Siemens Healthineers Advances Imaging Component Testing​

Accelerating Test Automation Across Power and Vacuum Products with NI Technology

Overview

Siemens Healthineers’ technology center Power & Vacuum Products develops advanced x-ray tubes and generators that are essential components in diagnostic imaging and interventional therapies, including computed tomography (CT), radiography, and angiography. As a market leader in medical imaging components, the company is committed to continuous innovation while maintaining the highest standards of quality and reliability.

To support these objectives, and honor our commitment to automation, we set out to build modern verification and validation (V&V) processes, beginning with the automation of integration testing for angiography systems.

Why We Avoided the Traditional V&V Lab

Traditional V&V labs are often hindered by manual, repetitive tasks and a heavy reliance on expert knowledge. Engineers spend valuable time configuring instruments and documenting results by hand, leading to inefficiencies and a risk of knowledge loss. Data analysis is limited, often involving manual screenshot comparisons, while reporting lacks standardization, making traceability and regulatory compliance difficult.

We Chose Modernization by Building a Scalable Automation Framework with NI Products

To overcome these limitations, we adopted TestStand as the core platform for test automation, selected for its flexibility, multilanguage integration capabilities, and support for standardized test architectures.

The team initially implemented the platform for integration testing of angiography products. Test cases were developed and executed within the NI technology framework, with signal acquisition handled by NI hardware and subsequent analysis conducted in MathWorks® MATLAB® software. This setup enabled automated pass/fail evaluation and streamlined reporting.

The success of this pilot implementation established a foundation for broader deployment. Plans are underway to extend the solution to computed tomography (CT) systems, with the long-term objective of developing a unified, reusable test architecture across all product lines. 

Results: Time Savings, Standardization, and Future Readiness

The benefits of the NI solution were immediate and measurable:

• Significant reduction in test time for angiography products
• Standardized workflow for test documentation 
• Increased repeatability of test processes
• Enhanced traceability through automated logging of test steps, standardized reporting, and version control of both test procedures and function code.
• Reusable test architecture that supports future scalability
• Improved knowledge retention through codified test procedures 

The transition from manual to automated testing not only enhanced efficiency but also laid the foundation for a more robust and scalable testing strategy, better aligned with future development and regulatory needs.

Looking Ahead

We will continue to advance our test automation capabilities with support from NI tools. The next phase involves deploying a TestStand-based framework to support component integration testing in computed tomography (CT) systems. As we demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, our long-term objective is to expand the automated testing framework to additional components across a growing portfolio of products.

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