DISPLAYS FEATURE P
anel instruments play a key role in a number of industrial areas,
helping to assist in the monitoring of a wide variety of environmental variables. Users of electronic systems in industrial applications are, however, increasingly demanding the same functionality, flexibility, usability and interface that consumers expect. While there are a wide range of
off-the-shelf devices available to suit application needs, engineers and system designers have the option of taking the bespoke approach, developing their own custom panel that suits their specific needs. However, neither option currently offers the true modern ‘consumer-style’ experience.
THE OPTIONS Typically, the two conventional options for developing operation displays – a modular design approach and an off-the-shelf approach – come with their own advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, there are the fully custom instruments and displays which developers can completely tailor to suit their needs – even in the most niche and specific cases. Whilst this approach is likely to result in the lowest hardware cost, it comes at the cost of longer and more expensive development with engineering and tooling charges being incurred. A six-month development might start at around £50,000, with more complex projects running to many times this cost. On the other hand, you
have the off-the-shelf displays which require zero development investment, and often provide ‘plug-and-play’ functionality. This could cost around £500 to £1000 depending on the screen size and application. But while you can start using it right away, the applications of the panel will not be bespoke and the operational capabilities of the instrumentation and control equipment are likely to result in compromises being made. However, we’re increasingly seeing
specifiers and systems designers who don’t want a choice between off-the- shelf or DIY. Instead, they want the best of both worlds: the low cost and speed of deployment of a ‘standard’ solution, with the benefits of tailoring that a bespoke device provides. We see this as
DEVELOPING BESPOKE panel instrumentation
Users of the electronic systems used in today’s industrial applications are increasingly demanding the functionality, flexibility and interfaces that consumers expect. But how do
manufacturers develop solutions using the latest technologies without timescales and costs spiralling out of control? Ben Savage, PanelPilot manager at Lascar Electronics, comments
a brand new product category, driven by the consumerisation of attitudes, that bridges the gap between fully custom and off-the-shelf solutions – products that are ‘bespoke as standard’. The third option offers customisation
closer to the modular approach without the long and costly development process. This begins with innovative hardware solutions combined with
they approach the development of the next generation of panels. Adapting to the ‘bespoke as standard’ mindset will require some big shifts in how the market conducts itself, but we are finally starting to see these happen. Customers are already expecting
this functionality – and many are now demanding the ability to achieve a higher level of customisation without long development times or writing extensive quantities of code. As manufacturers work to meet these shifting expectations, we expect that the market for panel displays of this type will grow rapidly. At the end of the day, the industrial sector is no different to any other. Engineers are consumers too and, as they came to expect this functionality from their consumer products, it was really only a matter of time until their expectations of the systems they use in their jobs began to match. This is the same process we’ve seen elsewhere, and it’s already well established in a number of sectors, particularly IT. Even within the industrial
development solutions that utilise a graphical user interface (GUI) and drag-and-drop tools rather than a coding language. By comparison, a ‘bespoke as standard’
approach to device development would mean the installer could quickly alter the appearance or behaviour of the readings on the display itself. As a result, operators would be able to quickly distinguish between units.
MEETING THE CHALLENGES These changing demands present a big challenge for manufacturers and how
About the engineer... John Alton, embedded software engineer at Lascar Electronics, was one of the lead designers of the company’s PanelPilotAce range. Read his story via
www.connectingindustry.com/instrumentation
space, these changing
Lascar Electronics’ PanelPilotAce combines off-the-shelf displays with Windows-based software that brings drag and drop functionality to the design process
expectations are impacting upon a wide range of industrial and manufacturing tools and products, not just displays. As much as it presents a challenge
for device manufacturers it is also a major new opportunity for innovation. It is a trend that is only going to grow over the next few years and it will represent a big shift in the industrial sector. Of course there will always still be a need for both off-the-shelf devices and custom development, but perhaps in the future comparing an industrial device to a consumer product will not seem so far-fetched.
Lascar Electronics
www.lascarelectronics.com
INSTRUMENTATION | MARCH 2016 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56