The HMI/MMI category has grown to include products whose functionality goes well beyond the typical standalone machine/process interface. The development of new software-based data collection and presentation products has come from customers'' expressed interest in being able to quickly and easily view plant data from any location. This goal requires a product that uses open standards to communicate with multiple devices that may not have been compatible with one another in the past. OPC and Ethernet are just two of the standards that make the goal possible.
DataNet OPC™ is a new software product from AutomationDirect supplier/partner BizWareDirect that keeps people connected to plant operations without binding them to the confines of their facility. DataNet OPC uses OPC technology to display real-time data on a web page, with no HTML programming required. Because of the web interface, data are available for viewing, printing, or archiving on any computer, anywhere the Internet or a company intranet is accessible. As an added benefit, DataNet OPC is able to offer a more unified approach to data display and logging for plants that use multiple PLC brands.
The W.W. Henry Co, the nation''s largest manufacturer of flooring adhesives, has taken advantage of these benefits, saving money and improving production with DataNet OPC. (Shown here, the company''s "tank farm.")
"We have found that many plants are not loyal to one brand when it comes to purchasing hardware. They will go with whatever seems to be the most cost-effective solution at the time. This may lower the initial cost of operations, but it also increases the time and cost involved in integrating the data collection and display," says Joey Kulakowski, software engineer for BizWareDirect. "OPC technology allows us to provide easy and inexpensive data collection and display for these companies, because it is supported by so many different devices."
Dynamic colors allow users to determine the status of plant operations at a glance, and a useful math tool will perform calculations on data before displaying it. Multiple display pages keep data tables organized and allow users to find what they need, without sifting through an enormous amount of information they do not need. The software package also sends email alerts, which serve as an early warning system, notifying plant managers and personnel when data fall out of the specified "normal" range.
DataNet OPC also logs data into a text file for archival purposes. Through the web-based configuration facility, the user is able to specify which sets of data should be logged, and at what time intervals. These files can then be opened to produce linear trend charts, which offer a clear and convenient way to present a large amount of industrial data. DataNet OPC add-ons even allow the creation of circular trend charts, like those often used in water and wastewater treatment facilities. These graphs and log files are conveniently accessible from the web page. (Pictured here is W.W. Henry''s main display screen, which shows each tank number, the material/product being held in the tank, and the amount of material in inches and in gallons.)
Tony Holmes, purchasing specialist for The W.W. Henry Co, says that this convenience has saved money, improved production, and made the jobs of shipping managers, floor supervisors, production planners, and plant managers in the Dallas, GA plant much easier.
"Before installing this program, we only had one reporting computer, located in the back of our plant lab. If there was a problem and someone had to check the tank levels, they would have to run back and forth until the issue was resolved. A lot of the information we were getting was wrong," Holmes says. "Now, anyone can get accurate information, right from their desk or workstation."
Holmes says that DataNet OPC has pulled W.W. Henry''s entire operation together, increasing the accuracy in batch making and raw materials inventory by eliminating 99% of the report error that was present before.