Practical training on PLC SCADA with complete course material

The understudies, who need to develop in the field, ought to have encounter as opposed to the capability. Sofcon Automation offers the best PLC and SCADA instructional class in Noida with best Placement.

Once the hopeful has been joined in our organization we give the accompanying to set up the understudies focused around the prerequisites of the today auto Industry. €our Success is our understudy achievement and we strive hard to bring out the understudies with undeniable experience.

These courses are suitable for the Engineering graduates/Diploma graduates and the extraordinarily composed courses accessible for the working experts. Our PLC Training in Noida has decently prepared current and open lab to give the understudies active involvement with legitimate direction. Our accomplished group is to guide the understudies and aide them in a right way

Automation is a combination of technology that results in operations of industrial machines and systems without human interventions and achieve performance superior to manual operations. Automated machineries are widely used in almost every sector such as manufacturing, automobile, Textile, food, leather, and water treatment plants, Beverages, Packaging etc. In simple language, Automation means performing the tasks automatically without human efforts.

There are three type of Automation training provided by Sofcon such as Industrial automation, Building automation and embedded systems/robotics in their branches like Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Ahmadabad, Allahabad, Mohali, Vadodara, Lucknow, Bhopal and Pune with all advanced facilities with tools and required equipments.

Sofcon training institute is India largest automation training institute to provide best plc training, SCADA training course, embedded training and much more technical course. Sofcon provides highly efficient industry need based training in plc, SCADA, DCS and industrial automation training in Noida as well as major cities in all over India with 100% placement assistance. Sofcon start this Job oriented training 2016 to enriching skills and developed advanced training and diplomas in many technical courses for new engineering students and give a right path to their career.

For More, Visit at:

http://www.sofcontraining.com

2-3-4-6 Months Quality Summer/Winter Training opportunity with international standards

Winter Training with Placement on Embedded System, Advanced Embedded System, C Language, Industrial Automation, PLC, SCADA, VHDL, Verilog HDL, VLSI, IBAS, MATLAB,.NET, J2EE, @SOFCON Noida, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot.

SOFCON, an Indian Multinational, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company is a renowned name among Engineering Students, Working professionals and MCA/BCA professionals for providing quality education in the forms of summer, Industrial & Winter Training. SOFCON has formed a group of enthusiastic and well competent professionals, having a unique training methodology which makes SOFCON Northern India No-1 Training Company with a bright history of training more than 50,000 engineers and professionals.

Today almost every Engineering & Professional graduate programs in India include Industrial/Summer/Winter/Project Training as an important part of their curriculum, with an objective to enhance the knowledge of the students on different cutting edge technologies which has been important part of respective industry but most of the students always run to obtain a merely certificate and due to this there is serious lack of trained professionals with the desired skill sets to take on the ever increasing demand of an industry.

In order to eradicate this deficiency and creates skilled resources for the challenging industry, SOFCON has designed a curriculum for Winter/Project/Industrial training which incorporates a blending learning approach by integrating classroom, hands on lab exercise and team projects to provides students both the theoretical & practical training, needed to build strong technical skills.

Eligibility B.Tech./B.E./MCA/B.Sc.(IT)/Diploma or equivalent in any stream.

Training Location: Noida, Delhi, Gurgaon, Lucknow, Allahabad, Jaipur, Bhopal, Mohali, Ahmedabad, Baroda & Pune (Please refer to website www.sofcontraining.com for complete details)

Course Duration: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months & 6 months.

Date of Starting: Different batches are starting in every 10 days gap from December to April (Please refer to our website www.sofcontraining.com for complete details)

Technologies Offers from SOFCON:

---Embedded System

 Advanced Embedded System

 Industrial Automation [PLC, SCADA, Drives, HMI, Motion Control]

 VLSI [VHDL, Verilog HDL]

 IBAS [Industrial Building Automation System]

 MATLAB

 .NET

 J2EE

Why SOFCON

• SOFCON is a group of 3 company not only a training institute

• More than 18 years of Experience in Technology Training

• A Competent group of 780 dedicated & highly skilled employees as well as industrial experience with 200+ in house Trainers

• Bright history of Training more than 50,000+ Students and Professional so far

• 12+ Training Locations across the globe with all required modern facilities

• Courses mapped with Industry Requirement in order to ensure 100% placement for our students

• 12,000+ Engineer Placed by SOFCON across Industry

• Strategic tie-ups with Global Technology leaders in order ensure quality training for our students, as well as placements

• On site practical exposure

• Intensive skill development.

