A primary goal is to harmonize the design of HMIs and to develop a consensus, especially among end users, on what the standard screens would look like and the content on each panel. Once end users complete the specification defining a specific set of HMI screens, machine builders will be able to reconfigure operator interfaces on different machines to meet the standard.
"The obvious benefit for end users, as the line is staffed with operators, is that on any given day, if someone calls in sick, someone else can cover that piece of the line," Doney said. "It's much easier for them to do that as they interact with the machine if the status of the machine looks the same as other machines on the line that they have worked on and, when a fault occurs, they are displayed in a similar manner."
On-screen machine diagnostics
A fundamental difference between process and packaging for Nestlé is that the company develops its process technology internally and therefore intimately understands and owns the intellectual property of the control code. Packaging machinery is developed by many different machine builders, and Nestlé does not want maintenance personnel accessing code that is not natively familiar.
Griffen called for machine builders to make all diagnostic and corrective actions accessible on the HMI, rather than inside the controller. He recognized that this will require a new effort from most suppliers, but he said it will add value by reducing downtime and improving efficiency.
This second element of the HMI transformation changes the way diagnostic information is displayed and will enable more parameters to be adjusted using the HMI interface. The engineering goal is for the standard to be implemented in a consistent way between different types of packaging machines with a familiar and almost identical program structure.
"What operations needs is a common look and feel so that a function, such as labeling a package, uses a set of HMI screens that are similar to the screens used to gather packages and place them in a box," said Doney. "There is a difference in the value-added steps performed as you move down the line but, for each of the process steps, an operator can walk up and the screens look the same and provide similar types of functional information. Plus when a fault occurs, the process of resolving problems is similar from unit operation to unit operation."
The PackML standard becomes an important part of the solution and provides the basis for creating a set of consistently named variables and tags. Doney said food companies generally put a lot of emphasis on their own core competence, but historically there hasn't been an emphasis on unit operations downstream from the filler. If there isn't appropriate attention on the downstream operations, an entire line can be brought to a halt due to problems with the material or machine.
We can expect more progress on this topic in 2013. Even though the concept of standardizing machine user interfaces seems straightforward and easy, it really is an area that defies standardization. Especially in a packaging line, individual cells and operations have distinctly different needs. So it will be interesting to keep an eye on the work of the OMAC Packaging Workgroup this year.
The overlap between these two trends -- baby boomer retirement and lower-skilled operators taking over plant functions -- may be opportunisitic. If the baby boomers are retiring, it's a good time to switch from an engineer to an operator.
Al, that was my understanding, that better trained, and costlier, engineers were being replaced gradually by less technical operators, regardless of age.
Ann, I think the trend here is younger, less technically educated operators rather than engineers being replaced by younger engineers. With the level of automation in some plants, even fewer operators are required. This movement is toward integrating training resources (ready access to documentation, training videos and more) from the HMI itself. That enables more self-teaching, and innovative use of machine animations which can "show" how to perform a maintenance task, for example, versus reading a series of steps. This type of animation using 3D models is still expensive to develop but doesn't seem beyond reach in the not-too-distant future. Some automation vendors are moving in this direction but getting photo-realistics 3D animation is still in the future. Great to see how things are moving ahead in this area.
The new thing here is the standardization of HMIs screens to a common look and feel. OEM machinery builders, apart from the packaging industry, might resist this just because the operator interface is a clear part of the value added of the machine. It will be interesting to see how widely this is adopted, especially adding the functionality of changing system parameters directly from the HMI (versus using the automation vendor's computer tools). Overall, the operator interface is going through a significant transformation with lower cost, much more capable hardware and now also touchscreens joining in. Should be interesting to see how it develops toward becoming more of a "Dashboard" for machines.
Yes, Ann, I was under the impression the shift from baby boomers to younger workers is still within the community of engineering. But maybe not. Maybe they're replacing the boomer engineers with non-engineers. I would make an interesting article.
Interesting, Rob. I hadn't connected the dots between the baby boomer retiring trend and younger workers with the cost-cutting trend of using less expensive operators instead of engineers on the factory floor. I'm not sure they're the same thing. First, the engineer vs operator trend is usually described as being due to improved HMI, as we were originally discussing. Plus, isn't the first trend occurring mostly within engineering?
I guess that shouldn't be surprising, Ann. This could be part of the trend of replacing the baby-boomer engineers at plants. As the boomers retire, I hear they are being replaced by younger workers who have less automation and control experience, but more computer experience, which is mostly appropriate given the changing nature of automation. And of course they would be lower-cost workers simply because of their youth and inexperience.
The decision-making can shift to lower-cost operators because they're making fewer decisions--and more low-level ones--as more functions get automated. This is by no means the case everywhere, but it's yet another cost-cutting trend. That's what I've heard, anyway.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
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