The WinCCS system features an optional Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) connectivity function via XML data files to ease implimentation.
The WinCCS LIMS capability allows data flow in both directions. This enables the customer's LIMS system to export specimens, test specifications, specimen measurements, thermocouple batch information, and more to the WinCCS system. Once the specimens have been tested the WinCCS system can export complete test records to the customer's LIMS. These export records include all the test data, test conditions and machines calibration and verification records.
Additionally the system provides support for the customer's LIMS system to generate unique specimen bar codes which are read by the WinCCS system. This significantly reduces mistakes due to misidentification of specimens in the laboratory.
LIMS Software Integration:
A computer-based Laboratory Information Management System or LIMS of some kind is used by the majority of contemporary testing facilities to store and retrieve test results.
Many facilities wish to keep all test data in their LIMS system to minimize data entry mistakes and facilitate report production in the laboratory's own format. Since most testing facilities contain a wide range of testing equipment, both computer-based and manual, this can be a considerable undertaking.
The majority of LIMS systems include built-in import and export features for flat files, comma-separated variable (CSV) files, XML files, and JSON files, as there are no industry-standard data formats or transfer methods.
Applied Test Systems (ATS) has upgraded the WinCCS Creep / Stress Rupture testing system with a strong XML data interchange improvement, addressing the need for data interchange between LIMS and other testing equipment.
This feature connects a testing facility's LIMS system to WinCCS, facilitating data transfer and management. The WinCCS computer has many input and output folders to facilitate this interaction.
The LIMS system writes data to the WinCCS system in the designated folders on the WinCCS PC. The WinCCS system writes the resulting test data to designated folders, and the LIMS makes errors while parsing files submitted to the WinCCS system.
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Data Sent from Customer's LIMS to WinCCS:
The customer's LIMS can transfer thermocouple correction data, specimen records, test specifications, etc., to the WinCCS system.
Thermocouple Correction Data: Thermocouples used in high temperature testing on the WinCCS system are either made from large batches or wire, or are platinum based thermocouples. Both require calibrations based on the International Temperature Scale (ITS) for the thermocouple type to correct for deviations from the standard thermocouple EMF tables. In the case of wire batch thermocouples a temperature correction table based on thermocouples made from that batch must be used. In the case of Platinum based thermocouples and individual correction table is provided for each thermocouple. These correction tables can be exported from the cusomers LIMS directly to the WinCCS system.
Specimen Record: WinCCS requires the dimensions, user-defined text fields, test circumstances, and test specification for each specimen it tests. This is supplied as a specimen record in the WinCCS system. The specimen record contains the specimen measurementsm testing parameters (in the form of a test specification name) and various user defined text fields to identify the specimen.
Test Specifications: WinCCS has a very robust test specification system that contains many more features and testing conditions found in most customer LIMS. Therefore the actual test specifications are kept and maintaned in the WinCCS system and the Specimen Record just references the desired Test Specification when exporting Specimen Record to the WinCCS system. In order to support various testing parameters these values may be supplied as overrides to the named test specification in the Specimen Record. This allows the customers LIMS to have great flexibility in creating test conditions for their specimens without lengthy reprogramming of their LIMS. The following parameters may be overridden in the Test Specification, by values in the Specimen Record.
Minimum Final Creep, Minimum Final Creep P/F, Minimum Final Creep Shutdown, Life Hours, Life Hours P/F, Step Loads, Test Temperature, Specimen Load, Test Type, Specimen Type. The values in the requested Test Specification are superseded when these values are provided, giving the LIMS considerable power over the WinCCS system.
Specimen Data (Post Test): Some laboratories have the test operators measure the after test dimensions of the specimen and enter the values directly into WinCCS. Other laboratories have a seperate Quality Control group measure the specimens after testing and they enter the values into the LIMS. WinCCS supports either method of post test data entry, and in the case of LIMS based post test measurments, it allows those to be sent from the LIMS to WinCCS, where the complete test record is combined and transmitted back to the LIMS.
Data Sent from WinCCS to LIMS:
Because of extermely long data retension requirements for most tests performed on these systems the data exported back to the LIMS is in three different formats Binary, Flat File Report and XML test file.
The binary test file is the standard WinCCS test file that has the entire test record, calibration, verification, thermocouple batch data, specimen information and test specification. It can only be read by a WinCCS system. The user must use a WinCCS system or the same version of newer to read and generate reports from these files.
A flat file structured as a system Long Form Report is the second type of file. This is a complete standard WinCCS long Form report formated as a text file readable by almost any computer system. Some laboratories send this to a Micro Fiche printer for archival preservation. Once more, this serves as a backup in the event that the major systems malfunction.
All of the test data contained in the binary file is contained in the third file, which is an XML file. The original specimen information, thermocouple batch data, the full test specification, and all relevant test machine calibration and verification records are also included in this file.
These files can grow to be very large with long processing times needed by the LIMS, depending on the system settings for the number of creep and temperature readings stored.
Post Test Data Entry:
After a test is finished, a specimen is usually subjected to a number of questions and measurements to see if it satisfies all specification criteria. These questions change based on the criteria of the test specification and how the exam ended.
As previously mentioned the user can supply this information directly to the WinCCS system, when the test is over, or the list of questions and measurements is sent to the LIMS system, and the completed files are then returned to the WinCCS system. This allows specimen measurements to be collected using an external station rather than entering data directly into WinCCS.
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Post Test Measurement and Questions Data:
The necessary specimen measurements and post-test questions are generated in an XML file using WinCCS. Depending on the end user's preference, either the WinCCS section or a LIMS can carry out this process.
The laboratory LIMS system and the WinCCS system are tightly integrated through the LIMS/WinCCS XML file data interchange, which also enables users to use some capabilities while ignoring others. This versatility allows users to add the precise components they want, making the experience incredibly user-friendly.