HMI, an acronym meaning Human Machine Interface, is exactly what the name implies. It is simply an interface – usually graphical – that lets humans and machines interact. The precise date of inception for this technology is not known due to the huge graphical interface boom we have had, and are still experiencing. Examples of HMIs vary widely, from control panels for nuclear power plants, to the screen on that new iPhone. More often than not, when a person refers to a Human Machine Interface or HMI, he/she is referring to a control panel for a manufacturing-type process. An HMI in this context is the centralized control unit for manufacturing lines, equipped with Data Recipes, event logging, video feed, and event triggering so that you may access your system at any moment for any purpose. For a manufacturing line to be integrated with a Human Machine Interface, it must first be working with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) because the PLC is what takes all the information from the sensors and transforms it to Boolean algebra so the Human Machine Interface can decipher and make decisions.

HMIs offer a digital display of data in real time that a PLC cannot offer. While the PLC is performing its programmed operation, an HMI allows for the user to see data in real time rather than compiling the data to observe after the fact. An example to reference for an HMI with a PLC rather than a PLC standalone would be an ATM Machine. If there was no graphical display, a user would be dependent on receipts to enter in data. That is, imagine inserting your personal ATM card only to have a receipt print out requesting your PIN. Then, once into your account, a receipt prints out asking which action you would like to perform; deposit, withdraw, transfer, or balance inquiry. This issue is solved by a Human Machine Interface through which you can make your selection at a touch of a button. While the HMI is not critical in this scenario, it is much more efficient and user-friendly. Many applications do not require an HMI, but the cost savings associated with the benefits of HMIs are heavily skewed in favor of the HMI being a system component.

The main advantage of a Human Machine Interface (HMI) over a desktop computer is that, with an HMI, there is a dedicated system specific to your application. This means that you have a panel which will not allow internet browsing, solitaire game playing, or update reminders, unless it pertains to your application. HMIs give you absolute control – you may give the operator limited access to specific features or full access, depending on how you create your graphical interfaces.

The Human Machine Interface (HMI) must be connected to a device whether it is through Ethernet (RJ45), serial communication (RS232, USB, or RS422) or wireless. The two devices' communication settings such as baud rate, data bit, stop bit and parity must be in sync so that no packet loss occurs.

The software required to program a Human Machine Interface differs from each vendor as well as model. Concerning Kinco product lines, MT4000, MT5000, F7/F10, and SZ series HMIs are all programmable on Kinco HMIWare. The CZ6/CZ10 and Green Series HMIs are programmed on Kinco DTools Software, and the HP043 (HMI-PLC Combo unit) is programmed on Kinco HP Builder Software. Should you need any assistance programming your Kinco HMI with any of these proprietary software products, feel free to Contact an Applications Engineer at Anaheim Automation. Anaheim Automation, Inc. is Kinco's Master Distributor in North America.

HMI software downloads are available in the Item table shown above on this web page. Please locate your HMI product in the Item column, and download the applicable software by clicking on the disc icon in the Downloads column. Individual product Item pages also contain links for the appropriate software download.

Kinco HMI touch screens are TFT LCD displays.

The Kinco HMI series offer many different communication protocols such as MODBUS and BACnet. Kinco also offers a unique protocol inherent to Kinco Brand Servo Drivers, PLCs, and other modules. For a detailed description of standard protocols and connecting assistance to your PLC, refer to the Communications and Connecting Guide.

For Ethernet based protocols, the HMIs can support up to 255 distinct nodes. For Serial based protocols, you can hook up as many controllers as the HMI has COM ports. When using RS485 hardware, daisy chaining nodes may be applicable to add unique nodes.

"HMI" is an acronym that stands for Human Machine Interface. A basic definition for an HMI is any interface between a human operator and a machine or system. A lesser used synonym is Man Machine Interface, or MMI. Technically, "Human Machine Interface" is a broad term describing any interface that allows a human to interact with a machine, and can include, for example, devices such as MP3 players, industrial computers, household appliances, and office equipment. However, the terms "HMI" or "Human Machine Interface" are typically used in contexts specific to manufacturing and other industrial processes. A Human Machine Interface provides a visual representation of a process control system with real-time data acquisition. HMIs can increase productivity by providing a centralized control center that can be made extremely user-friendly.

