Mitsubishi Electric extends HMI capability beyond just visualisation

18th June 2012
Source: Mitsubishi
Posted By : ES Admin
Mitsubishi Electric extends HMI capability beyond just visualisation

With its GOT1000 series of HMIs, Mitsubishi Electric has a comprehensive range of HMIs with enhanced functionality that offer capabilities beyond just visualisation, providing additional features that will help to reduce downtime, enable fast recovery from simple errors, increase availability and boost production efficiency. Instead of simply displaying data, these enhanced HMIs deliver genuine perspective on the automation process and provide a platform to solve the typical production problems that improve OEE.

The GOT1000 series provides a comprehensive range of both panel mounted and portable HMIs, in screen sizes from 3.7” to 15”. The high resolution screens provide up to 65,536 colours and can display complex graphics, photographs – in Jpeg and Bitmap format – and even documents like Pdf, Powerpoint, Excel and Word. 64-bit RISC processors combined with specially developed high speed graphics processors set new benchmark levels of performance across the range, while features such as long-life LED backlighting, analogue touch functions, front-face USB port, an SD card slot and IP67 front panel sealing are standard across much of the range.

But it is the added capabilities that set these HMIs apart from traditional products. GOT1000 series HMIs benefit from a combination of advanced technology and the experience gained from Mitsubishi’s own production lines, delivering a range of products designed to address the requirements of programmers, maintenance staff and machine operators. They simplify system design, enable fast and effective response to production problems, and provide a more effective machine operation platform.

Key features include the ability to back up the PLC program within the GOT terminal. Thus, if a PLC CPU should fail and need replacing or the program needs restoring for some unforeseen reason, there is no frantic search for the original program or any need to bring a PC down onto the production floor from which to load it. Once the PLC CPU has been changed, the program can be restored directly from the HMI, saving valuable time and effort and ensuring production is restarted as quickly as possible.

In addition, rather than simply flagging up errors that occur, the GOT HMIs help to reduce downtime by providing a one-touch ladder jump function that shows exactly where in the ladder program the error exists and its cause. The engineer can then quickly fix the problem directly from the HMI, again saving the time and effort of checking the ladder program on a separate PC. The GOT HMIs even include full ladder editing functionality, enabling minor ladder program changes or corrections to be made simply and efficiently.

For more advanced system programming, set-up, configuration and diagnostics of other machine components, the GOT series HMIs combine advanced communications options with an ‘FA Transparent’ function that enables PC connected to the HMI to link directly through to Mitsubishi Electric automation products; such as PLCs, inverters and servo drives.

Communications capabilities include RS232, RS422/485, USB and SD card ports as standard, with Ethernet available as an option. USB ports enable simple transfer of OS and project data, as well as allowing the connection of a keyboard and mouse. In addition to the traditional USB port on the rear of the terminal, many GOT1000 series HMIs feature a USB port on the front face, making it easier to transfer data to and from the terminal without having to open up the panel. The USB port is protected by a cover which maintains the IP67 protection rating. The SD card slot further enhances the communications possibilities, enabling standard SD cards to be used for data logging and backup/restore functions for programs and parameters.

The enhanced data logging capabilities of the GOT1000 series HMIs enable data to be logged from remotely connected devices such as PLCs and temperature controllers, with the HMI’s built-in RAM able to store up to 2,000 data points. Data can then be stored or transferred on SD card or USB memory sticks. Furthermore the GOT can transmit data from connected FA devices via an optional MES interface unit to a SQL database server located on a PC via SQL statements.

Mitsubishi Electric has also improved the screen design process through the use of the GT Works software package. This offers an extended suite of intuitive programming, control and visualisation tools, with full support for the full GOT1000 family of HMIs. The main component is the user-friendly GT Designer program, which provides a comprehensive library of ready-to-use graphical objects and a large selection of fonts, enabling designers to produce highly effective user screens quickly and easily.

The GT Works software package is part of the innovative iQ Works software suite. iQ Works addresses the challenge in engineering develop and efficiently maintain advanced production lines over the whole product life cycle. Rather than having to rely on separate software tools for different products, engineers using iQ Works benefit from complete integrated engineering software suite for Mitsubishi Electric’s full range of automation platforms, PLCs, HMIs, servo / motion systems and for the future variable speed drives, PC-based controllers Robots and CNC systems.


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