Ramey Miller, HMI product marketing manager, Siemens: There are few that come to mind, such as improved interaction with multitouch support. Both functionality and capabilities have been improved with better scripting and programming support, as well as improved remote connectivity capabilities that also support hosting to other clients like tablets and smart devices.
How has operator-interface technology benefitted from remote monitoring and connectivity?
Ramey Miller, HMI product marketing manager, Siemens: There has been an increased transparency to both the runtime data and system support. Systems have more capabilities to communicate both locally to share data like alarms and production information, making systems as a whole run smoother and more efficiently.
Can you explain how software development has changed operator interfaces in manufacturing?
Ramey Miller, HMI product marketing manager, Siemens: Development is continuing to become more object-oriented in the operator interface. This is leading to improved performance and modularity, thereby reducing engineering time to develop and ease system support overall.
What future innovations will impact the use of operator-interface technology in manufacturing operations?
Ramey Miller, HMI product marketing manager, Siemens: There are many innovations being introduced that will work well with the operator interface in the future; one is augmented reality (AR). Taking the information being presented to the operator through the interface and integrating it further on the system with AR will lead to many improvements in both operation and maintenance of systems.
Tell us about your company’s state-of-the-art operator-interface technology for manufacturing.
Ramey Miller, HMI product marketing manager, Siemens: Simatic WinCC Unified is a completely new visualization system that enables you to successfully master the challenges of digitalization in machine and plant engineering. The latest web and edge technologies combined with open interfaces enable you to implement your ideas flexibly and according to application-specific requirements.
