Learning Objectives<\/h4>\n\n- Understand what role human-machine interfaces (HMIs) in different facilities.<\/li>\n
- Learn how HMIs are used in different ways to overcome challenges.<\/li>\n
- Learn what general principles and concepts make HMIs the same regardless of industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
HMI insights<\/h2>\n\n- \n
Tailoring human-machine interfaces (HMIs) to distinct user categories\u2014business, operators, and investors\u2014maximizes relevance, emphasizing context, real-time data and visual appeal for diverse needs.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Industry-specific HMIs excel when incorporating contextualized data, intuitive navigation, and compliance with stringent standards, empowering operators and enhancing efficiency.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n
When it comes to human-machine interface (HMI) design, there are basic concepts to keep in mind, but no one-size-fits-all solution. Every screen will be unique, with functionality and requirements particular to the needs of its operators, and the more specialized the use, the more critical those differences will be. Three integrators shared their insights about the defining features of how HMIs excelled in the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, power generation and pharmaceutical industries.<\/p>\n
EV manufacturing HMI addresses user needs<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen designing for an EV manufacturing facility HMI, Alex Marcy from Corso Systems<\/a> stressed the importance of user needs. Not everyone requires the same information, so Marcy recommended dividing the overall user group into three categories: business, operators, and investors\/customers.<\/p>\nThe business category \u2014 think C-suite and managers \u2014 is less concerned with the minutiae of the plant floor. Instead, they need large-scale context and high-level key performance indicators (KPIs) so they can answer questions about general operations and make informed decisions. \u201cBusiness folks are typically from an ISA 95 perspective\u2026 they’re not necessarily concerned with what’s happening in a particular workstation,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\n
In contrast, operators are focused on running a specific process, so their HMI will have a more localized context, emphasizing real-time KPIs, alarms, and production schedules. \u201cWe used a Map Component from [Ignition\u2019s] Perspective<\/a> [Module] and a custom tile set to show their plant floor with equipment. This Map Component sort of simplifies navigation throughout the application,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\n![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/www.controleng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTL2403_WEB_F1_CONTROLSYSTEMS_InductiveAutomation-CorsoScreen_Fig1.jpg\")
Figure 1: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nInvestors or customers will not see HMIs nearly as much as the other categories but still need the same immediate understanding. \u201cWe can also build process flow diagrams to show the flow of material through the process with arrows indicating where things are going, and that will give somebody a visual representation while they’re looking at the equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcy also stressed looks matter for investors. Screens need color, polish and clarity, unlike the grayscale high-performance HMIs (HP-HMIs) that foreground functionality over pageantry.<\/p>\n
Power generation HMI on the assembly line<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhat about an HMI for a company without an assembly line? As Frank Peronace from Kupper Engineering<\/a> explained, a power-generation facility\u2019s HMI should be designed around a strong organizational hierarchy, supplying contextualized data while making room for a few industry-specific features.<\/p>\nIntuitive navigation is vital for this particular facility because it has a complex system, monitoring 70+ solar fields. \u201cWe try to avoid the situation where the user asks, \u2018What did I click to get here, or where is this data coming from?\u2019\u201d Peronace said.<\/p>\n
A tree-style navigation structure with no more than two layers maintains accessibility while keeping operators orientated within the system. A tabbed interface lets operators view more without having to move from screen to screen, indicating hierarchy and avoiding jarring changes.<\/p>\n
Data without context isn\u2019t data at all, only numbers. Pairing context to data can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including grouping sets of trends together, displays that associate a given tag with a location, sparklines and analog indicators for monitoring if a given tag is within spec at a glance.<\/p>\n
This plant creates energy from landfill gas, so Peronace recommended something as simple as a fixed banner on the top of the screen to display relevant KPIs like total capacity, total KW output, methane percentage, oxygen percentage and more at all times.<\/p>\n![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/www.controleng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTL2403_WEB_F1_CONTROLSYSTEMS_InductiveAutomation-KupperKPIs_Fig2.jpg\")
Figure 2: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSome issues are industry-specific. Large solar field systems can experience an influx of nuisance alarms at sunrise and sunset. To suppress these unnecessary alarms, Peronace said Kupper \u201cimplemented a system which allows entering the latitude and longitude for the site to calculate sunrise and sunset times, combined with the deadband after sunrise and before sunset to suppress alarms to ensure that alarms received are actually important enough to act on.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/www.controleng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTL2403_WEB_F1_CONTROLSYSTEMS_InductiveAutomation-KupperSolar_Fig3.jpg\")
Figure 3: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPharmaceutical HMI standards challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n
HMI insights<\/h2>\n\n- \n
Tailoring human-machine interfaces (HMIs) to distinct user categories\u2014business, operators, and investors\u2014maximizes relevance, emphasizing context, real-time data and visual appeal for diverse needs.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Industry-specific HMIs excel when incorporating contextualized data, intuitive navigation, and compliance with stringent standards, empowering operators and enhancing efficiency.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n
