Power management company Eaton has extended its comprehensive portfolio of human-machine interface (HMI) products with a new generation of stylish and powerful HMI/PLCs. The new XV300-series units incorporate high-resolution capacitive displays which are complemented by high-performance embedded processing technology. With their large displays, robust construction, intuitive operation and competitive price-performance ratio, XV300 devices give machine and system builders attractive new options for developing simpler, more compact and more affordable solutions. In addition, the new units have an attractive stylish appearance, an attribute that is fast growing in importance in the industrial sector. The gesture control made possible by the multi-touch display technology used in the XV300 and the high accuracy of the screen touch functions facilitate intuitive operation and faster learning, leading to more effective human-machine interaction.
High system performance and a powerful graphic processor allow user interfaces to be implemented that meet and exceed the expectations of today's end users, with features like fast screen changes and integrated multimedia elements such as video, pdf files and web content. Operations that have become familiar through the use of smartphones and tablets can be directly implemented on XV300-series devices, which is an important benefit not only for machine and system builders, but also for end users. Eaton XV300-series HMI/PLCs are currently being offered with 7-inch and 10.1-inch screen diagonals. The smooth non-reflective safety glass used in the displays features a special easy-to-maintain design that allows thorough cleaning, even with strong cleaning agents.
This makes the devices suitable for applications in virtually all industry sectors, including the food industry. A special rear-mounting option is available, making it possible for the devices to be flush mounted in enclosure doors and operator consoles, and all models can be installed in either portrait or landscape orientation. XV300 devices are equally suitable for use as HMI operator panels and as HMI/PLC units with integrated PLC functionality. To complement the devices, Eaton is offering its new Galileo 10 project design and visualisation software that supports all features of products in the XV300 range. With its wide range of integrated communications protocols, this software is also compatible with almost all currently available controllers. PLC programming is based on the Codesys development system, which is fully compliant with the international IEC 61131 standard. Eaton can provide Version 2 or Version 3 of the XSoft-Codesys software, so that users can protect their existing investment in software as well as developing new projects based on the latest standards.
To simplify networking and integration, XV300 devices offer a wide range of interfaces which, as standard, includes Ethernet, USB (host and device), RS232, RS485 and CAN. Options are also available for connecting to Profibus DP/MPI/PPI systems as well as to the innovative SmartWire-DT wiring and communication system, which is based on Eaton's Lean Solution philosophy. XV300 devices also have a second independent Ethernet interface to facilitate safe segregation of the control level and the function-specific field level. A standard SD memory card can be used to expand the internal memory or to easily load system updates. It is also possible to boot and operate the whole system via the SD card.
