The top 3 features of HELIO
What you need to know about the HMI management system
The innovative HELIO HMI management programme has quickly become an integral part of the existing KEB Automation portfolio. This comes as no surprise, as the application enables plant and machine manufacturers to create intuitive HMIs faster and more easily than ever before. Numerous functionalities take the visualisation of machine data to a whole new level. Discover the three top features of HELIO here.
Just get started – no programming knowledge required
HELIO works on the principle of configuring instead of programming. The web-based HMI management system offers users detailed project templates and supports them in creating customised HMIs. No programming knowledge or installation is required, so users can get started right away. A design framework is available within which developers can define the essential structure for building the visualisation. Even complex HMIs can be created in no time thanks to the well-designed and easy-to-learn graphical development environment. The advantage: training and handover times are significantly reduced and budgets are used more efficiently.
“With HELIO, creating HMIs is no longer an exclusive software development project. Thanks to the no-code approach, it can also be carried out by UX designers or project managers, for example. This releases resources and allows control developers to focus on other projects,” says Johannes Schäfer, UX Engineer / Product Owner at KEB Automation. Last but not least, templates provide additional flexibility, as the configuration allows a better and faster response to individual customer requirements than completely new programming of an HMI.
100% independence in device selection
Whether smartphone or large displays, Windows, Linux or MacOS – HELIO is truly responsive and enables platform-independent work: HELIO intelligently adapts the content to the size of the display so that the HMI is always clearly displayed and remains easy to use. Even within an HMI, pages can be used as overlays in different sizes. This allows necessary settings to be made directly from an overview (e.g. dashboard or line overview) without losing context. The HMI developer determines which content is necessary in the HMI and where prioritisation is desired. HELIO then takes care of the display: layout and sizes are automatically optimised for the available space. The HMI can be used on any device that runs a browser. This includes mobile operating systems such as Android or iOS.
This makes plant and machine manufacturers even more flexible when developing industrial HMIs, which has clear advantages in practice. On the one hand, there is greater freedom in the choice of hardware suppliers, and on the other hand, displays can be used in resolutions and sizes other than those originally planned. HELIO takes care of the adaptation.
The ideal hardware addition to HELIO is, for example, the C6 X1 Web HMI series from KEB. The Web HMIs are available in sizes from 7’ to 21.5’, have a slim design and offer various mounting options to ensure that the devices can be seamlessly integrated into the user's existing infrastructure. The devices are certified with the high protection class IP67 and can be used in an extended temperature range. In practice, this means that they can also be installed outside the control cabinet without any problems.
Live view and live data
The HELIO Editor shows the user immediately how the HMI appears on the display – at the very moment the HMI is created. HELIO displays changes to the HMI immediately, without any waiting times. If no PLC data is available, simulation with placeholders is possible. As soon as a connection to the PLC is possible, the HMI comes to life: “The live data from the controller can be used in the HELIO editor and you immediately see the real view of the HMI. No compile steps, i.e. the conversion of source code into machine code, are necessary between the editor and the final HMI,” says Schäfer. This allows the machine to be operated in real time in the integrated development environment. This means that users work with the live view and real values from the machine. The real HMI is part of the editor. “The live data is great for experimenting and different variants can be created quickly. User feedback can be obtained very easily. This is not only one of the keys to success in rapid prototyping, but it also makes creating an HMI a real pleasure,” says Schäfer.
