Specific problems call for specific solutions, and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) can develop a custom design to meet your system or product requirements. When considering the development of a new product or system, the use of a proven design methodology is a must. SwRI has the proven experience to develop your custom system or prototype product.

SwRI engineers have extensive experience working with many technologies and managing custom development programs to make systems or products that meets clients' requirements. SwRI also frequently helps clients analyze requirements so that they may decide if a custom or a COTS integrated solution will fulfill their requirements.

SwRI uses a proven design methodology for developing custom products and systems. This methodology includes:

System definition
Design
Implementation and documentation
Manufacturing or prototype development

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A key component of this methodology is the definition phase, which includes:

Defining the system's purpose
Identifying and describing each task to be performed by the system
Determining sequence of operations necessary to perform each task
Identifying system components
Determining system-to-system interfaces
Defining user-friendly operator interfaces
Performing system failure analysis and establishing fault tolerances
Establishing system test methods and self-diagnostic capabilities
Developing environmental specifications

The table below summarizes some of the tradeoffs associated with the two different system development techniques.

	COTS Development	Custom System Development
Development Cost	Lower	Higher
Development Time	Shorter	Longer
Availability of a Complete Solution	Not Guaranteed	High
Production Cost (low quantity)	Lower	Higher
Production Cost (high quantity)	Higher	Lower

SwRI has significant experience with developing both COTS and custom systems. The following links provide brief descriptions of systems that utilize custom design techniques to varying levels.

Examples of Custom Design and Prototype Development Projects

Communications Devices

Radar Systems

Telecommunications Monitoring System

Telecommunications Interface Card Design & Limited Production

Electronic Warfare Countermeasures Receiving Set

Active Array Transmitter Upgrade

Electro-Mechanical Replacement

Radar Test Set

For more information about Custom Design and Prototype Development capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Mark Moczygemba at mmoczygemba@swri.org or (210) 522-3463.

Contact Information

Mark Moczygemba

Communications Engineering

(210) 522-3463

mmoczygemba@swri.org

Related Terminology

communication devices

communication networks

radar systems

communication systems

RF systems

radio frequency engineering

RF engineering

analysis

specification development

circuit design

fabrication

consulting

COTS integration

custom instruments

test systems

prototype development

modeling

simulation

reverse engineering

replacement engineering

communications engineering

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Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

June 10, 2008