Consulting Engineers

In 2000 Hiykon was joined by a former employee of BNFL who brought with them a detailed knowledge of the Criticality Incident Detector Alarm System known as CIDAS. Hiykon furthered development on CIDAS providing both test jigs, power supply units & detector interface cards. A further proposed development was that of self-diagnostic testing for each detector. This was based around a small slug of Americium (identical to that from a conventional ionising smoke detector) operated by an electromechanical actuator - thus eliminating the need/risk with manual testing using a controlled high-level source, e.g. cobalt 60 CIDAS remains the installed system in nuclear installation throughout the UK and the USA.

Hiykon was first approached by Genial Genetics in 2003 regarding the development of their automated surface culture harvester, known as Genie. Within 6 months we developed a fully functional prototype for clinical assessment and by 12 months had begun the initial production run using carefully selected manufacturing partners. This first design was well-received throughout the clinical world, selling to both public and private labs in Europe, N. America, Australia & the Middle East. Following a successful introduction of over 20 machines, the design was revised in 2005 to utilise a modular aluminium structure, reducing both cost and improving appearance. Fluid metering was improved through the use of computer-controlled peristaltic pumps along with the revision to the control system into modular subcomponents, greatly easing the maintenance in the field. Over 60 of these units have been sold. 2011 saw the third revision of the design. The chassis was revised again to use an improved modular system, resulting in a volume reduction of 20% and a similar cost-saving. Additionally, the 28 peristaltic pumps were replaced with 5 precision syringe pumps and a novel “intelligent aspiration” system. This offered unparalleled accuracy and self-diagnosis. Due to slowing demand, the Genie ceased production in 2016 however Hiykon is pleased to be able to offer legacy maintenance, support and spares.

To minimise time-to-market, prototyping on Genial’s second machine CellSprint was awarded to another design firm. Whilst delivering an effective prototype & initial production run they relied upon several subcontractors, each with limited overlap. The result was a disjointed solution that proved considerably inefficient to integrate and commission/debug. Sadly, this firm closed before being able to complete a revised/improved design. Hiykon stepped in during 2011 to offer a holistic review, detailing design changes and a control system that considered both the electronics, mechanics, fluidics, pneumatics and maintenance as a whole. The result was a 30% saving in component cost and even larger time savings during assembly and maintenance through the modularisation of the machine. Further enhancements have been presented over the years, each with an emphasis on improving the reliability of the machine whilst being capable of fitting as an easy retrograde. For over a decade we have worked directly with customers on behalf of GenialGenetics. This has been done with discretion and professionalism and as a result, we have significant experience in both the installation, set-up and on-going maintenance of all the machines. Over 50 CellSprints have been deployed worldwide before production ceased in 2016. Over 90% of these are still in routine use and we can maintain/support & even upgrade these on request.

As product consultants, we offer turnkey solutions incorporating electronic, mechanical and firmware solutions based on many years of experience. We utilise SolidWorks for 3D CAD, Proteus & Zuken for EDA, and a variety of programming languages & IDE’s from assembler & C through to Java & Python. We pay close attention to cost vs performance vs ease of assembly with a quality finish and have taken numerous product prototypes from development to the finished product. We consistently deliver finished products on time, on budget and more importantly, exactly to specification. Our in-house design and production capabilities allow us to create the best results for our clients. If need be, we will conduct feasibility studies to make sure your project is practically and financially viable.

We offer a complete electronics design service from schematic capture and layout to prototyping test & build with specific experience in: • Embedded Controllers • Power Electronics • Analogue Electronics • Power Supplies • Communications • Safety-Critical • Motor Control

Where designs employ embedded controllers we also offer bespoke software/firmware or device drivers. We have experience with both 8 & 16-bit MicroChip & Atmel devices, communicating over both RS485, CAN, USB and ethernet.

Many designs arise from R&D funded projects and as such the scope of these is niche, with often only one or two units required to serve as a demonstrator. Where this is the case we have in-house facilities and a workshop that can produce finished-quality prototypes, demonstrators or small batch builds.