Special Features of Training:

• Opportunity to participate in campus placement of top companies.

• A Discount of Rs. 500/- for the students who will join two programs.

• Advance & Updated Kits and Components provided to each students for practical purpose

• We have using Development Board which is design by SOFCON Engineer

• We have using our own SOFTWARE for training purpose

• Specially designed Learning kit containing a book and a CD would be provided free of cost to the students of all courses.

• SOFCON student Membership of $20 is free of cost.

• Certification by SOFCON India Pvt. Ltd. (Subjected to at least 70% Attendance).

Training Programs at your college campus: SOFCON can deliver a free of cost technical seminar at your campus for training at your college campus. After the seminar, if at least 40 students are interested to join the training, then same program may be conducted at your campus. This training program may be conducted at any time whole of the year at your campus. For the seminar or training at your campus call us at +91-9910063164 or e-mail us at bhagwan@sofcontraining.com

Other SOFCON Programs: 6 Months Projects based training for B.Tech./MCA Students. Regular training programs whole of the year at all of our campuses as well as at the college campuses. Summer training programs in the month of May, June, July & August for 2/4/6 Weeks.

Training Programs at your college campus: SOFCON can deliver a free of cost technical seminar at your campus for training at your college campus. After the seminar, if at least 40 students are interested to join the training, then same program may be conducted at your campus. This training program may be conducted at any time whole of the year at your campus. For the seminar or training at your campus call us at +91-9910063164 or e-mail us at bhagwan@sofcontraining.com

Other SOFCON Programs: 6 Months Projects based training for B.Tech./MCA Students. Regular training programs whole of the year at all of our campuses as well as at the college campuses. Summer training programs in the month of May, June, July & August for 2/4/6 Weeks.

SOFCON Profile: Sofcon Group has over 02 decades of rich experience in providing turnkey automation solutions to applications like Cement Plants, Power Plants, Food Processing Plant, Chemical Process Automation, Plastic, Pharma Machineries, Oil Refineries, Water Treatment Plants, DG Automation, Energy Monitoring, Load Management, Material Handling, Coal Plant, SCADA Systems, Aluminum, Picture Tube, Automobile, Ash Handling etc.

Sofcon India Pvt Ltd (ISO 9001-2008 & IAO-International Accreditation

Organization Accredited)

We impart hands-on training on Industrial Automation, Embedded Systems & Integrated Building Automation System (IBAS) to II/III/Final/Passed Engineering Graduates/Diploma, Working Professionals & Technicians. We have trained more than 30000 Engineers, Technicians and Working Professionals, we have 11 No fully equipped training centers in India at Noida, Delhi, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bhopal, Ahmadabad, Baroda and Rajkot.

In-Campus Training at Colleges:

We have conducted more than 250 in-campus college batches. A few colleges are BIET Pilani, DAV Jalandhar, Gyan Ganga Jabalpur, BVMCTM Gwalior, HCST Mathura, Subharti Meerut, RGEC Meerut, Arni University HP, SMEC Neemrana, GITS Udaipur, NRI-IST Bhopal, SIET Allahabad, BSA Mathura, Ideal Ghaziabad, CIT Vodakara, NIEC Delhi, LKCT Indore, EIT Faridabad, ITM Gwalior, PCTE Ludhiana, DCTM Palwal, Sunrise Lucknow, RPS Balana, SIRT Bhopal, KNIT Sultanpur, MVN University Palwal, GIET Gunupur, BIET Lucknow, HCST Mathura, Vidya College of Engg Meerut, AITS Udaipur, RPS Balana Mohindergarh, Techno India NJR IET Udaipur, CSIT Durg, SAM College Allahabad etc. (A few testimonials attached).

