HMI or as it is commonly known by, human machine interface is between the machine and its user. The word interface itself can include many different kinds of technology such as your office equipment, the computers that you use for your industrial processes but generally refers to control systems and manufacturing. With the right HMI in place, it is entirely possible for your business to completely increase its productivity through the use of a control centre.
We need human machine interface software in order to be able to control our automation equipment and many products come in very simple designs and others are more complex with many additional features. The human machine interface itself needs to be able to operate in all kinds of different environments and it should be able to stand up to things like moisture in the air, extreme temperatures both hot and cold and dust as well.
There are many advantages to HMI and so we will look at some of them here today.
- It provides warning notifications – If there is some kind of breakdown or malfunction within your equipment then the HMI can make the user aware that there is something wrong and so this allows them to address the problem quickly and easily. Alarms can also be put in place to let you know that something bad is going to happen before it actually happens. This helps to increase your overall productivity and improves upon your manufacturing process.
- It makes management easier – If your factory is automated then the HMI technology can give you a graphical display of how all the operations are proceeding and the operations themselves can actually be controlled from somewhere else and you don’t have to be on the factory floor to control it. This assists greatly with security and it means the work environment is much safer for workers because they don’t have to go too close to dangerous machines.
- It reduces your costs – Everything in business is all about trying to reduce your overall operating costs and because the human machine interface is much more user-friendly, it helps to cut out other irrelevant things like buttons need to be pushed, lights that indicate that there is an issue and many more. This all leads to better communication is within your facility and that can only be seen as a positive thing.
It is completely fair to say that adding a HMI to any work environment provides many benefits because it improves your overall productivity, allows for smoother operations and safety is brought to the forefront as well.