When it comes to human-machine interface (HMI) design, there are basic concepts to keep in mind, but no one-size-fits-all solution. Every screen will be unique, with functionality and requirements particular to the needs of its operators, and the more specialized the use, the more critical those differences will be. Three integrators shared their insights about the defining features of how HMIs excelled in the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, power generation and pharmaceutical industries.<\/p>\n
EV manufacturing HMI addresses user needs<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen designing for an EV manufacturing facility HMI, Alex Marcy from Corso Systems<\/a> stressed the importance of user needs. Not everyone requires the same information, so Marcy recommended dividing the overall user group into three categories: business, operators, and investors\/customers.<\/p>\nThe business category \u2014 think C-suite and managers \u2014 is less concerned with the minutiae of the plant floor. Instead, they need large-scale context and high-level key performance indicators (KPIs) so they can answer questions about general operations and make informed decisions. \u201cBusiness folks are typically from an ISA 95 perspective\u2026 they’re not necessarily concerned with what’s happening in a particular workstation,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\n
In contrast, operators are focused on running a specific process, so their HMI will have a more localized context, emphasizing real-time KPIs, alarms, and production schedules. \u201cWe used a Map Component from [Ignition\u2019s] Perspective<\/a> [Module] and a custom tile set to show their plant floor with equipment. This Map Component sort of simplifies navigation throughout the application,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\nFigure 1: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nInvestors or customers will not see HMIs nearly as much as the other categories but still need the same immediate understanding. \u201cWe can also build process flow diagrams to show the flow of material through the process with arrows indicating where things are going, and that will give somebody a visual representation while they’re looking at the equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcy also stressed looks matter for investors. Screens need color, polish and clarity, unlike the grayscale high-performance HMIs (HP-HMIs) that foreground functionality over pageantry.<\/p>\n
Power generation HMI on the assembly line<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhat about an HMI for a company without an assembly line? As Frank Peronace from Kupper Engineering<\/a> explained, a power-generation facility\u2019s HMI should be designed around a strong organizational hierarchy, supplying contextualized data while making room for a few industry-specific features.<\/p>\nIntuitive navigation is vital for this particular facility because it has a complex system, monitoring 70+ solar fields. \u201cWe try to avoid the situation where the user asks, \u2018What did I click to get here, or where is this data coming from?\u2019\u201d Peronace said.<\/p>\n
A tree-style navigation structure with no more than two layers maintains accessibility while keeping operators orientated within the system. A tabbed interface lets operators view more without having to move from screen to screen, indicating hierarchy and avoiding jarring changes.<\/p>\n
Data without context isn\u2019t data at all, only numbers. Pairing context to data can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including grouping sets of trends together, displays that associate a given tag with a location, sparklines and analog indicators for monitoring if a given tag is within spec at a glance.<\/p>\n
This plant creates energy from landfill gas, so Peronace recommended something as simple as a fixed banner on the top of the screen to display relevant KPIs like total capacity, total KW output, methane percentage, oxygen percentage and more at all times.<\/p>\nFigure 2: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSome issues are industry-specific. Large solar field systems can experience an influx of nuisance alarms at sunrise and sunset. To suppress these unnecessary alarms, Peronace said Kupper \u201cimplemented a system which allows entering the latitude and longitude for the site to calculate sunrise and sunset times, combined with the deadband after sunrise and before sunset to suppress alarms to ensure that alarms received are actually important enough to act on.\u201d<\/p>\nFigure 3: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPharmaceutical HMI standards challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tailoring human-machine interfaces (HMIs) to distinct user categories\u2014business, operators, and investors\u2014maximizes relevance, emphasizing context, real-time data and visual appeal for diverse needs.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
Industry-specific HMIs excel when incorporating contextualized data, intuitive navigation, and compliance with stringent standards, empowering operators and enhancing efficiency.<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n
When it comes to human-machine interface (HMI) design, there are basic concepts to keep in mind, but no one-size-fits-all solution. Every screen will be unique, with functionality and requirements particular to the needs of its operators, and the more specialized the use, the more critical those differences will be. Three integrators shared their insights about the defining features of how HMIs excelled in the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, power generation and pharmaceutical industries.<\/p>\n
EV manufacturing HMI addresses user needs<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen designing for an EV manufacturing facility HMI, Alex Marcy from Corso Systems<\/a> stressed the importance of user needs. Not everyone requires the same information, so Marcy recommended dividing the overall user group into three categories: business, operators, and investors\/customers.<\/p>\nThe business category \u2014 think C-suite and managers \u2014 is less concerned with the minutiae of the plant floor. Instead, they need large-scale context and high-level key performance indicators (KPIs) so they can answer questions about general operations and make informed decisions. \u201cBusiness folks are typically from an ISA 95 perspective\u2026 they’re not necessarily concerned with what’s happening in a particular workstation,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\n