-Plant/Corporate Training:

We customize the training needs of various corporate in India and abroad as per plant/facility requirements. We have successfully conducted more than 150 customized training programs. A few names include Indraprastha Gas, GlaxosmithKline, KS oils, Ultratech Cement, Bajaj Auto, Schenk Rotek, McCain Foods, Moser Baer, JCT Electronics, CCIL, JP Group, IDMC Ltd., Parle Biscuits Ltd, IRPPL, Tudor India Ltd., Shree Cements Ltd, Emersion Ltd., Case Construction Ltd, Sergi India, Ecocat Pvt Ltd, Pepsico, JHOC Yemen, Qatar Petroleum, NHPC, Ingersoll Rand, Pepsico Kolkata, Samsung India Electronics etc. (A few testimonials enclosed).

Live Projects: The participants who are interested to work on live projects can work on the specialized live projects. These live projects will be offered by SOFCON India Pvt. Ltd. and participants have to complete these projects in given time frame. This time frame may be 6 months or one year. Incentives may also be given to the candidates, depending upon their performance while handling the live projects. The groups for working on live projects will be decided by students.

Testimonials:

We had conducted Campus Recruitment Preparation Program with SOFCON at our campus. From the initial contacts to the conclusion of the course, we have found SOFCON to be very professional and helpful in all aspects. We look forward to conduct other training programs in coming years."

Mr. Amandeep Singh -Head Continuing Education Department IIT-Delhi

"The Training provided by SOFCON is of a very high caliber. The staffs are highly skilled and flexible, making training a worth. We will continue to take SOFCON Services in the future and would have no hesitation in recommending them to other Institutions."

Mr.Prateek Mishra-Honda Car Ltd. – Greater Noida

"In SOFCON I learnt the magic of Coding .The constant and personal interaction with the trainer is the best part of SOFCON. I thank SOFCON for making my most cherished dream come true."

Mr. Piyush Sharma- SAMSUNG India Ltd.

For More, Visit at http://www.sofcontraining.com

Cutting Time from R&D to Manufacturing

Life science tech transfer and validation gain efficiency as companies employ a modular S88 approach, cutting development costs and speeding time to market.

By Keren Sookne , Contributing Writer

In the changing life science industry, a company’s success hinges on its ability to introduce new products safely and quickly, connecting R&D to bulk production and piecing data together in a meaningful way. Historically, the approach to bringing a product to market has been fragmented—steps like R&D, clinical batch production and bulk production have been treated as individual operations, each involving single-purpose systems and a reliance on tribal knowledge.

The traditional manufacturing execution system (MES) has been designed for one product and one process, with the goal of maximizing yield at the lowest cost. But the next-generation facility must be able to rapidly respond to product (and process) changes, in part because the facility may accommodate multiple products. Across the industry, companies are looking for ways to systematize tech transfer to introduce new products and make process changes in a cost-effective and agile way.

Fragmentation to integration

To create innovative systems, companies have spent considerable time examining the drawbacks of the current processes. The islands of automation—and resulting islands of data—that evolved from single-purpose solutions have led to overall systems that lack efficient connectivity, with many handoffs between levels of the manufacturing hierarchy. Each island is, understandably, concentrated on producing the life science product and documentation to meet its own specific requirements, without consideration of the full product lifecycle.

Companies often lack the flexibility to introduce recipe changes or new products in a cost-effective manner. “It’s very cumbersome to take [the master control] recipe and roll that out across the plants in a seamless way,” says Douglas Gray, director of standards, analytics and visualization at Johnson & Johnson.

But many life science companies, including Amgen and Johnson & Johnson, have been adopting a product lifecycle framework that promotes partnership between supply chain, production, maintenance, quality and distribution. Beginning with the end user in mind, the approach is driven by product flow from R&D to patient use.

“Ultimately, we believe in making sure we’ve got a system and process from R&D that will drive the recipe all the way down into facilities,” Gray says. “Across the globe, we’ll have one general recipe, multiple site recipes, and then those will be automatically executed in various control systems in a consistent manner.”

