HMI Solutions Making the Most of the Cloud's Advantages

Related Vendors

Rose Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG

FAULHABER Drive Systems

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

In automation, the trend is toward cloud-based controls: as a specialist in HMI complete systems, Rose knows where the greatest savings potentials lie in outsourced control solutions. Device design plays a key role.

In spring 2025, Audi launched a small revolution at its Heilbronn (Germany) site: the world's first body production based on a virtual programmable logic controller (PLC) with a safety function from Siemens. The controller is located in a local cloud and enables flexible data-driven production as well as real-time monitoring and control of manufacturing from any location. Audi expects the implementation of the cloud-based controller to increase agility, efficiency, and safety in production. The goal is a more flexible, future-proof manufacturing process.

Cloud-based controllers take over the tasks of a traditional—but they no longer run on a panel PC directly at a workstation in production; instead, they operate in a data center. This data center is either located on the company premises or operated by an external service provider. The monitors directly at the production line are used "only" for visualizing the workflow steps taking place at the respective assembly stations. No control software is hosted on them anymore.

Gallery

Gallery with 7 images

The shift of machine and process control to the cloud is a logical advancement of software PLCs, which have become increasingly established over the past decade. Unlike a traditional hardware PLC, software PLCs no longer require specific hardware as a base and can run on standard PCs. This allows the user to utilize their existing IT infrastructure for the PLC. It saves costs and increases flexibility, as the control system can be quickly and easily adapted to changing production conditions.

Cloud Control is Ideal for Large Systems

After the widespread adoption of software PLCs, it was only a matter of time before the next step followed: outsourcing system control to the cloud. "This is particularly useful for complex production systems," says Nils Stello, Division Manager HMI at Rose Systemtechnik. At Rose, he is responsible for the development and production of panel PCs, industrial monitors, control enclosures, handheld devices, and support arm systems.

During his customer visits, Stello learns firsthand what currently concerns the industry. "We are currently in talks with a renowned company that can envision controlling its entire production from the cloud in a few years." The company is currently using panel PCs from Rose, which will reach the end of their service life in a few years. Nils Stello and his colleagues are therefore already designing the next generation of industrial PCs and defining the requirements for the housings of the new devices.

More Compact Housing Design Opens Up Many Options

Since a virtual controller eliminates the need for PLCs to run on the panel PCs in production, the housings for the customer’s future PCs can be designed significantly flatter than before. "With a cloud-based controller, the individual PCs no longer need to be equipped with such a powerful processor as they are today," explains Nils Stello regarding the effects of virtualization. Until now, the power dissipation of the motherboard increased from one panel PC generation to the next, reaching approximately 45 watts most recently.

"By using a cloud-based control system, instead of a mainboard, you would only need a single board for the respective PC on the production line, and it has a power loss of only around 5 watts," said Stello. The board would thus emit very little heat, eliminating the need for a ribbed heat sink, which previously took up a lot of space in the device housing.

"I have completely different design possibilities for the housing of the panel PC by using a single board," says Nils Stello. The user could, for example, choose a stainless steel housing, which might have been problematic before because stainless steel heats up additionally and dissipates heat poorly. This small example clearly illustrates how the space within the housing of the panel PCs changes with the switch to cloud-based control.

Lower Computing Power Reduces Device Costs

A cloud-based control system thus expands the design options for panel PCs on the one hand and enables a significantly more compact design of the devices on the other. These not only require much less space in the application but are also cheaper to manufacture thanks to the smaller circuit board. "A single board costs about one-fifth of the price of a mainboard," explains Stello, highlighting the savings potential. For complex production systems with a large number of devices, this quickly adds up to significant amounts.

The relatively low weight of panel PCs in systems with cloud-based control also impacts the design of the support arm system used to connect the devices to the application. Since the support arm systems need to bear significantly lighter loads, they can be designed much more compactly. "We are therefore consistently expanding our support arm portfolio with lighter versions that are particularly suitable for these applications."

Still A Niche Topic for Large Companies

Rose has been developing application-specific HMI complete systems for a variety of industries for over 40 years. Individual customer consultation and close coordination with them are integral parts of the work of Nils Stello and his colleagues. They have been addressing the topic of cloud-based control systems and their impact on their own product range for some time. In some areas, there will be adjustments and changes, while in others, there will not.

"The virtualization of controls will initially be a niche topic for a few, large companies," Stello is certain. Rose will comprehensively support them in the transformation: "We are developing HMI solutions with them that fully exploit the advantages of virtual controls in terms of a leaner, more cost-effective device concept."

Future-Proof Authentication with Universal RFID Readers

Universal RFID Readers: One Solution for All Credentials