowing us to see the global assembly of the device virtually. The plans of the parts will thus be made from this 3D and can be manufactured according to different processes depending on their shape, production quantities and complexity. For this phase also, the parts can be produced using prototyping processes in order to validate the complete device.
Usually the development ends here with the client’s validation of the device’s functionalities, so then the production phase can begin.