Have you ever thought that your machine tool could work with an INDUSTRIAL PC instead of a PLC??
In the LEM TEC Style we want to share with you our experiences.
As you know, we have already entered the Fourth Industrial Revolution and we can only talk about smart machines capable of creating more and more interaction with the operator and greater system integration.
In the past, the specialized operator with great technical skills was able to carry out unique and complicated operations. He used to know all the machines and was able to optimize them and restart them. As you also know, he unfortunately belongs to an endangered “race”. Today, however, we need simpler intuitive electronics / programming in a way that even the less specialized or younger operators may be able to use.
In industry, the computer specialized in the management and control of production processes has always been known as a PLC (Programmable logic controller). The PLC is responsible for executing the program and processing the various digital /analog signals coming from sensors and directed to actuators. Its main feature is certainly its extreme robustness; in fact it is normally placed in electrical panels, in noisy environments, with a lot of electrical interference, high temperatures or with high humidity. In some cases the PLC is in operation 24 hours a day, throughout the year, on plants that can never stop.
The IPC is coming in big strides
Today, however, there is not only the PLC but also the Industrial PC or IPC (Industrial Panel Computer) which has brought important innovations. LEM TEC, always attentive to technical evolution, has also begun to introduce IPC, an innovative hardware for human-machine interfaces (HMI), and remote and secure IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) access solutions in some of its machines. . Briefly, the IPCs we use aim to offer the reliability and robustness of PLCs in an open PC-like hardware platform.
We have been able to find from our experiences that there is a demand for electronics that are always reliable but also simpler, more intuitive and that also allows the less specialized or younger operator to be able to use.
The choice of the industrial PC (IPC) is dictated, in some cases, also by this way of seeing and studying the LEM TEC machines.
In detail, there are many reasons why we have opted for this choice.
In particular, LEM TEC wanted to bring:
– Reliable innovation, always unstoppable and for this reason it must be followed;
– Architecture of the Industrial PC much more open than a PLC
– Touchscreen for a very simple and intuitive use
– Easier integration with business systems (data from IPC are more easily interchangeable with consequent easier integration of data with business systems)
– much simpler data collection
– robustness and reliability
The operator in front of the IPC.
We also had the opportunity to experience the operator’s reaction to this LEM TEC technical innovation and we can assure you it was very positive and enthusiastic, in some cases comparable to the transition from a normal phone to a smartphone. Of course, contact us for more information on this