Software development for systems with a hardware connection
From device software to the central web interface.
EPSIA develops software for technical systems in which devices, machines and sensors work together with controllers, databases, web applications and higher-level systems. EPSIA can develop the software across the entire system chain – from low-level device software and machine control to central management and the web interface.
What situation is this service designed for?
EPSIA's software development is aimed at companies that develop and operate devices, machines or entire device fleets and need a custom software solution for them. Typical requirements are reliable control of the hardware, data acquisition and processing, remote maintenance and software updates, and integration with central management and web systems.
Customers include device manufacturers, operators of technical plants, industrial companies and start-ups with their own hardware.
What does EPSIA deliver for systems with a hardware connection?
Depending on the project, EPSIA takes on requirements analysis, the functional specification, software architecture, development and commissioning. EPSIA develops software for the different levels of a technical system:
Electronics and fieldbus
Integration of new and existing electronics, and communication with devices, sensors and actuators via interfaces and fieldbuses such as I²C, Modbus, CANopen, EtherCAT and RS485.
Motion and process control
Software for servo drives, gantry axes, PID control loops and sequence control based on state machines.
Machine vision
Industrial image processing for position detection, inspection and measurement, including with MVTec HALCON.
User interface and data
Operator and web interfaces, recipe and user management, data storage with MariaDB and MySQL, and automatic generation of test and process records.
Operation and remote maintenance
Remote maintenance over secured connections, software updates, and central monitoring and management of individual plants or entire device fleets.
How does EPSIA reduce risk in hardware projects?
EPSIA can develop and test machine and device software before the real hardware is fully available. To do this, the relevant components and processes of the plant are simulated. As the project progresses, the simulated hardware is replaced step by step with the real components.
On the calibration and test system for infrared temperature sensors, the customer could already use the operator interface on the digital twin before the mechanics of the system were finished. The simulated components were then replaced step by step with the real hardware.
On the automated machine for shaver foil production, the simulation and the real machine run on the same software. New functions and changes can therefore be tested virtually first, before they are used on the production machine.
Several of these systems are built on iSDK, a software platform developed by EPSIA and maintained since 2016. It is currently used in five plant and control projects.
What results has EPSIA achieved with hardware-related systems?
Reference projects show which technical systems EPSIA has already delivered and what measurable results the software has achieved:
- Calibration machine for infrared temperature sensors: Since 2021, more than 80,000 MI3 sensors have been calibrated with the system. The machine processes 20 sensors per batch in around two hours and was later relocated to production sites in the United Kingdom and China.
- Calibration and test system for infrared temperature sensors: The system handles different sensor types without mechanical changeover and doubles the capacity per batch to 40 sensors; throughput rises from around 10 to 27 sensors per hour. The control software was developed on the digital twin before the mechanics were in place.
- Wafer alignment on inspection systems: A new alignment routine in the machine software cut the alignment time per wafer from 7:44 minutes to 1:16 minutes. The solution has been in use in series production in Asia since 2025.
- Automated machine for shaver foil production: The control software coordinates 21 servo axes and 210 I/O signals. The real machine and the digital twin run on the same software. The system has been in operation since 2022/23.
- Site management for motorhome sites: The software combines booking, card payment and control of power and water. It enables automated operation of seven locations with a total of 80 pitches.
How does a hardware project with EPSIA start?
A hardware project with EPSIA starts with a clearly scoped architecture check at a fixed price. EPSIA examines the hardware integration, the data flow, the software architecture and the requirements for later operation.
The customer receives a technical basis for further development: which components are needed, how they work together, in what order they should be implemented and what development effort to expect.
On this basis, the requirements can be detailed in a functional specification and the subsequent software development agreed as a fixed-price project.
Who is this service not suitable for?
EPSIA focuses on custom software development for technical systems and does not do classic PLC programming with TIA Portal, CODESYS or TwinCAT, nor programming of articulated-arm robots.
Software for gantry systems, servo axes, sensors and actuators, on the other hand, is part of EPSIA's service range. Mechanical design and electrical engineering can be delivered together with established partner companies where needed.
Where functional safety under IEC 61508 or ISO 13849 is required, EPSIA does not take on overall responsibility alone. Such projects require collaboration with appropriately specialised partners.