The end-to-end strategy is helping companies meet customer needs by reducing the time to fulfill technical, regulatory and business requirements. Gray explains a three-part content-execution-visualization (CEV) framework, beginning with the right content being input, followed by consistent execution (similar production across the globe with real-time data tracking in ready-to-use contexts). The framework concludes with the visualization of data that allow for process and product analysis that support faster and better-informed decisions.

The S88 approach in tech transfer

One of the keys to success in product lifecycle management is the S88 framework used to standardize automation. The ANSI/ISA-88 (S88) is a standard for batch control that provides a structured way to segment operations. S88 separates recipes from equipment control, which allows changes to be made to either the control software or the recipe without affecting the other. This means that software can be designed based on the capabilities of the equipment, unlimited by a specific product recipe. Another main feature of S88 is modular design: recipes and blocks of information that can be copied or reassembled, which can save time during maintenance or implementation of new projects.

“S88 is about taking all the activities we perform, breaking them down into reusable blocks of information, then selfishly (and diligently) reusing them wherever we can,” says Marc Hooybergs, senior director of global execution systems at Johnson & Johnson.

Though S88 is a useful tool for the development of control software, it also provides value as a philosophy: The segmented approach can be used to reduce time and cut costs in the rollout of master recipes from corporate headquarters to manufacturing sites that may have different equipment, raw materials, packaging, etc. Additionally, the platform provides common terminology to help keep vendors and manufacturers on the same page.

Reducing development time

The approach can lead to reduced NPI cycle time by simplifying regulatory filing and development through the use of reusable blocks of code, Hooybergs explains. With a general recipe built in the R&D stage (containing regulatory submission information), unique manufacturing sites can transform and auto-generate their DeltaV master recipes. Tech transfers can be 40 percent faster, and require 50 percent less effort to validate.

The data model provides stakeholders with real-time visibility into manufacturing to make better decisions as the process is happening rather than after the fact, while full electronic batch release helps to expedite product shipment. Scientists can also benefit from better understanding as the focus shifts from obtaining the right documentation to obtaining useful data for process knowledge.

Presented at this year’s Emerson Global Users Exchange in Denver, recent DeltaV standardization efforts by Janssen (part of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development) have shown major gains, with five sites deploying standard DeltaV site infrastructure in parallel. One site reported saving 2,500 hours, while another saved $100,000 per skid. One consumer plant in India had a 90 percent reduction in recipe generation.

Looking to the future, Amgen’s Greg Bischoff emphasizes the need for streamlining automation and data transfer as the industry shifts its focus to patient-based value. Of particular importance is the need for continued innovation in single-use instrumentation (flow, pressure, dissolved oxygen sensors, etc.) as automation becomes more sophisticated. To promote the delivery of the right drugs to the right patients at the right time, systems must be in place to integrate patient data all the way through manufacturing and the supply chain, and to produce the drugs in a safe and agile manner.

The need for additional alignment

Though the S88 approach is helping to standardize life science automation and tech transfer strategy, it is not a silver bullet. “Many disciplines, tools and techniques must be aligned to a vision of standardization for true change to take place within an organization,” says Jeff Hackney, manager of North American life sciences business development at Emerson Process Management. “Process design, automation design, recipe design, business processes, SOPs, QA, QC and more must be considered holistically to achieve the goals being set forth in the industry.”

Any changes in the production of life science products must be accompanied with appropriate SOPs, data management, sample tracking and analytic technologies to ensure patient safety. Experts are exploring the possibilities of standardizing in other areas. Examples include the incorporation of more versatile manufacturing components to reduce inventory demands and increase flexibility, or the creation of a single bioreactor standard for a predefined equipment list so that facilities can conform SOPs to their equipment, design by omission rather than addition.

Will building a new facility ever be as easy as assembling modular blocks like children’s toys? No. There will always be a need to customize and reconfigure recipes and control logic. But the S88 tech transfer platform is already helping companies by significantly reducing development time and cutting costs, speeding time to market and allowing capital to be allocated to other advancements in science and automation.

Source by : -http://www.automationworld.com/process-control-software/cutting-time-rd-manufacturing

Molex: Heavy Duty Connectors for Industrial Automation

GWconnect Heavy Duty Connectors provide exceptional mechanical strength and vibration resistance in power, control and signal circuits.

