A new Design News reader survey confirms the trend that machine controllers are unifying different machine functions on a single controller and lowering overall total installed costs.
The study points out the likely, ongoing impact of multi-touch operator interfaces, leveraging the developments in today's consumer markets. But it also highlights a need for smoother, simpler software integration to make it easier for users to reap the benefits of additional functions such as condition monitoring, networked safety, OEE analysis, and simplified connections to ERP systems and factory databases.
When asked about the primary benefits that new machine controllers could bring to machine designs, more than half of survey respondents identified the ability for controllers to handle additional machine control functions (54.7 percent) and lower hardware costs (51.4 percent) as top priorities. These were followed by interest in using one controller for both machine control and the Human-Machine Interfaces (41.3 percent) on a machine, more availability of diagnostic and setup information without installing software (34.1 percent), and a broader suite of software solutions using common programming tools (32.4 percent). The least emphasized benefits were more controller processing power and memory capacity (31.3 percent) and smaller footprints (24.6 percent).
The survey showed users see key benefits in using multi-touch operator interface panels for the human-machine interfaces on machinery.
Robert Muehlfellner, director of Automation Technology for B&R Industrial Automation, said in an interview with Design News:
The results of the survey sums up two trends that we are seeing toward unifying different machine functions in a single CPU with motion, traditional PLC control, and HMI all integrated into a single controller. It is the same on the software side with all of the necessary functionality integrated into a single piece of software.
The ability of machine controllers to handle these additional functions is just a part of the overall bigger trends, along with lower hardware costs and smaller footprint controllers. What is enabling all of this is the trickle-down effect from the consumer PC market, and suppliers industrializing and leveraging that technology. "In the future, I think we will see ARM-based architectures currently used in smartphones deployed in machine control to increase the computing performance of low-end systems," Muehlfellner told us.
To explore interest in what machine controller functions users might be more likely to implement in new designs, the survey asked respondents how likely they would be to utilize specific new capabilities. The answers were not necessarily surprising but they did confirm recent initiatives to provide more tightly integrated solutions.
Condition monitoring (bearings and temperatures, for example) was mentioned by 24.6 percent of respondents as very likely to be adopted. Other functions very likely to be added in the future included newer capabilities in areas such as networked safety (20.1 percent), Overall Equipment Effectiveness analysis (15.6 percent), and energy monitoring (16.8 percent).
Worked for a company building some specialized welding equiptment. Went from a keyboard type parameter entry to a HMI. At first it was thought that the operators would have a problem, but the operators all loved it. Advantage was the amount of data displayed and the ease of moving from parameter set to paramenter set.
The Touch Panel HMI's are very durable and hold up well in less than ideal environments. And the more expensive units are not necesarily the better ones. We used 2 different suppliers and the more expensive PLCs/HMIs did not give better performance.
It did require some re-design of the operator controls - We were able to replace potentiometers with a small CTS encoder through standard I/O (cut costs because we didn't need the analog inputs) and allowed us to save all weld parameters, The operator could turn an encoder or key in a number to change a setting.
Wish the touch panel were more available for PC's as it makes a really nice way to communicate with the machine.
The biggest problem with an HMI is the tendancy to put too much info and too much clutter on the display. A too busy screen is harder to use than a simpler, locgically arranged display. Too often the display has little relationship to what the process is, it was made to look pretty, not function pretty.
Good point, Scott. I've heart anecdotal information about young engineers becoming more attracted to automation and control because of video-game-like presentations that make the idea of hanging out in a plant more attractive.
Interesting graph on the reasons why designers would want multi-touch. One of the big ones being for people who have grown up with those technologies. The thing is, I was doing HMI design with resistive touch prior to Apple's development. It was the old-timers that were tryint to slide switches or push two buttons at the same time (with, of course, some real interesting results).
Interesting conversational thread. It's hard to image a generation of machine operators flocking to equipment because they have a cool HMI. People are very adaptable and graphic presentations have a way of presenting very data rich information in way that is easy assimilated. A good (and efficient) thing for all generations.
I agree with you, TJ. Having spent decades working for magazines, I'm well aware of the importantce of data presented visually. Chuck's pie chart itself is a good example.
Rob, I feel very strongly that this is so. I also think there is almost no adjustment time required.
A display with a bunch of numbers, all the same size, all indicating some feature of a machine or process is difficult to assimilate, even if you use it every single day.
A display that uses bar graphs, dial-type gauge indicators, can be so much more rapidly assimilated.
The gauges and bar graphs usually incorporate normal operating range indicators, so one can see in an instant that what is being indicated is "in the green".
Such graphical displays usually also incorporate the numeric value into the graphic which is used when the exact value is needed.
Rob, Charles, I disagree that the "generational" aspect has to do with people.
This article used pie charts and bar graphs to relate information to us. Mr. Fresher also put those percentages into text form in his paragraphs. Which method for conveying information was more useful, more intuitive, more quickly absorbed? We're inherently visual animals, and can take in a situation with a single glance at an overall image. Text is serial, one piece of information at a time.
It's not because younger engineers necessarily expect such interfaces, but the fact that they are simply more useful, more efficient.
If we placed two identical manufacturing machines side by side, with only the HMI being different (one with a text-only interface, one with a rich graphical interface), which operator and machine would be more productive? Want to place a bet? The text-based interface will take up more of an operator's time.
Yes, 32.3% is a big piece of the pie, and it's directly called out as a generational issue. You could also make a case that the other pieces of the pie -- ability to zoom, keyboardless, more intuitive -- are at least partially age-related issues, even though they're not called out as such.
Yes, there is a clear generational shift here. I was surprised by the size of the pie that related to age when it came to HMI. That may be a function of a growing number of young engineers entering the workforce.
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