Economical alternates conventional HMI

[valuetech]

I've been asked to offer for a rather simple automation task (A batch weighing application for a large distribution warehouse), and MAPLE's HMI was my prefered choice for a display with some simple data logging and I inteded to provide them the data file on a USB.

Until....

The user asked if the data could be directly uploaded to thier Corporate network.

My experience has been limited to HMIs using thier own proprietory programming software, as with Maple's, so I am unsure about

• How well a windows based HMI would do?
• Creating the connectivity with the Siemens S7-2xx PLC?
• Cost effectiveness
• Programmer friendly?
• and minimum what Hardware and software would be required, as I came to know we'd be needing OPC/drivers to do the data handshaking, plus license per HMI, programming dongles or licenses, etc

Can someone please spell out in plain english an easier to understand the transition steps.

All the help will be appreciated

 

[bluenoser337]

www.trihedral.com

 

[jstolaruk]

The user asked if the data could be directly uploaded to thier Corporate network.

This statement is just too general and non-specific to provide any recommendations. The customer should provide you with a specification of how they currently do this with other equipment.

 

[valuetech]

Let me eloborate it a bit more for easy understanding,

1) Its a distribution warehouse, it has from tea, milk, flour, grains, meat, all you can think of in the edible category.

2) Currently they are doing it in a very raw form, manually check sheets.

3) They are interested to measure the meat carcasses, flour, grains etc as they arrive. The usual pick, place, weigh process (using a weighing scale) is both time consuming and way out of the automation classification.

so this is where I come in, I showed them that they could have all those stuff weighed using a unloading conveyor, and save all those weights (data) to verify the delivery sheet quantities.

but the customer was not very happy if I just weighed and provided him with the data on a USB. He's thinking big, so I'm thinking of how I comfortably I can optimize the application.

 

[jstolaruk]

This task can be trivial or can explode into a bunch of work that makes the original scope of work look small. So, unless you believe you will be compensated additional funds to integrate this to completion, the burden of engineering how to get this data up to their Corporate Network should remain with the customer. I would press the customer on how he intends to do it (hence the specification) OR ask him to give you an RFQ so that you can investigate and provide him with a quotation of how it is to be done.

 

[harryting]

Well, ask the customer on what they are willing to spend, that should narrow down the option a lot.

 

[Paullys50]

I would suggest a separate computer/server that would have third party software installed (such as FactorySQL) to collect the data and move it into a SQL database installed on the same machine. The computer could have two nic cards allowing connection to the control network (assuming Ethernet connectivity) and the corporate network.

Now at this point, you've provided network access to the data, but if they want you to develop a reporting package on top of that....