The UL/CSA-approved connectors are rated to IP66, IP67 or IP69K (EN 60529) for applications exposed to harsh substances or requiring frequent washdown. Applications may include control panels, robotics, industrial automation, food and beverage, in addition to railway, commercial vehicle and renewable energy equipment. Constructed of die-cast aluminum alloy with a polyester powder coating, connectors are available with a range of enclosure materials and options. Inserts constructed of self-extinguishing UL 94V-0 thermoplastic material are available with screw terminals, screw terminals with terminal block, spring terminals, crimp terminals and push-in terminals. Special sealing gaskets protect the inserts against dust, water and chemical agents. Turned contacts are made of hard silver or gold coated copper alloy, ensuring high reliability and performance. A complete range of stamped crimp contacts, supplied on reel, is also available for automated crimping. The connectors also feature a lever locking system to resist impact and prevent accidental unmating.

Source from:- http://www.automationworld.com/cables-wiring-amp-connectors/molex-heavy-duty-connectors-industrial-automation

What does CAD/CAM and job shop management software integration mean?

So much of metal fabricating activity today is focused on the elimination of waste, and one of the bigger steps a company can take is integrating its CAD/CAM software with its job shop management software.

It wasn’t too long ago that the shop floor drove the metal fabricating company. Workers started a job when it made sense to them—unless otherwise instructed—and the completed job shipped, sometimes unknown to the front office. The shop also followed a schedule that made sense from only its perspective, which typically resulted in large amounts of work-in-process sitting around and excess material being ordered for products being fabricated but not yet ordered.

Even in the shops with the best communication between management and production, waste was seemingly inevitable. That is no longer the case today.

Shop management systems allow for strict materials resource planning, inventory control, job costing, quoting, and scheduling. CAD/CAM and nesting software systems deliver detailed information on production requirements for a job and simulations to prove them out, resulting in more accurate job quotes, better material utilization, and more precise inventory counting.

True automation of information flow between the front office and the shop floor is still elusive. The problem is that these modern software tools often are not integrated. Information from a shop management system is not automatically generating nests and schedules without some sort of manual intervention, and the shop floor production results don’t necessarily flow back to the enterprise-level software used to run the company. A chasm exists between the two software systems.

More metal fabricators are seeing the light, however, of what can be accomplished when the shop management software is more closely integrated with CAD/CAM packages. The results speak for themselves.

1. A more precise quote is delivered.

A winning job quote can become a losing one if a shop is not making money on the job. Luckily, fully integrated software tools can help deliver a good outcome.

Once a job, such as a laser cutting operation, has been successfully completed, the information from the fabricating activity can be fed back into the job tracking and costing modules of the shop management software. An estimator processing a repeat of that same job or something similar can find out real process times instead of relying on averages that likely haven’t been updated in several months.

This is especially helpful in more intricate jobs, such as a laser-cut disk with plenty of grooves. It’s difficult for even experienced estimators to deliver an accurate job quote just with a guesstimate. The estimator has to take into account piercing and speed adjustments as the laser cutting head moves around the many curves. An archived reference would help to deliver a sound quote while speeding up the quoting process.

Automated information flow to formulate quotes also helps to process additional quotes. In today’s marketplace where quotes sometimes are awarded on a “first-in-to-win” basis, timely responses to request for quotes can be very important.

2. Production jobs are organized more easily.

Plenty of shops have a work flow that calls for a programmer to create nests manually in the front office or that involves shop floor workers creating the nests at the machine. This gives the shop ultimate control of the nest, but loses out on the time efficiencies associated with automated nesting.

With integration of nesting and shop management software, a programmer no longer gets a folder with 50 different jobs on it and instructions to nest them and get them out the door as quickly as possible. Instead, the shop management software pushes jobs to the nesting software, and those nests are created automatically according to a project due date. Realistically, a shop that previously required a full day to nest parts for several hundred orders now can accomplish the same task in less than an hour.

The integration allows for more flexibility as well. For example, if a shop is organized according to manufacturing cells or value streams in which only certain types of products are fabricated, the shop management software can organize nests according to material type. Now the front office can schedule nests for a certain group of machines, rather than just schedule them according to delivery date.