"HMI" is an acronym that stands for Human Machine Interface. A basic definition for an HMI is any interface between a human operator and a machine or system. A lesser used synonym is Man Machine Interface, or MMI. Technically, "Human Machine Interface" is a broad term describing any interface that allows a human to interact with a machine, and can include, for example, devices such as MP3 players, industrial computers, household appliances, and office equipment. However, the terms "HMI" or "Human Machine Interface" are typically used in contexts specific to manufacturing and other industrial processes. A Human Machine Interface provides a visual representation of a process control system with real-time data acquisition. HMIs can increase productivity by providing a centralized control center that can be made extremely user-friendly.

Convenience
The convenience that comes with a Human Machine Interface is priceless. You will find that once you have digitized your system, the functionality you will get out of your HMI is unbeatable. An HMI combines all the control features that are found throughout your automation line and places them all in one centralized location; no more having to run to that red pushbutton that will stop your line. With remote access, you don't have to be anywhere near your automation line to start/stop or monitor production, and you can have all the same features you have on your centralized unit in a smaller compact form. Along with ease of access from wherever you may be, simplicity is also a big factor in the usability of a Human Machine Interface. With simplistic screens and functions you can train almost anyone to supervise your automation line.

Interface Flexibility
The great thing about a Human Machine Interface is that you can personalize your interface however you would like. If you want to develop a complex system with multiple screens and several routines always running, an HMI fully supports that. If you are looking to program a Human Machine Interface with something more simplistic, you could have instructions for the controller directly written onto the interface. Every HMI comes with different features. Some may play sound or video, or even may have remote access control. The design of any particular interface should be optimized for that specific application, taking into account environmental aspects and operators such as noise, lighting, dust, vision and technological curves.

The HMI is used throughout numerous industries including metals manufacturing, vending machines, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and utilities, just to name a few. In metals manufacturing, an HMI may control processes such as how the metal is cut and folded and how fast to do so. An HMI may offer improved stock control and replenishment functions in vending machines. The Human Machine Interface is used in bottling processes to control all aspects of the manufacturing line such as; speed, efficiency, error detection and error correction. Utilities use HMIs to monitor water distribution and wastewater treatment.

A Human Machine Interface can be a big purchase, so it is necessary to know exactly what it will be used for. Though you may not know everything you may need to know at the beginning of the design process, you should know that an HMI generally falls into three categories: the pushbutton replacer, the data handler and the overseer.

In addition to the role the HMI will play within a given system, Environmental Considerations and Physical Properties, such as screen size, should also be taken into account when selecting an HMI. Please refer to those sections below for more information on HMI selection.

The operating environment should always be accounted for. If a system is located in a warehouse that experiences excessive noise or vibration, you might decide on a heavy-duty HMI. A water-protected Human Machine Interface would probably be best for use in the food processing industry, or similar facilities that need to be washed down every day. Temperature is another factor to consider in your selection process. For example, a device used in a steel plant, next to a furnace, would need to be able to withstand high temperatures.

The physical properties of an HMI vary from model to model, so it is important to select the right one. For example, an HMI that is located in a water plant might have various water seals around its perimeter, as opposed to a unit that is located in a pharmaceutical warehouse. The size of as HMI is also a key variable, because not all applications need a large, high resolution monitor; some applications may only need a small, black and white touch screen monitor. When it comes to selecting a Human Machine Interface, the physical properties are extremely important because you have to take into consideration the operating environment and what safety measure the Human Machine Interface has to protect itself. Also, a specific size may be needed due to space limitations. Lastly, physical properties include the processor and memory of the Human Machine Interface. It is important to make sure that these two are sufficient enough to control your system.

