Multi Touch Panels Can Provide Functional and Efficiency Improvements for the Machine

Multi touch panel operation will not be out of date quickly, which can reduce costs. It is possible to deploy a panel that supports multi touch but runs in single touch mode so that it can be upgraded to newer multi touch software in the future. Since no additional hardware upgrades are required, it is relatively easy to upgrade the deployed HMI system to multi touch software.

The multi touch panel can provide functional and efficiency improvements for machine operators, including the ability to intuitively find the status notifications of important equipment; switch and browse multiple menu screens; graphical representation across the machine line; additional safety features, such as touching with two hands or two fingers to activate certain operating modes.

Ⅰ. Multi touch panel can be used in equipments of different sizes

Similar interface functions have been used for many years on smart phones and tablets. With the advancement of multi touch software, smartphone, tablet functions, machine control, and visualization, applications can also be used on mobile HMI software which supports HTML5. HTML5 allows the HMI screen to be automatically converted to the size of a tablet or smartphone. In the past, if you want to display on devices of different sizes, you need to reprogram the screen.

By using the web-based HMI screen, the HMI displayed on the machine can be displayed on the mobile device. In industrial applications, the increasing use of multi touch panels means that mobile devices generally used to check work emails or general business purposes can provide more functions in machine monitoring and control. Over the years, multi touch functional panels and software packages have proven to be as reliable as traditional HMI systems, and are gaining a higher market share in the field of workshop monitoring. In addition, assembling touch panel cannot be done without panel overlay. Welcome to Komkey to select suitabke panel overlay for you.

Ⅱ. Multi touch panel has longer life time and smaller footpint

High-quality industrial displays have a life cycle of 10 years or more. For short-term benefits, choosing a single-point touch panel instead of a multi point touch panel may cause a lot of inconvenience to users in the future. The further development of multi touch and web-based HMI software may cause some confusion when deciding whether to use an existing system with fewer functions or to upgrade a single-touch panel that is still working. A better strategy is to deploy a multi touch panel and set it to single-touch mode until the application requires the full functions of HMI.

Another trend is to reduce the footprint of the overall equipment and machinery. It is important to consider whether it is really necessary to install a space-saving tablet computer in order to eliminate the independent industrial computer (IPC) in the control cabinet. Choosing a multi touch tablet may be the right strategy, but it may not be suitable for all applications. The tablet should have enough processing power, random access memory (RAM), and on-board diagnostic tools to provide appropriate performance for the application.

The advantage of passive multi touch panels and independent IPC devices is that even if the IPC is upgraded to a more powerful model, the panel can still be used for many years. If the passive panel is damaged, the replacement process is relatively easy. Passive panels and tablet computers with integrated CPUs can be fully enclosed devices mounted on arms or poles, so there is no need to open holes in a separate HMI housing.

Ⅲ. Multi touch panel adopts a better strategy and a plat form

The strategy to reduce panel wiring is to use single-cable connection technology. Using simple, low-cost hardware adapters, IPC can send digital video interface signals, USB 2.0 signals and provide power to the panel 100 meters away. This can save more space on the production site, and at the same time provide a certain degree of flexibility for future HMI hardware upgrades.

The PC-based open platform is ideal for integrating HMI. PC-based controllers can run HMI software as easily as PLC and motion control projects. Considering vertical communication, IPC and tablet computers are very suitable for open platform communication unified architecture (OPC UA) communication. This creates a secure and encrypted data transmission for cloud and edge computing solutions.

System security is usually implemented in software and networks, but the new HMI hardware can prevent unauthorized field applications and errors. For example, use radio frequency identification (RFID) chips installed in employee access cards or key cards. Configure the HMI of the RFID reader to authorize the user's access rights based on job responsibilities. Therefore, employees can only use part of the machine functions through HMI, depending on their positions and responsibilities. As a more efficient and effective security guard, RFID does not require manual input of user names and passwords.

It is a wise strategy to choose multi touch HMI hardware and ensure that the tablet computer can provide sufficient processing power for a long time. Deploying standardized multi-touch panels can let factories do good preparation for future development and progress.