In contrast, operators are focused on running a specific process, so their HMI will have a more localized context, emphasizing real-time KPIs, alarms, and production schedules. \u201cWe used a Map Component from [Ignition\u2019s] Perspective<\/a> [Module] and a custom tile set to show their plant floor with equipment. This Map Component sort of simplifies navigation throughout the application,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\nFigure 1: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nInvestors or customers will not see HMIs nearly as much as the other categories but still need the same immediate understanding. \u201cWe can also build process flow diagrams to show the flow of material through the process with arrows indicating where things are going, and that will give somebody a visual representation while they’re looking at the equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcy also stressed looks matter for investors. Screens need color, polish and clarity, unlike the grayscale high-performance HMIs (HP-HMIs) that foreground functionality over pageantry.<\/p>\n
Power generation HMI on the assembly line<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhat about an HMI for a company without an assembly line? As Frank Peronace from Kupper Engineering<\/a> explained, a power-generation facility\u2019s HMI should be designed around a strong organizational hierarchy, supplying contextualized data while making room for a few industry-specific features.<\/p>\nIntuitive navigation is vital for this particular facility because it has a complex system, monitoring 70+ solar fields. \u201cWe try to avoid the situation where the user asks, \u2018What did I click to get here, or where is this data coming from?\u2019\u201d Peronace said.<\/p>\n
A tree-style navigation structure with no more than two layers maintains accessibility while keeping operators orientated within the system. A tabbed interface lets operators view more without having to move from screen to screen, indicating hierarchy and avoiding jarring changes.<\/p>\n
Data without context isn\u2019t data at all, only numbers. Pairing context to data can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including grouping sets of trends together, displays that associate a given tag with a location, sparklines and analog indicators for monitoring if a given tag is within spec at a glance.<\/p>\n
This plant creates energy from landfill gas, so Peronace recommended something as simple as a fixed banner on the top of the screen to display relevant KPIs like total capacity, total KW output, methane percentage, oxygen percentage and more at all times.<\/p>\nFigure 2: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSome issues are industry-specific. Large solar field systems can experience an influx of nuisance alarms at sunrise and sunset. To suppress these unnecessary alarms, Peronace said Kupper \u201cimplemented a system which allows entering the latitude and longitude for the site to calculate sunrise and sunset times, combined with the deadband after sunrise and before sunset to suppress alarms to ensure that alarms received are actually important enough to act on.\u201d<\/p>\nFigure 3: Courtesy: Inductive Automation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPharmaceutical HMI standards challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The business category \u2014 think C-suite and managers \u2014 is less concerned with the minutiae of the plant floor. Instead, they need large-scale context and high-level key performance indicators (KPIs) so they can answer questions about general operations and make informed decisions. \u201cBusiness folks are typically from an ISA 95 perspective\u2026 they’re not necessarily concerned with what’s happening in a particular workstation,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\n
In contrast, operators are focused on running a specific process, so their HMI will have a more localized context, emphasizing real-time KPIs, alarms, and production schedules. \u201cWe used a Map Component from [Ignition\u2019s] Perspective<\/a> [Module] and a custom tile set to show their plant floor with equipment. This Map Component sort of simplifies navigation throughout the application,\u201d Marcy said.<\/p>\n Investors or customers will not see HMIs nearly as much as the other categories but still need the same immediate understanding. \u201cWe can also build process flow diagrams to show the flow of material through the process with arrows indicating where things are going, and that will give somebody a visual representation while they’re looking at the equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n Marcy also stressed looks matter for investors. Screens need color, polish and clarity, unlike the grayscale high-performance HMIs (HP-HMIs) that foreground functionality over pageantry.<\/p>\n What about an HMI for a company without an assembly line? As Frank Peronace from Kupper Engineering<\/a> explained, a power-generation facility\u2019s HMI should be designed around a strong organizational hierarchy, supplying contextualized data while making room for a few industry-specific features.<\/p>\n Intuitive navigation is vital for this particular facility because it has a complex system, monitoring 70+ solar fields. \u201cWe try to avoid the situation where the user asks, \u2018What did I click to get here, or where is this data coming from?\u2019\u201d Peronace said.<\/p>\n A tree-style navigation structure with no more than two layers maintains accessibility while keeping operators orientated within the system. A tabbed interface lets operators view more without having to move from screen to screen, indicating hierarchy and avoiding jarring changes.<\/p>\n Data without context isn\u2019t data at all, only numbers. Pairing context to data can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including grouping sets of trends together, displays that associate a given tag with a location, sparklines and analog indicators for monitoring if a given tag is within spec at a glance.<\/p>\n This plant creates energy from landfill gas, so Peronace recommended something as simple as a fixed banner on the top of the screen to display relevant KPIs like total capacity, total KW output, methane percentage, oxygen percentage and more at all times.<\/p>\n Some issues are industry-specific. Large solar field systems can experience an influx of nuisance alarms at sunrise and sunset. To suppress these unnecessary alarms, Peronace said Kupper \u201cimplemented a system which allows entering the latitude and longitude for the site to calculate sunrise and sunset times, combined with the deadband after sunrise and before sunset to suppress alarms to ensure that alarms received are actually important enough to act on.\u201d<\/p>\nPower generation HMI on the assembly line<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Pharmaceutical HMI standards challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/www.controleng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTL2403_WEB_F1_CONTROLSYSTEMS_InductiveAutomation-ACCScreen_Fig4.jpg\")