alive15
Member
If you need a distributed application and data storage to a central server, then SCADA platforms are the way to go. Gives you much more visibility and control across an entire plant/process then standalone HMIs.
Imagine if you wanted to monitor/control/data collect the following areas:
- Raw Material Receiving (sugar, chocolate chips, water filtration, flour...)
- Processing areas (raw cookie dough batching, cookie baking...)
- Packaging areas (cookie packaging)
- Cleaning Systems
A SCADA system to monitor/control all of these areas is highly valuable. Provides a unified architecture and access.
You can then transition to MES/ERP functionality as well.
If I wanted to control those four areas, I would have an HMI in each area and choose the data I want to collect, but how would the SCADA be any better than this? Both HMI and Scada will only show whatever the user wants it to see, so I could spend less time programming an HMI than on Scada and still get the same amount of information back, or no?
From this picture, I feel the Scada is just an extra tool you don't really need. All it does is combine all your data to one area; maybe saves you time from walking around all the HMIs.
I don't understand the big picture behind scada, so I need more explanation and convincing as to why it's better to have Scada in conjuction with other hmis, then just having a bunch of standalone HMIs.
I'm new to Scada, never seen it or used it, so I'm looking for a great in-depth sales pitch in all honesty, haha