Use over 40 on-screen controls to provide a powerful user interface.

Replace switches, knobs and indicators with virtual ones, or use both. Use trend graphs and other components to provide your operators with additional information not normally available to them.

Log data for each operator for performance review and quality control.

Combine with a central DAQFactory SCADA setup for real-time centralized monitoring and control.

Make changes on the fly: no need to stop and recompile every time you want to add a new screen element.

An HMI allows you to replace physical knobs and switches with a computer. Its much easier, cheaper and faster to create on screen controls then it is to wire up a real control panel. DAQFactory is a powerful HMI tool that allows you to create an unlimited number of different screens out of 40+ on screen components simply by dropping controls on the screen and setting properties. Among those components are ones that you could never recreate on a physical control panel like trend graphs, waterfall graphs, and tabular data. By using DAQFactory, you can give your operators more power and control and more data to make good decisions on how your process is behaving. If a physical knob or switch is still desired, you can easily combine it with on-screen controls as needed.

Of course DAQFactory is much more than an HMI, and offers automated control, data logging, data sharing through networking, alarming and many other features that physical panels, and for that matter, many other HMI tools, do not offer. So, in addition to giving your operators a virtual control panel, you can do quality, factory, and supervisory control, data logging, and alarming, all things that will make your process more efficient and more flexible.

One example of an HMI system is used in a landfill leachate pumping system. Since each of the five cells was installed at a different time, each had a completely different control panel. The same information was on each, but the knobs, switches and indicator lights were different and in different locations. A central computer was installed providing a consistant user interface to each of the systems and making it easier to understand and maintain the systems. The HMI was combined with some of DAQFactory's remoting tools to allow centralized monitoring as well, saving the landfill staff from having to drive to each panel to check on each system.

Acquire data from multiple sources at varying data rates. Acquire high speed streaming data from high speed devices without a problem.

Easily convert and process your data in engineering units. Advanced analysis and data manipulation makes real-time results attainable.

Use the powerful scripting engine to create test scripts, controlling outputs while constantly recording inputs. Combine with automated analysis routines for a complete end-to-end test suite.

Log data in batches for each test, or log continuously. Create separate logs for subsets of your data, or log to multiple places at the same time. Conditionally log based on input values to only record important data.

Make changes on the fly: no need to stop your test or measurements every time you want to add a new screen element or make a tweak to script.

Test and measurement involves repetitively taking sets of data and analyzing that data against preset criteria. Results and raw data is logged, and on screen display is used to help the operator with the test procedure. DAQFactory can easily achieve all of this. Collecting data is simply a matter of creating channels and telling the channel how often you wish to poll for a reading. Even high speed streaming data is no problem with the proper hardware. Test runs can be scripted easily with DAQFactory's powerful scripting language. Unlike other tools that use cumbersome and non-standard graphical programming, DAQFactory uses structured text, making it easy to learn. Anyone with normal programming experience in another language like VB, JavaScript, PhP, or C++ can easily and quickly learn the DAQFactory syntax.

The scripting language is powerful enough to do both the batch control of the test and the analysis of the data. Results of the test can be displayed on user definable screens using any of the 40+ screen components created with simple drag and drop and properties windows. For longer running tests, DAQFactory's on-the-fly editing capability means you can add an additional input, graph or other display element without having to stop and restart your test. Of course all the data can be logged to the standard CSV file format, other ASCII delimited formats, ODBC databases, or create your own. For added fun, have DAQFactory email you the results of the tests once a day!

One example of DAQFactory being used in for test and measurement is to test the foot throttle assemblies on electric golf carts. The DAQFactory application drives a stepper through the full range of the throttle and back, all the while reading the resistance across the potentiometer in the throttle. The results are plotted on screen along with threshold values, then the system automatically compares the results to the preset thresholds, displaying the result for each. It then changes the screen background to red or green depending on the overall pass/fail result. Of course all the data and results are logged. The whole test is run in about 3 seconds, taking and analyzing over 8000 data points.

Powerful scripting engine gives completely flexibility in automating your factory processes.

Structured text scripting means anyone can do it. A familiar syntax means most any programmer can provide assistance even if they are not familiar with DAQFactory.

Completely multithreaded: create a separate loop for each process or part of a process. Logically organize your control loops instead of having to mash them together into one big loop.

Make changes on the fly: no need to stop and recompile every time you want to add a new screen element or make a tweak to script.

DAQFactory works well in plant floor applications. In cases where PC control is preferred and appropriate over PLCs, DAQFactory's powerful scripting language gives you total control over your process. Completely multithreaded, you can design your control system as separate control loops all running concurrently. This makes development and debugging much easier. Unlock PLC's difficult ladder logic, and other application's cumbersome graphical programming, DAQFactory's script is structured text, and easily learned by anyone. Plus, anyone with normal programming experience in another language like VB, JavaScript, PhP, or C++ can easily and quickly learn the DAQFactory syntax and offer assistance.

But DAQFactory can perform more than just automation. It is a complete HMI / SCADA package, and so you can use a single application to run your process, provide an interface for your operators, and provide supervisory control and data logging for quality control.

Just one example of DAQFactory being used in factory automation is an airplane parts manufacturer in Washington state. They have a carbon fiber press for creating parts. DAQFactory moves the raw material into a heater for a preset time, then moves it under the press, triggers the press and removes the material when done. This could have certainly been done with a PLC, but DAQFactory's script was much easier to develop. Plus, the system was easily setup to do batch control, allowing different press and heater settings with different dies and material thicknesses, all controlled from an operator panel and UPC scanner.

Acquire data and display it on screen for constant review. Use trending with threshold lines to indicate out of range values so operators can avoid them.

Alarm and notify with on screen displays, email, pager, or voice dailing when values get out of range so the problem can quickly be resolved.

Use the powerful scripting to have DAQFactory automatically correct situations before they go wrong.

Continuously log data, or subsets of your data to multiple locations for archival purposes.

DAQFactory's easy to use acquisition and logging capabilities along with its low price make it the ideal tool for quality control applications where simply collecting process data and logging it is all that is needed. Nowadays, hard disk storage is very cheap, and it pays to collect as much data as possible about your manufacturing process. Ideally you would use DAQFactory to analyze this data and generate alerts if values go out of range, basically an in-situ Test and Measurement setup, but sometimes you may not know that a particular value is out of range until the product goes to the consumer and problems occur. If a group of consumers report a problem, you can look at the date and time their products were manufactured and the raw data logged with DAQFactory to determine which value caused the problem. Perhaps 200 degrees was slightly too hot for the material's longevity. This would become apparent from the logged data and reported problems and you could then generate a recall only on the products created when the temperature was too high.

An example of this is a large pizza company that uses it to monitor their dough making process. The various data points are simply logged to disk, hopefully never to be used again. However, if a problem occurs with a batch of dough, for example it doesn't rise correctly when baked, the company can look at the values logged for that batch and recall only the batches with similar problem values, instead of wasting product by recalling all dough.