Cross-Platform Fire Resistance Testing App for SA Associates
A major electrical wire manufacturer needed a reliable way to test their products against fire safety standards — on any operating system, with real-time data from testing equipment. We built a custom ElectronJS desktop application that made compliance testing accurate, fast, and repeatable.
Overview
SA Associates is a significant producer of electrical wires, supplying products that must meet strict fire safety and resistance standards before they can reach the market. Their testing process — measuring how wires behave under fire conditions — was manual, time-consuming, and difficult to standardise across different operating environments. Engineers needed a tool that could communicate directly with testing equipment, capture data in real time, and produce consistent compliance reports. The tool also needed to run on the mix of Windows, macOS, and Linux machines across their facilities.
The Challenges
Cross-Platform Compatibility
SA Associates' engineers work across Windows, macOS, and Linux workstations depending on the facility. Any testing tool had to work identically across all three platforms — maintaining a separate native application for each OS was not a viable option.
Real-Time Equipment Communication
The application needed to interface directly with physical testing equipment via communication protocols, acquiring temperature, timing, and wire condition data as the test progressed. This required low-latency data acquisition with no room for dropped readings during a live fire test.
Usable by Engineers, Not Just Developers
The end users are test engineers and lab technicians — not software specialists. The interface needed to be straightforward enough to operate under pressure, with clear controls for starting and stopping tests and generating compliance reports without technical assistance.
Our Solution
ElectronJS Single-Codebase Desktop App
We built the application using ElectronJS, which allowed us to write a single codebase that runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This eliminated the cost and complexity of maintaining separate platform-specific builds while delivering a native application experience on each OS.
Hardware Integration & Data Acquisition
We implemented the communication protocols required to interface with SA Associates' testing equipment, handling data acquisition reliably throughout each test run. The application manages the connection lifecycle — detecting equipment, acquiring data, and gracefully handling disconnections.
Real-Time Monitoring Dashboard
The application displays live test data — temperature curves, elapsed time, and wire condition indicators — updating in real time as the test runs. Engineers can monitor progress at a glance and intervene immediately if a reading falls outside expected parameters.
Report Generation
At the end of each test, the application generates a structured compliance report capturing all recorded data. Reports follow the format required by industry safety standards, removing the manual work of compiling results and reducing the risk of transcription errors.
Results & Outcomes
Deployed Across All Platforms
The application runs consistently on Windows, macOS, and Linux — covering every workstation in SA Associates' facilities from a single codebase.
Accurate, Reliable Data Collection
Real-time hardware integration captures complete test data with no manual transcription, eliminating the measurement errors that had affected previous testing processes.
Faster Testing Cycles
Automated report generation and a streamlined test workflow reduced the time required to complete and document each test run significantly.
Industry Compliance Maintained
Reports generated by the application meet the format and content requirements of applicable fire safety standards, simplifying the compliance documentation process.
Conclusion
SA Associates now has a testing tool that matches the rigour their products demand. The ElectronJS application eliminated platform fragmentation, improved data accuracy, and turned a slow manual process into a fast, repeatable workflow — letting the engineering team focus on making better wires rather than managing spreadsheets.
Have a similar challenge?
Tell us about your project and we will tell you how we can help.
Start a conversation