Web-based SCADA/HMI Clients Support Remote Services

Summary

Modern manufacturing complexity requires automation systems to boost productivity and efficiency. The technologies most widely deployed on the plant floor—remote desktop services and web-based SCADA/HMI—are at the top of the list for delivering these benefits.

The hardware on the production floor is as important as the SCADA/HMI software, and thin clients can deliver important benefits:

Easy installation. A thin client tailored to run remote desktop services and support web-based HMI/SCADA can be deployed across the production floors with minimal installation efforts.

Low maintenance. The SCADA/HMI software residing on the server, the thin client, and the web client is operating-system-independent. Its replacement can be quick and easy, and no software installation is required if any failure occurs to the thin client or web client.

Industrial thin client/web client computers must meet environmental protection requirements for every stage of the manufacturing process and in every industry sector. And these requirements may not be the same in every industry. The industrial thin client computers in the pharmaceutical industrial sector, for example, must meet IP66 environmental protection standards and be able to withstand cleaning solutions.
 
ARISTA’s AMW mobile workstations are constructed with 316L stainless steel materials, specifically for pharmaceutical manufacturing clean rooms. Generally, 316 steel is specified for environments with strict cleanliness requirements, or when equipment is exposed to harsh chemical cleaners and corrosive environments that 304 stainless steels cannot withstand. 316L offers increased protection against salt, proteins and strong acids or bases. It also possesses enhanced resistance to chlorides and chlorinated solutions that are common in controlled environments and cleanrooms. 

A thin client/web client could also be designed for use in hazardous environments where the existence of flammable gases or vapors and/or combustible dust may be present in the air or become present during a spill or leak. A thin client/web client designed for Class 1 Division 2 hazardous zone applications helps prevent the ignition of flammable substances like gases, vapors and liquids. ARISTA’s ARP-2200AP series, for example, includes the panel-mounted thin client/web client products family. ARP-5500AX Series and ARP-3821AX are stainless steel, fully sealed, and fully enclosed thin and web clients and have no external vents. In this way, they protect the components from gases, dust, dirt, moisture, chemicals, oil and other external contaminants in an explosive environment.

For improving processes and allowing resources to be more productive, a thin client in a manufacturing environment is an ideal platform to deliver versatile benefits. Manufacturing operations at times get stuck due to necessary IT setup time. This often leads to downtime and waste of resources. Thin client technology is developed to resolve such conflicts and provide a mature approach for processes to be conducted efficiently. More thin client advantages include:

Lower operational cost. Thin clients eliminate the stress of setting up a full-fledged workstation. Since all the computing is done on servers, machines do not require much energy to operate. This contributes to an overall cost reduction.

Centralized management. With a thin client set-up, only software-level protection is required. Security is required on the server level since all the data is stored on it. Additional heavy-duty security is not required for workstations and other devices. This significantly reduces the effort and time required in setting up workstations and working with every single machine in case of downtime.

High performance. thin clients can be integrated into almost every industry. Areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, or finance that need utmost accuracy can rely on the thin client without any second thoughts. With several functionalities involving customization, users have improved high-end performance at all levels.

_{This piece was originally published in AUTOMATION 2024: 9th Annual Industrial Automation & Control Trends Report.}