Application example: HMI on medical-device manufacturing equipment

Most hospitalized patients receive an IV soon after admission … and sometimes insertion of the needle is painful. But once placed, discomfort subsides — as the plastic tubing that connects the IV bag to the arm is shaped to smoothly glide into veins and remain comfortable during use. Equipment made by Silverstone Automation — the manufacturer’s SilverCATH 1100 and 2200 series machines — forms plastic tubing that functions as these catheter tips.

When Silverstone designed the SilverCATH machines, they needed a display to deliver a high-resolution touchscreen with built-in recipe functionality; a USB port for saving recipe data; user-friendly programming; and password-protected screens.

So Silverstone ultimately integrated Maple Systems HMI5100L HMIs into their machines. The HMI5100L is slim and affordable. Its 1.57-in. depth allowed for easy mounting, and its easy-to-read 10-in. color touchscreen lets operators quickly set parameters. More after the jump.

Silverstone Automation makes an array of medical-device manufacturing equipment. The machine builder’s SilverCATH 1100 and 2200 machines accurately form introducer and catheter tips. These incorporate Maple Systems HMIs for cost-effective and user-friendly operation.

The touchscreens (which display separate screens for operators and technicians) simplify controls and prevent unintended entries. Plus preprogrammed recipes freed operators from entering lots of data before each changeover.

In fact, Silverstone also includes Maple Systems HMIs into an array of custom (proprietary) machine designs. Maple Systems tailors the controllers to Silverstone requirements with offerings from 4.3 to 15 in.