HMI
The planned operator interface presents forge conditions, temperature requests, operating states, and faults in one place, with a focus on clear training and daily lab use.
Operator overview
The HMI is intended to show the measured forge temperature alongside the requested temperature, current operating state, and essential equipment status. An operator should be able to distinguish idle, purging, ignition, firing, shutdown, and lockout without interpreting raw PLC signals. This describes the planned interface rather than an existing screen layout.
Temperature settings
The operator enters the desired operating temperature through the interface. The PLC evaluates that request and uses measured temperature to regulate heat input through the blower and VFD. The screen can present the requested and measured values together so their relationship is clear. Safety limits and operating permissions remain functions of the control system, independent of the displayed setpoint.
Mixture adjustment
The fuel-air mixture is trimmed mechanically at the mixer’s choke during setup. The HMI can explain the selected operating condition and display any available process measurements, but a temperature adjustment on the screen is not a direct command to turn that choke. This distinction keeps the operator’s heat request separate from the mixer’s manual ratio adjustment.
Sequence and readiness
A status view is intended to explain what the forge is doing and what condition it is waiting for, such as airflow proving or completion of a purge stage. Start, stop, and reset actions are requests to the control system; the safety-control layer decides whether each transition is permitted. Physical emergency-stop and other protective devices remain independent of the touchscreen interface.
Alarms and reset
Fault messages are intended to identify the condition that stopped or inhibited operation, rather than showing only a generic alarm. The interface should distinguish acknowledgement of a message from resetting a lockout. Acknowledging a fault does not restore a missing permissive, and a reset should not be represented as an automatic restart.
Trends and maintenance
The planned interface can present temperature trends, operating hours, cycle counts, fault history, and maintenance reminders from the PLC’s records. These views are intended to help operators and lab staff understand performance over time and identify equipment that needs attention. Screenshots and demonstrated behavior will be added as the interface is implemented.