Posted to News on 12th Oct 2006, 15:49
HMI puts manuals and instructions on the machine
With the release of EXTER Pro+ operator terminals, Beijer Electronics offers new opportunities for information sharing between people and machines. Features such as a PDF viewer and Internet browser make it easy to ensure that operator manuals, trouble shooting data and service instructions always are at hand when they are needed.
"The built-in PDF-viewer enables machine builders to include manuals electronically in their machines," says Andres Vigren, strategic business developer at Beijer Electronics. "Most manuals already exist in an electronic format and now the documentation can be made available right where it is needed the most. The PDF files are simply put on a memory card that is inserted in the operator terminal before delivering the machine."
This means that the information is instantly accessible for the end user. The operator can immediately find user guides and machine manuals, as well as trouble shooting instructions when something goes wrong. In the same way, service staff can view the maintenance manual right at the machine.
In many cases, updating manuals and instructions is a tedious task. Now it can be made very quickly and cost-efficiently. If the manuals are stored in the operator terminal, an update of the memory card is all that it takes. And if the manuals are viewed at a website, updates are easily made directly on the website. Both ways are very convenient compared to sending out and handling revised documents or attachments to earlier versions.
The EXTER Pro+ terminals can also be connected to an AXIS network camera. It is possible to show live images with an update rate of about three pictures per second. "In many applications the operator has to check a specific part of a production line before starting the process. Now this can be done from the operator terminal, thus saving a lot of valuable production time," explains business developer Vigren. Remote monitoring can also be of interest for safety and security reasons, e.g. at factories, ships, power plants and clean rooms.
There are five EXTER Pro+ operator terminals available, three with touchscreen display and two keypad terminals. For the keypad terminals, a mouse or a keyboard has to be connected in order to take advantage of the EXTER Pro+ capabilities. A 64 MB Compact Flash memory card is included at delivery, and it is also possible to use a USB stick to store PDF and/or PowerPoint files. The Pro+ version of EXTER includes all cutting-edge HMI technology that is available in the EXTER product series from Beijer Electronics.
