RSSInterested in linking to "HMI: From Consumer to Industry"?
You may use the Headline, Deck, Byline and URL of this article on your Web site. To link to this article, select and copy the HTML code below and paste it on your own Web site.
HMI: From Consumer to Industry
HMIs Continue to Incorporate the Consumer Tech We Can't Live Without
02/10/2011
To cast your vote, log in or become a member. This quick, one-time registration gives you access to members-only site benefits.
1 vote
It used to be that high-end servers drove technology development, which would eventually make its way to eager consumers. But in these days of consumer as king, we dream about the day when the technology we have at home will trickle down to the workplace, including the plant floor.
"Industrial customers are consumers too," says Jacob Kimball, product marketing manager, HMI, Schneider Electric USA (www.schneider-electric.com). "They use the latest in technology for their phones, video games, PCs, HDTV, GPS, music players and more. Expectations for graphic quality, tactile feedback, speed, multimedia content, wireless, water resistance, outdoor use and more are all affected by these consumer products."
HMI screens are becoming more realistic, and more of a graphical representation of the process, notes Tom Edwards, senior technical advisor at Opto 22 (www.opto22.com). The improved graphics make it easy for operators to correctly identify what's happening and what they are adjusting, Kimball adds, also pointing to advances such as remote access of HMI screens for remote diagnostics, and email alerts from the HMIs indicating when maintenance is required.
ADVERTISEMENT
Although HMIs do not change very much, or very quickly, they are continuing to embrace consumer advances, such as moving away from keyboards and mice in favor of touchscreens, Edwards says. "And almost certainly, the next big development will be mobile HMIs," he adds. "Think of the productivity, flexibility, convenience and time saving that will come when operators have an iPad-type device with them on the plant floor that they can use to adjust processes and send data in real time, with the affected machine or system right there in front of them."
The widescreen format that has become the de facto standard for PC monitors, laptops and televisions has pushed into the industrial world as well. Beckhoff Automation, for example, has introduced a 24 in. control panel that serves as an industrial equivalent to suit the needs of machine builders and manufacturers that would prefer a widescreen format display, says Corey McAtee, technical marketing manager at Beckhoff (www.beckhoffautomation.com). Potential advantages of the wide screen include the integration of more HMI elements on the screen at one time, and improved visibility of on-screen information at a greater distance, he adds.
But it's not all about bigger; it's about more options. On the other end of the spectrum, Schneider Electric has released an HMI with a color touchscreen as small as 3.5 in. "Small screens are being used where there formerly were no HMI screens at all, or where there is a need for better data, reduced cost, remote access and improved control," Kimball says.
In fact, much of the trending has been toward increased accessibility. Control systems have long held the valuable data needed to increase productivity, and manufacturers increasingly recognize they can aggregate, analyze and visualize this data more effectively to improve efficiency and output, says Keith McPherson, visualization and information software market development director at Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautomation.com).
"Because HMI data has traditionally been siloed and intended for equipment operators, it hasn't been accessible to all levels within an organization for monitoring the health of overall plant operations," McPherson says. "Even when data is shared among different factory departments, it's often done the old-fashioned way: distributed on spreadsheets that contain manually keyed-in information. Not only does this pull people away from the tasks at hand, it also introduces human error into the process. Current visualization offerings should reflect an effort to display the data so people in different roles can easily understand it—and its business implications."
 |
SVGA Resolution |
 |
Free Configuration Software |
 |
See MORE C-more operator interfaces line includes 6 in. TFT color panels with LED backlights. The base model EA7-T6CL-R panel is a 320x240 resolution QVGA display, which supports up to 65,536 colors. The analog-resistive touchscreen supports unlimited touch areas, two USB ports, serial PLC interface (RS-232/422/485) and 10 MB project memory. The panel is equipped with an LED backlight with a 50,000-hour half-life. Additional capabilities on the full-feature EA7-T6CL unit include an Ethernet 10/100Base-T communication port, remote Internet access and data logging. Both panels are NEMA 4/4X, IP65 compliant. AutomationDirect 770/889-2858 www.automationdirect.com/c-more |
 |
TOUCHSCREEN |
 |
EZ HMI |
 |
Tough Display |
 |
HMI/SCADA Plus Web Access |
 |
HMI Plus |
 |
Two Feet of Display |
 |
HMI DEVELOPMENT |
 |
Small, Powerful Magelis STU small-panel HMIs provide data logging, USB port application download and remote web access capability, along with serial port and Ethernet connectivity and a 3.5 and 5.7 in. color graphical touchscreen with QVGA. The HMIs are certified for IP65, NEMA 4X, ATEX/UL1604, UL508 and RoHS. Schneider Electric 800/788-1704 www.schneider-electric.us |
 |
Harsh Visualization |
 |
Mind Your Distances |
 |
Tough Term |
 |
Graphic Solution |
 |
Well-Protected |
 |
Built-in Logic |
 |
Works When It's Hot |
|
VESA-Ready |
|
 |
Monitor and Control |
|
Race Faster |
|
 |
All in One |
 |
A Clean Look |
 |
Takes the Heat |
 |
Watch the dashboard |
 |
No Server Needed Industrial Falcon is a cloud computing-based solution that lets users view raw data from any OPC server via web browser so there's no need to maintain web servers, is highly scalable and allows access to multiple users without additional cost. It provides a central repository for data where changes to a system or operation can be made and easily propagated to other users accessing the repository. Software Toolbox 704/849-2773 www.softwaretoolbox.com |
 |
HMI Handles Many Tasks |
 |
WEBSPACE |
 |
POWERVIEW |
To cast your vote, log in or become a member. This quick, one-time registration gives you access to members-only site benefits.
1 vote
ControlDesign.com is the only multimedia source dedicated to the controls, instrumentation, and automation information needs of industrial machine builders, those original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that build the machines that make industry work.
