Services
Decades of engineering expertise, integrated into your team
CRAVE offers our ProQ automation development process as an à la carte engineering service, designed primarily to support OEMs who need either additional horsepower or specialized expertise to deliver complex automation projects.
Partners engage CRAVE when internal teams are fully loaded, timelines are aggressive, or specific competencies – such as machine vision, robotics, lasers, advanced controls, or functional safety – are not practical to staff full time. In these cases, we integrate seamlessly with your organization, extending your engineering, manufacturing, and commissioning capabilities without disrupting your workflow.
Whether you need targeted support for a critical subsystem or a fully outsourced engineering function, CRAVE helps you close gaps, reduce risk, and deliver automation solutions with confidence.
Pre-Automation: Planning with Purpose
Automation success is determined before the first component is ordered. CRAVE’s pre-automation services define requirements, validate feasibility, and establish a clear, vendor-neutral strategy that aligns technical decisions with business outcomes.
Needs Assessment & Requirements Definition
We work with your team to clearly define goals, constraints, success criteria, and risks – turning uncertainty into a structured path forward.
Automation Strategy & Concept Development
We translate production challenges into automation concepts, helping you decide what to automate, how to automate it, and when it makes economic sense.
Feasibility Studies & Proof of Concept
We validate the hardest technical elements early – machine vision, robotics, materials, or processes – before significant capital is committed.
Prototyping & Process Development
From benchtop prototypes to process refinement, we develop and test concepts to ensure performance, repeatability, and manufacturability.
Simulation & Virtual Commissioning
We simulate robotics, motion, and system/factory behavior to optimize throughput, reduce surprises, and shorten commissioning timelines.
Project Planning & Functional Specifications
CRAVE creates clear functional and design specifications that align stakeholders, control scope, and ensure nothing is missed.
Safety Engineering & Risk Assessment
Functional safety is integrated from the start, not added later – ensuring compliant, operable, and maintainable systems.
Virtual Robotics & Motion Studies
We model robot reach, cycle time, and interactions to ensure performance before hardware is ordered.
Component Sizing & Technology Selection
Motors, drives, robots, sensors, optics, and controls – selected objectively to fit the application, not a preferred brand.
Optical Engineering & Vision Architecture
We perform lighting, lens, filter, and resolution calculations to ensure machine vision systems work reliably in production environments.
System Architecture & Controls Strategy
We design scalable, maintainable control and software architectures that integrate seamlessly with your operation.
Implementation Services - Precision in Action
Execution is where automation either proves its value or exposes its risk. CRAVE’s implementation services translate engineered intent into production-ready systems through disciplined integration, testing, and validation – delivering reliable, scalable automation that performs in real-world environments from day one.
Procurement & Kitting
We source, manage, and kit components to reduce lead-time risk and streamline builds.
Mechanical Build-to-Print
CRAVE builds subassemblies or complete machines – accurately, efficiently, and ready for integration.
UL 508A Electrical Panel Manufacturing
In-house UL508A panel design and fabrication ensure compliance, quality, and faster deployment.
Vision System Construction
We build and configure complete vision systems – hardware, lighting, optics, and processing – ready for production use.
Controls & Software Development
PLC programming (any platform or language), HMI/SCADA, databases, cloud connectivity, and middleware integration.
Installation & Commissioning
On-site deployment, debugging, and startup – robots, machines, lasers, controls, and vision – done efficiently and professionally.
Acceptance Testing & Validation
Factory and site acceptance testing to verify performance against requirements before handoff.
Vision Calibration & Tuning
Final calibration and tuning to ensure inspection accuracy, stability, and long-term reliability.
Documentation & Safety Validation
Complete technical, validation, and safety documentation to support operations, audits, and future upgrades.
Post-automation - Support for the Long Haul
Automation delivers value only when it continues to perform over time. CRAVE provides ongoing support, training, documentation, and system optimization to protect your investment, reduce downtime, and ensure your automation scales reliably as your operation evolves.
Operator & Maintenance Training
Hands-on and classroom training to ensure your team can operate and maintain systems with confidence.
Manuals & Technical Documentation
Clear, practical operating and maintenance manuals written by engineers who built the system.
Preventive & Periodic Maintenance
Scheduled service to keep systems running at peak performance and prevent unplanned downtime.
On-Demand Engineering Support
Remote or on-site support, deployed under your banner when needed.
Upgrades, Retrofits & Overhauls
Extend system life, add capabilities, or adapt to new production requirements.