3. Inventory is tracked more accurately.

Inventory is a tricky aspect of shop operations. A business doesn’t want too much raw material inventory because it doesn’t want to pay for something that isn’t going to be used right away and is just going to take up floor space. That cash can be applied to something more productive. However, the same business doesn’t want to be short of inventory that may be needed to cover a rush job.

Anyone involved in manual inventory counts knows the inaccuracies that can occur and the time needed to pull that together. Even getting a machine operator to log inventory information, such as what material was used and if any remnant was left, into the shop management software is rife with potential errors simply because it’s a manual task.

With integration, once a cutting job is done, the material information is fed back automatically to the front office. Management knows exactly what material is available and what has been used. It makes ordering more precise and keeps cash from being tied up in excess inventory that may otherwise simply languish in a rack for an extended period of time.

4. Real-time visibility into operations is achieved.

Perhaps the greatest benefit for having CAD/CAM and shop management software more closely aligned is the access to real-time production information. Management simply can call up a report or add a key performance metric to a dashboard to find out the status of any job in the shop, the performance of a certain machine tool, or any other item of interest. The front office isn’t dependent on getting that information directly from shop floor personnel or relying on those same individuals to input information into the system.

Visibility can be expanded depending on the relationship between CAD/CAM and shop management software packages. For instance, if the shop management system is allowed deep access to the cutting and nesting engine, anyone with a license to the enterprise software can gain greater access to shop floor activities. That license holder can see what a part looks like, where it resides on a nest, where it is in the production schedule, and how long it took or will take to process. This is all information that at one time was accessible only to the machine tool operator or possibly the part programmer.

Imagine a daily production meeting that now includes reports that not only show job status updates and shipping details for the day, but also pictures attached to the individual job orders listed on the report. This gives management a visual clue to the work going on in the shop, and it’s a complete picture, both literally and figuratively.

The automation of information flow between the shop floor and the front office is the next great step in eliminating waste and improving decision-making in metal fabrication operations. The only way that this can occur, however, is with efficient software integration. Without it, metal fabricators are not making the most of their engineering and production capabilities.

Source:-http://www.thefabricator.com/article/cadcamsoftware/what-does-cad-cam-and-job-shop-management-software-integration-mean-

How Michelin Develops a Stream of Trained Automation Employees

Randy Crutfield of Michelin North America explains how Michelin’s workforce development programs and close collaboration with local community colleges helps ensure the company has a steady of stream of well-qualified workers.

Amid years of discussion about a manufacturing skills gap—or lack thereof—and what factors may or may not have created it, many companies instead focused on taking action to address their workforce needs now and in the future. One of those companies is Michelin.

Randy Crutfield, site hiring manager for Michelin North America’s Lexington, S.C. site (the largest site for Groupe Michelin and the largest manufacturing employer in South Carolina), explained to attendees of The Automation Conference 2015 how the company operates its workforce outreach program, which is designed to ensure the company has little problem maintaining the knowledgeable workforce it needs.

Key factors in this program are:

• Michelin Technical Scholars Program—through which select students can develop hands-on work experience while earning their degree in Electronic Engineering Technology or Mechatronics at a local technical college. Michelin Technical Scholars receive scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, fees and books for the program along with competitive pay and part-time work and benefits;
• Internal policies and procedures for finding the right candidates—which includes specific tests for math, mechanical aptitude, and electrical and mechanical technology skills;
• Area school visits and outreach to kids as early as 9th grade;
• A formal pipeline assessment process; and
• Partnerships with local technical colleges that includes curriculum alignment.

Joining Crutfield in his presentation were Cheryl Garrison and Accounties Lashan Smith from TriCounty Technical College to explain how they work with Michelin in curriculum development and promotion of Michelin’s program to the school’s student body.

Source:-http://www.automationworld.com/workforce-development/how-michelin-develops-stream-trained-automation-employees

5 HMI Technology Trends

As interest in mobile access to manufacturing equipment increases for both asset management and production insight, there has been a corresponding uptick in HMI technology to facilitate this interaction.

