With HMI, which stands for “Human Machine Interface,” we refer to the hardware and software technologies that enable interaction between humans and machines. It is an essential tool for facilitating increasingly natural communication in support of industry, services, and citizens. The adoption of IoT and intelligent data analysis techniques in the industrial and manufacturing sectors – a practice now well-established in the context of Industry 4.0 with high growth prospects – is driving the deployment of HMI technologies. These technologies not only facilitate control and management of industrial equipment but also enable quick and efficient collection and transmission of field data.
Within increasingly digital and interconnected factories, a growing number of connected devices enables machine-to-machine communication and allows for the collection and processing of production data. This perspective aims to optimize and streamline the production process and enable predictive maintenance. Advanced human-machine interface technologies accompany increasingly complex and heterogeneous machinery and systems. These technologies not only ensure faster and smoother human-machine interaction but also collect field data, process them using advanced analysis techniques and artificial intelligence models, and present them synthetically on their own dashboards. This helps companies maximize the potential of their data.
One such solution is CLEA Smart HMI, developed by SECO for OEMs of industrial machinery as a comprehensive suite of artificial intelligence services available as-a-service.
What is CLEA Smart HMI?
In the era of Industry 4.0, thanks to machine learning and artificial intelligence, OEMs of industrial machinery have access to systems for optimizing machine performance. These systems enable various practices, including predictive maintenance, which allows for anticipating and addressing potential failures remotely. The proper collection and processing of data form the basis of these systems.
By leveraging Edge AI, i.e., executing AI and machine learning algorithms directly on the device that collects data, the latency typically associated with transferring data to the cloud is reduced. This approach brings significant advantages in terms of output speed, cloud congestion, energy consumption, and costs reduction. Edge AI is an optimal solution when the amount of data to be sent to the cloud leads to high latency and transfer costs, as is the case within an industrial plant. Relocating the computing center closer to devices and machinery enables faster and higher-quality data acquisition, positively impacting all fundamental company processes. Implementing Edge AI in a company requires reliable solutions that are highly compatible with both modern and older machinery, integrating hardware and software components for rapid and efficient field data collection.
With CLEA Smart HMI, computational power is brought directly to the machinery, turning it into an intelligent endpoint capable of developing the Smart Factory. This is achieved through the integration of a set of apps, connectors, and SDKs designed for autonomous manufacturing. CLEA Smart HMI enables the visualization of field data directly on the human-machine interfaces installed on the machinery, presenting them in the form of reports, statistics, and KPIs. In combination with the appearance of notifications and alert messages, these features facilitate process optimization and improve operator usability.
The CLEA Smart HMI solution is designed by SECO to be compatible with its integration-ready systems, equipped with state-of-the-art electronics. These systems are ideal for factory automation and control applications, as well as for production data collection. Starting with the FLEXY VISION line of fanless industrial panel PCs available in 5 sizes (7″ – 21.5″). Configurable with Arm® or x86 electronics, they offer multiple connectivity options to simplify network connection and data transmission, supporting Windows 10 IoT and Linux operating systems. Additionally, by using connectors for major industrial PLCs, CLEA Smart HMI can easily integrate with third-party hardware solutions. Installed on industrial machinery, CLEA Smart HMI facilitates interfacing with the machine fleet and enables rapid collection of on-field data for local and cloud-based analysis, utilizing dedicated AI models and reinforcement learning.
The Benefits of CLEA for the Smart Industry
CLEA Smart HMI can be used in various sectors that involve large volumes of connected devices, creating a technological infrastructure capable of providing value-added services. It is easily integrable and highly customizable, empowering companies to enhance their products quickly and enabling advanced management of industrial plants and machinery, maximizing process efficiency and reducing time-to-market.
One of the major advantages of CLEA Smart HMI lies in its AI predictive apps, high-performance applications that are fully customizable and scalable. These apps allow real-time analysis of data collected from distributed endpoints to monitor production trends, machinery energy efficiency, uptime/downtime, consumption, and even measure production efficiency, detect anomalies, and plan predictive maintenance interventions.
In general, the benefits of CLEA Smart HMI can be summarized as optimizing efficiency, boosting productivity, and minimizing machine downtime.
In the complex context of factory automation, where flexibility, reliability, robustness, and security are paramount, SECO’s intelligent and modular Edge-to-AI solutions enable companies to achieve high levels of operational efficiency in the easiest, least risky, and safest way. The result for businesses is a significant increase in productivity, a drastic reduction in downtime, improved safety, and a highly positive impact on ROI.
Contact us and know more about CLEA. Our experts will be pleased to help you understand how to get the best out of it for your business.