Let us begin with other components that are necessary to making a manufacturing control system operate. First we have the production line that consists of all the machinery that does all the production work. Next we have all the various input/output sensors that monitor temperature, speed, pressure, weight and feed rate. Third we have the programmable logic controller (PLC) that will receive all the data from the input/output sensors and convert the data into logical combinations. The HMI is the interface through which a user monitors these data points in one location. If the PLC registers that the temperature sensor is beyond a safe range, the manufacturing process will halt. Rather than inspecting the machine, the HMI can be programmed to display the error or alarm so that the proper course of action can be taken by a maintenance worker for that process. If a machine is nearing the End of Life on a motor, the HMI can warn the user that maintenance is required on the machine, preventing a shut down during manufacturing hours. The HMI can also be used to start and stop the process, calibrate the machine to new products, or display data in graphs, charts, or trend lines to analyze anything from equipment efficiency to number of unique units processed.

How do you control a PLC without ladder logic? How does a Human Machine Interface replace the PLC software that comes standard with most PLCs? Ladder logic is simply conditional programming. For example, if input 1 is energized then coil 1 will be powered. A statement has to be true for the output to be executed. With C programming, you can do the same, but in order to program an HMI to operate a PLC properly, you must first know all the registers of the PLC. A good way to learn how to program a PLC via an HMI is to first start working with the PLC and the software it came with. This way you get a firm grasp on how to operate the PLC without the HMI. That knowledge will transfer over when you are ready to connect the two units together.

Sometimes when you are working with HMI software, your PLC and HMI are hooked up together, but you don't quite get the result you are looking for. It is hard to know exactly what is going on when you do not get output from the PLC or a PLC error appears. What happened? What exactly did I do wrong? Is my data even being sent? To answer all those questions, you can simply use a numeric display and set it to the PLC register you are trying to write your data to. If this PLC register comes back with random register values, then it is quite apparent that the HMI did not deliver the information to that register. But if it was sent correctly, then your numeric displays should show the information you sent. This is a very simple sanity check.

When choosing which HMI programming software to use, there are three main categories to consider: proprietary software, hardware-independent software, and open source software. Proprietary software is the HMI software that the manufacturer provides for their specific HMI product; for example, Kinco HMIware is proprietary HMI software, and can be downloaded for free on our site. Typically, proprietary HMI software is fairly easy to use, and allows for quicker development. The drawback is that your proprietary software will only run on that specific hardware platform. Hardware-independent software is third party software developed to run on several different Human Machine Interface hardware types. This type of software gives the developer much more freedom for the HMI selection. The downside to hardware-independent software is that it is not as user-friendly as the proprietary. Open source software is for the advanced programmer. While not user-friendly for the programming novice, open source software allows the developer to have near complete authorship of the HMI design process.

Wiring a Human Machine Interface into your system should be quite easy if you are already using some type of PLC. The connection between an HMI and PLC is easy as connecting a USB, RS-232, or RS-485, or maybe no wires are required at all if both come equipped with wireless features. Although the wiring between the PLC and HMI may be an easy task, the wiring between the PLC and the actual automation line can get chaotic. Depending on the size and complexity of your production, you might need PROFIBUS extensions for your PLC. A PROFIBUS extension is almost like a power strip that extends one input/output to multiple input/outputs by just connecting to the expansion port of the PLC. A wiring schematic from your production line to your PLC is high recommended – that way, programming your Human Machine Interface is sped up drastically.

Baud Rate: Baud Rate describes the speed of data transmission in a communication channel, typically expressed in bits per second (bps).

LB: In the context of HMI software, LB stands for "Local Bit." A Local bit register is just a 1 bit register which has been declared within the scope of the program.

LW: In the context of HMI software, LW stands for "Local Word." A local word register is a 32 bit register which has been declared within the scope of the program.

Macro: Macro instructions are an advanced touch screen control method that strengthens the functions of the Human Machine Interface. The Human Machine Interface will have the same logic and arithmetic operations as the PLC by the programming of macros. The use of macros will enable the touch screen to implement many powerful functions that cannot be supported by many regular components.

Recipe: A recipe activates data transmission of consecutive registers, support downloading data from the memory of the recipe card to the PLC and vice versa.

RW: In the context of HMI software, RW stands for "Recipe Word." A recipe word register is a 32 bit register that will execute sequentially when activated.

TFT: TFT stands for "Thin Film Transistor." Kinco HMI displays are TFT LCD screens in which TFT technology supports the rendering of high-quality images.