Whether its part of a process to pave the way for an Industrial Internet of Things initiative or simply to provide more accessible insight into operational capabilities, the role of the human machine interface (HMI) has clearly moved front and center for many companies. In reaction to increasing manufacturer interest for more versatile HMI capabilities, HMI technology suppliers are actively bridging the gaps in HMI technology that long kept it affixed to the machine(s) it monitored.

To gather some insight into some of the key advances that have been changing HMI technology over the past few years, I spoke with Jeff Thornton, product manager at Red Lion Controls. He pointed to five key facets of HMI technology that are changing the common perceptions of HMI. Granted, the technologies that Thornton discussed with me are specific to Red Lion Controls’ products, but they provide important insights into the direction HMI technology is headed.

The first thing Thornton pointed out in our discussion of modern HMI technology was protocol conversion. According to Thornton, Red Lion’s Graphite HMIs, for example, can be setup as “the gateway to exchange data between all connected devices. Graphite HMIs can convert between 13 protocols simultaneously from a list of more than 300 drivers to integrate disparate devices like PLCs, drives, barcode readers and panel meters. “

The ability to manage these complex multi-vendor environments via programming software is the second technology advance Thornton highlighted. “Red Lion realized customers were spending too much time setting up HMIs, so we designed plug-in modules for our Graphite HMIs,” he said. “These modules minimize development and commissioning time over traditional systems that use an HMI paired with separate I/O, PLCs, and other controllers.”

Development of modules to ease the system integration programming process is an increasing trend throughout industry. For more information about this trend, see the article on machine design building blocks I posted a few months ago.

Thornton highlighted that fact that PID control is included in the Graphite plug-in modules. This ability can “eliminate hours of custom PLC protocol development associated with standalone controllers. Operators can use Graphite PID modules to configure multi-zone systems, such as plastic extrusion heating, and integrate everything in minutes,” he said.

With the ability to now take your HMI practically anywhere with you, how the device collects, processes, and presents data continuously for proactive monitoring and control becomes ever more important.

The Crimson programming software used to customize Graphite HMIs permits configuration of communication protocols (such as the 300 device drivers referenced earlier in the protocol discussion), definition of data tags, and creation of user interfaces. The software also has a built-in emulator for testing, data logging and web serving; and access to features such as read/write to the SD card and serial port management, Thornton said.

Web serving and data logging are two big trends in the HMI space—and the third major HMI technology advance noted by Thornton. He said that Graphite HMIs are “the only rugged HMI that web-enables any device for remote operation across a LAN or the Internet. Users can remotely monitor and control applications via PCs, tablets or smartphones to streamline operations. When problems occur, SMS text messages and email alerts can be automatically sent to maintenance teams for proactive problem resolution.”

When asked about the security concerns surrounding remote access to industrial systems, Thornton pointed out that remote access to Graphite can be setup as disabled (no access), view-only, or full control of the HMI. “Based on who is logging into the HMI, the software can dictate what level of permissions will be granted,” he said. The proprietary operating system used to run Graphite HMIs are a factor that Thornton said protects Graphite HMIs from many of the security threats affecting HMIs using a more common OS.

The ruggedness of Graphite HMIs is the fourth HMI advance Thornton noted about modern HMI technologies. “For some industries, like oil and gas, alternative energy and water/wastewater, an HMI needs to stand up to harsh conditions. It used to be tough to take an HMI out into oil fields or have it withstand very hot or cold temperatures. But with the use of cast-aluminum metal housing, such as on the Graphite HMIs, these devices can now withstand shock and vibrations and extreme temperatures between -20° to 60°C.”

With the ability to now take your HMI practically anywhere with you, how the device collects, processes, and presents data continuously for proactive monitoring and control becomes ever more important—and the fifth modern HMI technology pointed out by Thornton. “The ability collect, store, and display data for real-time analysis provides valuable insights into processes that enable operators to analyze output levels, detect valve issues, or identify temperature extremes,” he said. “By logging real-time performance data, including productivity and output comparisons, organizations can easily implement process improvements or quickly pinpoint and address bottlenecks or chokepoints.”

Source:-http://www.automationworld.com/5-hmi-technology-trends