01 / Application
Life science & medical devices
Connect process context, inspection results and equipment information. Record and validation requirements are defined for each application.
Manufacturing software / Industrial IoT
Make machines
work as one.
Industrial software, controls and integration that connect the machine layer to the wider operation.
Black Star / System viewConceptual architecture
03 / OperationEnterprise & peopleInformation into action.
Monitoring · Alerts · Enterprise interfaces
02 / ContextShared software foundationOne coherent system.
Structure · Configuration · Data exchange
01 / MachineThe physical processConnected at the source.
Controls · Operator interfaces · Inspection
Machine → Context → Operation
Controls · Monitoring · Vision · ConnectivityPart of Lotus Technology Group
The engineering between systems
From machine behaviour
to operational insight.
Connect the controls, software and information that manufacturing depends on. Begin with a specific operational problem, then define a system that fits the equipment, people and site.
Grounded in the physical process
Software belongs
on the factory floor.
Good industrial software starts with an understanding of the machine: what it does, what can go wrong and what the operator needs to know.
Black Star brings the controls, monitoring and connectivity conversation together, from equipment behaviour to the information used across the operation.
- 01Define the equipment and operational requirements.
- 02Agree the interfaces, data and access boundaries.
- 03Plan testing, ownership and handover.
Platform architecture
Different layers.
A shared understanding.
A common software foundation is a way to connect the process, its information and the people who act on it. Explore the responsibilities of each layer.
CONTROL & ACQUISITION
Start where the process happens.
Equipment behaviour, operator interaction, sensors and inspection results. Define what the machine does and which information can be trusted.
- Machine states
- Operator interfaces
- Measurements & results
Conceptual architecture. Deployment, interfaces and available modules are defined for each application.
Application environments
Built around the
manufacturing question.
Start with the application and its constraints. Connect the right engineering disciplines around a clearly defined scope.
02 / Application
Advanced manufacturing
Bring machine states, software behaviour and production information into a consistent integration scope.
Photograph © Lance Hanson
03 / Application
Cleanroom & controlled environments
Frame environmental visibility around measurement quality, alert ownership and the response required by operations.
04 / Application
Automation & robotics
Connect equipment interfaces and inspection decisions with the people and systems that use their results.
The Lotus ecosystem
Black Star focuses on the software and data layer. Automation GT addresses custom automation, while SAVASTO develops standard manufacturing equipment.
Engineering notes
Make the important
decisions early.
Practical questions for defining useful information, meaningful alerts and inspection acceptance.
What should a machine data contract contain?
Agree meaning, identity and failure behaviour before connecting systems.
Read the engineering noteDesign the response, not just the alert.
Connect every important condition to a responsible person and an action.
Read the engineering noteDefine inspection acceptance before the build.
Set the reference examples and decision rules before judging the result.
Read the engineering noteLet’s make the connection