AIS Open Platform for Manufacturability Services

American Industrial Systems, Inc. (AIS), designer and manufacturer of flexible, scalable and open platform operator interfaces and panel PCs, announces its High Available HMI Systems design for manufacturability services for continuous operator control and data integrity.

Planned and un-scheduled downtime of a HMI control and monitoring system can wreak havoc on a company’s operational performance and efficiency. Therefore, they require HMI control and monitoring solutions that provide HA and maximum uptime.

AIS’s new industrial panel designs incorporate built-in redundant storage and network devices, Ethernet and TCP/IP network connections, a PCIe expansion slot and multiple inputs and outputs as standard features on their HMI systems. A modular box processor design offers flexibility and scalability for customers. AIS’s “HA HMI systems design for manufacturability services” optimizes machine and system operation, availability and productivity.

All combined, AIS’s newly integrated features and HMI technologies ensure maximum uptime for customers’ HMI systems by minimizing downtime. AIS HMI operator interface panels provide integration, flexibility, scalability, and interoperability solutions to meet the complex processes of new applications, machines and systems.

Robust HMIs Featuring Dual Redundancy Capabilities
and Open Network Platforms
Deliver Real Time Data Processing and Transparency
Factories and plants today operate in real-time. Real-time operational processes require transparency and integration of all real-time data sources, storage, network communication and existing systems. Engineered to be a scalable, open network platform with redundancy storage, AIS’s HA HMI solutions ensure continuous control and monitoring of HMI applications. Utilizing 4th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors, with increased memory up to 16GB and built-in hardware redundancy to meet the demand for enhanced speed and performance, AIS offers high available HMI panel PCs to support a range of industry requirements. Real-time data control, data acquisition and processing is critical in the oil and gas industry. In this industry, real-time operational control centers are responsible for 24×7 monitoring of drilling and other activities and related environmental conditions. Typical requirements include the real-time monitoring of the well head and well bore, seismic activity, steam migration and flow rates. Integration is required across a range of data sources and sensor types, including pressure, temperature and equipment performance.

Safeguard Real Time Data Performance and Reliability
With RAID Protection HMIs
The amount of real time data produced today at factories and plants is staggering, so it is critical for industrial and commercial automation applications to protect it. Powered by Intel Rapid Storage and Intel Matrix Storage Technologies, AIS’s new open touch panel solutions provide protection and data performance with HA HMI platforms. Whether using one or multiple HDDs, users can take advantage of high performance and secure drives with lower power consumption. When using more than one drive, users have additional protection against data loss in the event of HDD failure or data loss. AIS’s new smart panel HMIs utilize Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology. This storage technology improves performance and data reliability for disk-intensive retrieval applications. For the fastest performance, AIS panel PCs can combine two SSDs in a configuration known as RAID-0, so data can be accessed on each drive simultaneously, speeding up response time. Panel PCs can also provide added protection from disastrous HDD failures by mirroring all data among two SSDs. This configuration is known as RAID-1 which provides additional reliability by mirroring all data among two drives respectively.

With Dual-Gigabit Capabilities, Smart Panel PCs Increase
Network Uptime and Ensure Device Connectivity
Data acquisition, processing and analytics occur almost instantly at high speed factories and plants today. AIS high available, GbE powered by Intel GbE Technology provides dual-gigabit scalability and increased uptime. It supports 10/100/1000 migration over CAT-5 cabling. Intel’s AMT 6.0 with pre-set system defense filters, reduces support costs with remote management based on industry-wide standards, supports jumbo frames, RSS, and dual TX/RX queues. It enables high-density networking in HMI embedded applications and provides high performance, reliability, and low power consumption with a single integrated GbE controller chip.

Open Platform HMIs Offer Ethernet and TCP/IP Protocols
for Implementation in Industrial Automation and Process Control Applications
Open connectivity between all devices and data sharing are major factors in implementing new open systems and a network’s architecture for industrial automation and process applications today and more so in the future. With IT convergence and internet technologies taking hold, there is a trend toward newer, open embedded industrial computing and standard networking technologies for industrial automation and process control networks. Historically, industrial automation and control systems were limited to discrete, process and batch level communications and information sharing, now manufacturers need their HMI/SCADA systems to interact in real-time with the other enterprise applications, supply chain partners, and end-user customers. To accomplish this, manufacturers are turning to AIS’s open platform and network architecture HMIs with Ethernet, TCP/IP and IP-enabled technologies for their manufacturing environment.

By moving to AIS and standard technologies, manufacturers can achieve:

• Cost Savings: Ethernet and TCP/IP technology has greater market penetration and is more likely than to give manufacturers a lower TCO that existing technologies currently in place.
• Improved Maintenance at a Lower Cost: As access to skilled production staff becomes difficult and too costly, legacy industrial automation and control technology is becoming more complex to maintain than Ethernet and TCP/IP networking technology.
• Enhanced Application Flexibility: Ethernet and TCP/IP technology allows for rapid production gains, new functionality and evolving capabilities in the manufacturing environment to support enterprise requirements.
• Increased Efficiency with Lower Capital Investments: Ethernet and TCP/IP technology eases integration with business systems by using a common network to share information between production and business systems.

AIS’s high available HMI system also provides operators and engineers the power to precisely monitor and control every aspect of their manufacturing environment, equipment and resources. The result is a faster response to equipment operation issues, enabling reduced waste, improved quality, faster time-to-market and increased overall profitability.

‘Modular Design’ HMI Technologies Are Built-to-Order
and Field Replaceable Unit Capabilities for Upgrades and Maintenance
AIS operator interfaces and panel PCs are designated as built-to-order and field replaceable units that can be upgraded and/or maintain directly from touch screen display or/and industrial PC units. HMIs can be replaced by the user or a technician without having to send an unit to the facility. This  improves product lifecycle management and supply chain management performance.

AIS’s newest family of operator interfaces and panel PCs feature a modular design and provide a range of HMI solutions that allows touchscreen display and industrial Box PC built to specific customer needs and requirements. Modularized HMI operator interface panels are configured to suit of applications including chemical manufacturing, water and waste water treatment, pharmaceutical, energy, food, oil & gas, automotive and general industrial and commercial automation.

AIS Operator Interface Panels also offer an open-architecture that communicates directly with PLCs, SCADA, MES, DCS, or ICS to facilitate industrial process automation control and monitoring. The new open, PC-based control and monitoring solutions support M2M, Industry 4.0, and IoT applications. Five-wire analog resistive touch screens (35 million touches) are available in 12.1″, 15″, 17″, 19″, 21.5″ (HD/IPS) and 24″ (HD/IPS) models.