Boosting plant productivity

摘要

Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) are often found on the plant floor, the quiet workhorse of the processing plant. With the advent of automation and more complex systems, HMI panels have quietly developed alongside flashier technology. "What we think of as an HMI has changed dramatically over the years," says Derek Lane, Automation Manager at WAGO. "Unfortunately I remember when it was simply push buttons, selector switches, key switches, pilot lamps, potentiometers and meters. Now, the term is associated with some form of display panel, and even those have progressed dramatically with hardware developments within the IT industry and TFT through to OLED display panels. HMI allows us to see graphics, read text and interact with the control process by touch on a keyboard or a touchscreen."