Interview with Senior Software Engineer at Loop Technology Sheffield
We sat down with Senior Software Engineer, Tim Threadgold, to learn about his career journey, his experience working here and his move to Loop Technology Sheffield.
Career Journey of a Software Engineer
Can you tell us a bit about how you became a software engineer and what attracted you to the profession?
As a kid I had collected the “Real Robots” magazine where you got bits of a robot each week to build it up. I’m not sure I ever actually finished it, but by the time I was looking at going to university, it had put University of Reading and the Cybernetics degree in my mind because that magazine was published in Association of Reading University. I had a brief diversion into studying art in London, but didn’t particularly get on with it, so ended up at Reading on the Cybernetics degree, doing what I had originally wanted to do!
I never actually set out to specifically be a software engineer, but Cybernetics covered a large range of engineering topics including control and feedback systems, electronics, semiconductors, sensors and computer science. Software is how you interact with all of these things, so it has served me well and it can be applied across such a diverse range of engineering projects.
When did you join Loop Technology and how have things changed since then?
I joined Loop Technology in 2018 and since then the business has grown massively. At the time, the office was at the back of the building, where we now have a research and development cell called AdAPT (Advanced Automated Preforming Technology). There was still talk of renting out the upper-level office at that point, as we were not sure we would need the space! However, quite soon after, we were engaged in work on Pilot Line at the NCC and since then it has continued to grow rapidly and evolve. We now have offices in Bristol and Sheffield in the UK. There has also been the opening of Loop Construction Technology in the UK and Loop Technology US Inc. in Seattle in the United States. I’ve been able to grow as the company has and as we’ve taken on more work, I’ve been able to add more input to projects at higher levels.
Technical Insight into Working at Loop Technology
What type of software do you work with and what is special about Loop Technology’s capabilities in this area?
My core programming language is C# and .Net but we work with such a huge variety of systems at Loop Technology. I’ve worked on web-based HMI’s with .Net, embedded C code on microcontrollers, and structured text on PLCs for controls and sequencing. The robots have their own software for simulation and control, such as RoboGuide with FANUC, KUKA sim and WorkVisual. On the vision side, we use multiple different software packages such as Cognex, Halcon and custom OpenCV. There is such a variety of challenging and exciting work- I feel like I pick up at least one new programming language on every project!
A lot of what is special about Loop Technology is in the application. We operate right at the edge of what is possible with a lot of this equipment. If a particular system is meant to be able to operate up to an accuracy of 0.5 mm for instance, the team here will find a way to ensure the machine works reliably at that boundary. For complex systems, to achieve those peak levels of operation, it requires a deep knowledge of how each component within it works and how they interact with each other. On any particular project, there could be dozens of devices that have their own software development kits that we have to deeply understand in order make them all work together. Every project is like its own Rosetta Stone of getting them all to speak the same language. Loop Technology are experts in comprehensive integration of disparate technology and systems.
What kind of vision systems do you work with?
I’ve been able to work with all sorts of interesting vision systems. A lot of the vision systems traditionally in industrial automation are 2D for picking or alignment of work pieces. We will take a vision system like this and calibrate it so that when it is looking at a specific point, everything in view is scaled meaning each pixel is some fraction of a millimetre. We would then run a software package or our own algorithms, to identify a shape, location or feature, which the robot can then position itself against.
However, because Loop Technology take on the more challenging and complex automation projects, we are often trying to image something that is very difficult to work with or does not show up well in 2D – for instance materials that are very reflective or diffuse so there isn’t much contrast and it is harder to discern shapes. We then may use a mix of 2D and 3D vision systems, where the 2D provides a good outline for positioning and the 3D provides a detailed shape of the work piece so you find the feature we are looking for or measure the surface very accurately.
I’ve worked on interesting applications in the area of vision systems, such as the Artclear project, where we drove a vision system to image artwork and create associated digital signatures. There is also the IdentifEYE system where we located the label on the parcel in 2D and then matched this up with a 3D scan of the parcel to create a robot path and angle of attack, matching the surface to place the new label.
Can you tell us about your work with Artificial Intelligence?
I worked on a project where we had to differentiate between very similar products and we were struggling to achieve reliability with traditional vision techniques. We therefore decided to train a CNN classifier to focus in on the distinct features and establish this difference, which worked extremely well. Additionally, our FibreEYE composite inspection and verification system, uses Artificial Intelligence for image segmentation to identify the edges of carbon fibre. At Loop Technology, there is a good, pragmatic approach to AI, where we are leveraging it to achieve results that are not possible with classical vision algorithms, whilst ensuring we do not throw out technology that is already working well.
