UPGRADE your Coating system TO Lightsmith

Lightsmith is a hardware and software control system platform designed to give you powerful control over your vacuum coating system. Experience the productivity enhancement that Lightsmith brings to your coating floor.

 

More data, Fewer lost runs.

Use Lightsmith software to clearly see all the nuances of your coating runs and refine your process with more precision than ever before.

Having quality issues? All the additional data and user-friendly interface will aid in identifying process anomalies; reducing part loss and increasing system throughput.

more options, less downtime.

Our customizable hardware platform can be configured to interface to any equipment you’d like to use. Install the hardware you want on your system, not just what the OEM decrees.

Instead of waiting tool-down for a long-lead part, select a different part. We can facilitate the control system integration to get you back up and running quickly.


CLEAR Status AND CONTROL

Know what your system is doing and change setpoints on-the-fly. Lightsmith makes it clear and easy.

POWERFUL DaTA ANalYsis

Lightsmith software logs everything that happens on your system. Quickly recall and visualize the data you want.

ENDLESSLY CREATIVE

Build and save thin-film coating designs for any application, or import your pre-made designs from a wide variety of industry standard formats.

Fully Automated

Start your process and walk away with confidence. If the run pauses because of a fault, Lightsmith has tools to remember where the run stopped and help you get back on track without losing the run.

 

Built on Open Frameworks

Lightsmith software is built on top of proven open platforms to allow control customization and specialized data analysis.

 
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The Interface Hardware that Makes it Possible

Elegant wiring

The Powerswitch, a central module hub, powers and communicates to task-specific modules mounted around your system, creating a complete control platform without the wiring mess.

Power & Communicate

Gauges, valves, motors, and more are powered and controlled directly from the module designed for them.

Modules communicate with EtherCAT using standard Cat5e cables. But we took it one step further: Using PoE++ circuitry, each Cat5e cable can now also transmit up to 90W of power.

 
 

A CLEAN INTERFACE SOLUTION

Each module is tailored to the specific interface task it performs. Modules may even be daisy-chained together, drastically reducing cable clutter around the tool.

 
 
 

Designed with industry standard protocols

Modules communicate using EtherCAT, a fast, simple and flexible Ethernet fieldbus technology. Easily incorporate other off-the-shelf EtherCAT devices into your system, too.

 
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EASY System CHANGES

Need to add or change equipment on your system for more functionality? Easy, just add another module. Modules can be connected in any order, with both power and communication passing seamlessly to downstream devices. Adding or changing modules is simple, making changes easy as needs evolve.

 

Fieldbus Flexibility

Have USB and Ethernet devices to use on your coating system? No problem. What about RS-232 and RS-485? Yep, that too. A Lightsmith control system upgrade can integrate with fieldbuses young and old.

 
 

Have a System With E-Guns?

We’ll install a Firescribe as part of the upgrade. Firescribe is a sweep controller that integrates seamlessly to Lightsmith through the same EtherCAT communication chain as the other modules.