Use Software to Customize the HMI

Control Design - May 2009

Tailor-Fitted HMI: Operator Interface Hardware Can Accommodate the Needs of the User and Look Good Doing It

Software choices about branding and image come into play when machine builders decide to provide their own unique operator interaction by customizing the human-machine interface (HMI), rather than settle on the default interface of the vendor.

If a machine builder sells into an industry in which control traditionally was accomplished with physical control panel operations and indicators - where operators aren’t accustomed to seeing full-featured HMIs - making the screen appear like the control panel can be a big factor in encouraging adoption. It can lower training costs for the machine builder’s customers. This also can be important in a global market where language might be an issue.

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Roy Kok, vice president of sales and marketing for Kepware Technologies (www.kepware.com), says HMIs are extremely flexible today, to the point that they can be completely customized for OEM use. “When running, you wouldn’t know whose technology is behind the interface,” he says. “If custom graphics or screen controls are needed, all HMIs have the ability to import third-party graphics, ActiveX or .NET controls.”

Customization is extremely important to both machine builders and machine users, says Tim Donaldson, director of marketing for Iconics (www.iconics.com). “They need to be able to have a graphic screen work with their hardware,” he says. “So they need to build the HMI screen to have the right data points tied to their hardware and have the right graphics display on there.”

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ICONICS Background Information

Founded in 1986, ICONICS is an award winning leader in the development of Web-enabled industrial automation and manufacturing intelligence software for Microsoft® Windows® operating systems. Our solutions are certified for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. ICONICS has successfully deployed more than 250,000 solutions in over 60 countries worldwide. Its solutions meet diverse customer needs in a variety of industries including Automotive, Building Management, Food & Beverage, Oil/Gas/Petrochemical, Machine Builders, Pharmaceutical/Biotech, Security, Water/Wastewater, Utilities, Government Infrastructures and more.

ICONICS’ corporate headquarters is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA) near Boston. The company has offices throughout the United States, as well as in Australia, China, France, India, Italy, Germany, Netherlands and United Kingdom. ICONICS also has a joint software development and sales office in the Czech Republic.

© 2010 ICONICS, Inc. All rights reserved. Specifications are subject to change without notice. GENESIS64, GENESIS32, Pocket GENESIS, BizViz and their respective modules, OPC-To-The-Core, and Visualize Your Enterprise are trademarks of ICONICS Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.