Case Study - The Advanced HMI System for igus
PROJECT NAME
igus | RBTX Human Machine Interface (HMI)
CLIENT
RBTX by igus
PROJECT SCOPE
The Low-Cost Automation (LCA) Team at igus had a longstanding interest in packaging an HMI with their machines and compatible with the igus Robot Control Software, to provide customers with a turnkey robotics solution, but did not have sufficient bandwidth to develop the technology internally. The LCA Team commissioned Industrial Robot Help to develop and produce a custom HMI, inclusive of software and hardware components.
PROJECT DESIGN
Phase One - Proof of Concept
HMIs historically have been a layer on top of a PLC, which requires users to have programming knowledge and does not contribute to an intuitive UX and UI. The prototype HMI software was developed to be highly intuitive to operators. The graphic user interface (GUI) features prominent, labeled controls for basic functions: Start, Stop, Pause alongside simple monitoring readouts and alerts. The HMI was designed to be produced utilizing low-cost, sourced parts, in keeping with the ethos of the LCA Team. The initial HMI hardware was a mini Windows PC with a tethered touch screen, modeled as a simplified version of teach pendants.
Phase Two - Ruggedized HMI Prototype and Software Expansion
While the prototype HMI was functional, with software demonstrating sufficient compatibility with IRC (igus Robot Control) software, the hardware failed to stand up to the stress of the industrial environments in which it was being deployed. Continuing to leverage the principals of low-cost automation, IRH conducted a review of more robust and readily available tablets. A ruggedized Windows 10” tablet with a high-definition touchscreen was selected. The HMI software was further developed in this stage to work with all igus products, including gantry and linear applications which require additional referencing and home position functionality.
RESULTS
The resulting HMI solution with its simplified UX and integration with IRC software eliminates the need for igus’ customers to have advanced programming knowledge and multiple pieces of expensive hardware when deploying robots in a work cell.
igus has used the HMI at trade shows as a compliment to their machines and systems and now sells the solution on their RBTX Marketplace.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL"We commissioned Industrial Robot Help to design a branded, custom, cost-effective interface to accompany our igus | RBTX product portfolio. The HMI that IRH has developed has a clean UX design, making it very user-friendly for our customers, and the hardware is also robust enough for an industrial environment. It works well with the IRC software and can be customized to meet our clients’ unique requirements. It’s now easier than ever for our customers to control their machines!"
-Jan Hennecke, Product Manager, igus | RBTX
