I deliberately put the term "special measurement technology" in quotation marks here, as there is no clear definition for it. Rather, it serves as a complement to standard electrical/electronic measurement technology, which can be deployed relatively quickly. In contrast, special measurement technology often targets hard-to-access measurement points or variables, sometimes even requiring modifications or weakening of components. Additionally, the harsh boundary conditions of real-world system operation must be considered, which, in the case of combustion engines or compressors, naturally means appropriate temperatures, pressures, and vibrations depending on the measurement point.

The terms measurement point and boundary conditions serve as an ideal transition to embedding SMT in a modern development process. In such a process, the goal is to achieve early robust system design (Frontloading) using advanced simulation tools. However, depending on the complexity of the simulation model, a significant number of parameters need to be set (calibrated) before a solid baseline for new designs exists. Occasionally, measurement points and boundary conditions must be negotiated with the simulation team to make a measurement technically or economically feasible. For this, a company-wide standardization of measurement plans is also beneficial. Creating these plans from the very first projects is a noble goal; however, practical experience shows that this requires more expertise and organizational effort.

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"I consciously want to share my experience with SMEs and make the methodologies of large enterprises accessible to them."

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Finally, based on my recent experience with small refrigeration compressors, I would like to illustrate the necessity of component size for cutting-edge sensor technology: By utilizing modern micro-sensors and leveraging technological possibilities, such challenges can be addressed elegantly.

A key success factor in instrumentation at the limits of manual feasibility is, besides the right material, the human factor. High motivation and patience are essential, as well as creativity—but this creativity should be established at the very beginning and incorporated into a concrete written procedure for the upcoming task! Ideally, a four-eyes principle with planned inspection steps is applied to reduce risks. For discussing new methods or process changes, adopting the advocatus diaboli approach in a small group can be beneficial, where the idea must be defended against various scenarios—a fast and informal version of FMEA. This effort is truly well invested!

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"I encourage you not to give up immediately if no standard solution exists for your measurement task. Let’s briefly discuss it and get creative!"

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During the early phases of my career, I published several works or contributed to them.