国防部（DOD）有一个问题：如何减少直升机变速箱和变速箱测试的支出，同时还简化了测试过程并提高了测试结果的准确性。答案是一组具有统一，用户友好界面的灵活测试系统。
通用直升机测试站很少，而且由于直升机变速箱和变速箱的复杂几何形状，不同的动态操作以及不同的负载要求的复杂和不同的几何形状。现有的测试软件和控件是围绕单个原始设备制造商（OEM）要求，测试类型和测试系统制造商的偏好而开发的。结果是每个测试物品和每架直升机OEM的独特测试系统。
With more than 20 aging, dedicated test stands, each designed to accommodate a unique helicopter transmission or gearbox, testing was complex and time consuming. Worker environments were less than optimal, the testing process took days, spare parts were sparse and expensive, and most of the energy used during testing was converted to wasted heat.
该项目有三个部分 - 一个全新的测试过程，新的灵活动力总成测试台和新的通用测试软件。
在现有环境中，测试文章在测试摊位内部组装，着装，测试和撕下。这导致了几天的测试系统无效。重新设计的过程移动了测试单元外的所有测试准备和分解。定制的可运输测试固定装置是通过快速连接和自动夹具设计的，以便可以将完全准备好的测试组件快速机械对齐，加载并电到电动连接到支架上。机器安装的射频标识（RFID）读取器使用固定装置的标签在测试之前识别组件类型，并自动配置机器并加载其测试配置文件。
Instead of taking hours to build up and break down the test article inside the stand, the new process requires approximately 15 minutes for each. Depending on the duration of the test, throughput is increased by up to 400 percent.
The new test stands are designed with modular gearboxes, allowing each test stand to accommodate multiple powertrain components. The size of a two-story building, a single main transmission test system can handle seven or more different helicopter transmissions as well as countless future variants. Separate flexible test stands were engineered to handle tail and intermediate gearboxes as well as other critical dynamic components. Test stand gearboxes are designed to be swapped out and change position to test different components.
为了减少能源消耗，将电气再生集成以提供负载控制和负载吸收，从而使测试过程中需要的80％的功率被重新接收，以便为测试站本身供电或返回到网格。
主变速器柔性测试系统虽然以全容量运行，但每小时的运行费用将比以前的DOD系统少约400美元。这可以轻松地转化为单个测试台上每年约500,000美元的节省。
Finally, a machine software and control package was designed to perform all the required dynamic tests and allow an operator trained on one test system to be competent on any of the others. A modular software system and HMI platform was designed for all five test stands, with a common user interface and plug-in architecture, common function blocks, I/O coding and CAT 4 safety functions. The test profiles, formerly hard coded into each stand, are now generated and stored independently from the hardware. Test profiles are identified to the test article via RFID and the resulting test data is captured and stored to create a traceable test history for each transmission and gearbox.
克里斯·莱克（Chris Lake），clake@redviking.com，是工程副总裁RedViking Engineering, a member of the控制系统集成商协会. Chris will also be presenting atThe Automation Conference2014年5月 - 计划参加有关该项目的更多信息，并亲自与Chris会面。
