Their facility in Cambridge is dedicated to the field of Imaging Systems specialising in digital imaging, image analysis systems and related software. The software they develop works with the Leica Microsystems range of microscopes, cameras, and motorised stages. Their primary focus is on the development of software applications built around the new Leica Application Suite (LAS) which integrates their automated microscopes, digital cameras and software into one common micro-imaging environment.

 

Alongside the development of LAS and supplementary applications, Leica Microsystems also supports a number of other applications based on its predecessor, namely the Leica Materials Workstation (MW).

 

Over a number of years Beacon Computer Technology has been working with Leica Microsystems, providing expertise to assist in the development, enhancement and support of MW, LAS and their associated applications. This has been on several levels, providing resources in the following areas:

 We have sustained our relationship with Leica Microsystems by being pro-active in retaining and spreading knowledge of their business and development environments across our development team, and providing an efficient and professional response to their requirements. Examples of the projects that we have been involved with are defined below.

 

A Japanese brewery approached Leica Microsystems with a requirement to develop a system that would analyse the level of micro-organisms within samples taken from their manufacturing line. Leica Microsystems asked Beacon to design and develop the software for this system. Leica Microsystems liaised with the client to define an outline of their requirements and these were defined in a requirements specification. Beacon then submitted a proposal with an outline of the proposed approach, estimates of the costs and a project plan. The approach included phases such as User Requirements Definition, Software Framework Familiarisation, User Interface Prototype, System Design, Implementation, and Integration & Test.

 

Use Cases were generated to verify the requirements as defined in the specification document supplied by Leica Microsystems. The application was to be built upon their software framework and so a period of familiarisation was conducted to ensure its capabilities and limitations were understood. Developing the user interface prototype was essential to the success of the software, especially as the process of automating the analysis was sophisticated, involving the user interacting with various elements of hardware and requiring an intuitive graphical user interface with few textual prompts. After several iterations, a design was agreed that resulted in the implementation phase being carried out without any significant revisions. As the application was developed entirely off-site, Beacon worked closely with the team at Leica Microsystems in the later stages of the implementation to ensure that issues with hardware integration were resolved swiftly and without delay to the overall programme. The resulting application and user interface design were subsequently well received by the client.

 

As a consequence of this, Leica Microsystems approached Beacon to design and develop enhancements to some of their other applications. One such application checks the quality of silicon wafers produced for semi-conductor manufacturers. One of the requested enhancements was to support the ability to perform a cross-scan that allows a horizontal section and a vertical section to be performed where necessary.

This involved making changes to the underlying state model of the application and understanding the complex mechanism by which the analysis files were synchronised between the client and server. Having already had experience of developing applications using the solution framework, we were able to provide a fully costed proposal for the work and deliver the enhancements on time and within budget.

 

The Leica Application Suite (LAS) integrates Leica Microsystems automated microscopes, digital cameras and software into one common micro-imaging environment to provide an easy-to-use and consistent platform. The LAS software is responsible for hardware control as well as image acquisition, storage and processing, and is used to solve and accelerate routine and research analysis. In addition to the acquired images, various supplementary data associated with the images can be generated including annotation, measurements, and processed images. The software runs under the .NET framework and is written in C#. The current version of LAS (Version 2) is a simple file-orientated system that requires the user to organise their own data. The next release of LAS (Version 3) will utilise a SQL database to simplify the process of data management. It will have additional capability to enable the user to define their domain specific data that can be linked to the LAS common data. The database solution also has improved performance and opens up possibilities for further developments like data searching.

 

One of our senior developers has been working on LAS as a member of the Leica Microsystems in-house team. Principally he has been involved in porting Version 2 to 3 and in developing a new module for data migration. The development has been undertaken using the SCRUM Agile process. In SCRUM, the development process is split into 2 week iterations known as a “Sprint”. At the start of a Sprint, a piece of functionality that can be developed within the period is picked from the product backlog. The team which includes developers and software testers work together to achieve the Sprint objectives. At the end of the Sprint, assuming the functionality is complete, the software is demonstrated to the product owner for verification and validation. The cycle then repeats. Software tools to support the Agile style of development are used including ReSharper (coding development tools), and Perforce (source code management).

 

We have been involved in supporting a number of applications developed internally at Leica Microsystems. This service has required knowledge of the underlying architecture of the Leica MW and the ability to understand the application’s purpose and method of implementation. As a result of our familiarity with Leica Microsystems development methods and a development team highly experienced in working with the Leica MW, we have limited the ramp-up time required to get started and reduced the drain on their internal resources. We have worked alongside Leica Microsystems team members to help define formal functional specifications and then proceeded to develop and deliver various solutions.

 

One such application is used in the automotive industry to carry out analysis of the cleanliness of components for the fluid circuits of motor vehicles. The application detects the number and size of particles within the fluid passed through the component and compares this with the acceptable levels defined within an ISO standard. Leica Microsystems approached Beacon to see if we could provide suitable resources for developing some enhancements to the application. Initially, we responded to Leica Microsystems request to carry out a small piece of development work. However, the success of this project has led to all subsequent enhancements being handled by our software development teams.

 

 

 

Dr Trevor Smith, Software Development Manager, Leica Microsystems

 

 

Client Profile   Leica Microsystems is a leading global designer and producer of innovative high-tech precision optics systems for the analysis of microstructures. The company manufactures a broad range of products for numerous applications requiring microscopic imaging, measurement and analysis. It also offers system solutions in the areas of Life Science including biotechnology and medicine, as well as the science of raw materials and industrial quality assurance. Comprising 7 manufacturing facilities in 5 countries, sales and service companies in 20 countries and an international network of dealers, the company is represented in over 100 countries and has a workforce of 3,050 employees. The international headquarters are based in Wetzlar, Germany.   www.leicamicrosystems.com