What is it like working on software related to advanced manufacturing and cutting-edge automation that actually makes physical structures?
I’ve now had the experience of interviewing some of the new incoming software engineers, and one of the most common answers is that they want to write code that has an effect on the real world. If you work at Loop Technology, you get to do that. You write a sequence and it drives a FibreFORM to make a shape, or you see a robot execute its motion path, witnessing something actually happen as a result of your work. There is certainly a different impact in writing code that makes servo’s move, as opposed to pixels. Working on the cutting-edge here means you get to interact with hardware that a lot of engineers never get a chance to touch, such as the gigantic FANUC M-2000iAs, powerful computers, highly advanced cameras and laser line scanners.
What is the range of work like here and how creative is your job?
While most of our projects will involve a robot and a PLC, the range of applications we work on is incredibly diverse. As part of this job I have worked on motor racing wind tunnels, art galleries, and with universities as well as on the more expected industrial sites. I don’t think there are any industries I enjoy more than others, but in terms of projects I do enjoy a good complex vision problem that takes some research and prototyping to solve.
I think there are two parts of the job that are equally creative but in very different ways. The first one is when a new project comes in and you map out how it is going to work and then start designing the software from a systems perspective. The second is the opposite end of the detail scale, where you have identified a problem that needs to be solved and you then have to really deep dive down into finding a solution.
Loop Technology Sheffield
What led to you moving from Loop Technology Dorchester to Loop Technology Sheffield and how have you found the move?
When the opportunity came up, I brought it up with my partner as she had always wanted to move somewhere new in the future. She had gone back to Weymouth after university without any intention of staying but ended up there for over a decade! Sheffield wasn’t originally on our list of places we might move, but we did a long weekend up here to get a feel for the place and absolutely loved it. We’ve really enjoyed discovering the area- there are a lot of good restaurants, cafés and bars and so much going on. We’ve found everyone to be super friendly. Because of the industrial history associated with Sheffield, you think it is going to be very “concrete”, but it is actually very green. There is the Peak District just off of the west edge of Sheffield which we have done a few small excursions to, taking in the incredible views. We are planning to do a proper camping trip next year to really explore it.
What is it like working at Loop Technology Sheffield in the Advanced Manufacturing Park and being so near the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)?
The entire area seems to be full of interesting businesses, with new ones popping up all the time. There is a metal 3D printing company just across from us, there is McClaren just up the road and so many other interesting manufacturers and companies around here, which bodes well for the future.
The COMPASS facility at the AMRC is certainly impressive. The building itself is enormous and because of the scale of the composite components that the facility is designed to build, our gigantic FANUC M-2000iA robots, including the three largest industrial robots in the United Kingdom that weigh 12.5 tonnes each, actually look to scale and don’t look out of place there at all. It is incredibly satisfying to work on such large robots and see them integrated with end effectors that weigh 2 tonnes, being moved around a couple of metres per second. The level of satisfaction I feel when programming a robot seems to directly correlate to its size!
Culture and Working Environment
What is the working environment at Loop Technology like and how much collaboration does your job involve to solve challenges?
While Loop Technology has welcomed several new faces recently, I think the company has done a really good job at keeping its identity and the same intrinsic culture as it grows. All the engineers come together and are enthusiastic about the technology we are working on and committed to doing good engineering. Even on a very small project, where you are the only software engineer, you will be working with a project manager, mechanical designers, electrical engineers, systems and the technicians that are going to construct it once it has been designed. Everyone is really friendly, approachable and it’s a great atmosphere to work in.
On the software front, there is so much experience within the Loop Technology team that when we encounter a challenge, there is likely a solution we have implemented in the past that can be helpful to solving the current problem.
Have Loop Technology supported you in your career development and, if so, how?
I started here 8 years ago and have progressed to Senior Software Engineer. Additionally, Loop Technology have been incredibly supportive with me over the last few years in doing a part time Masters in Computer Vision, AI, and Robotics at the University of Surrey, allowing me the time and work schedule adjustments to achieve my career ambitions in this area.
Loop Technology – Winner of FANUC Global Robot Partner of the Year 2025 Innovation Award.