Next-level usability with SIMATIC WinCC Unified

One swipe, one tap, and the user can immediately see the selected design on the beverage can. A quick check, and the process is ready to start. Thanks to innovative user guidance, the machine data are so transparent that operators can manage the complex printing process completely intuitively.

A user-friendly digital printing press

Whether it’s a portrait, a science fiction scene, or street art, the D360 digital printing machine from Hinterkopf can print any image in perfect quality. The digital printing process involves complex operations, but operators need no special expertise to monitor the machine and the printing process at all times – as an innovative operating solution that combines the latest technologies with an intuitive design provides the needed guidance. As Alexander Hinterkopf, CEO of Hinterkopf GmbH, explains, “We display all the relevant elements and information in a central dashboard, an ‘all-in-one’ cockpit, so to speak.” Operators always get the right information at the right time and in the right place, “and in a user-friendly environment”, Hinterkopf continues. “You have to keep in mind that the user interface is a workplace for the operators, who sometimes work in 24-hour production.”

Cans with different designs exiting the printing press

A new level of usability for a new market

There is another reason why usability is particularly important for the D360, adds Joachim Schulz, head of automation technology at Hinterkopf: “Users in the craft beer sector in particular value a good design for their products. This is a market that’s booming, especially in the US, with many small breweries and start-ups, where users want a machine that’s very easy to use. And that’s exactly what we offer as a package with our digital printing machines: good design and easy operation.”

Providing both variety and simplicity

The new HMI solution was developed in a joint project with Siemens delivering automation and drive technology. “Our goal was to visualize all the background functions, such as drives and control, in a uniform environment with a consistent look and feel. To implement the project efficiently and quickly, we wanted to work with a single partner. As Siemens is an important partner for us, it was only natural that we turned to them for this project”, explains Hinterkopf. With the SIMATIC WinCC Unified visualization system, Hinterkopf also found a corresponding technical platform: “For software engineers, the challenge is finding the right balance. You want to achieve a compelling look and feel with usability like a smartphone, but you also have to keep in mind to offer the required functionality in terms of the connection to the controller and integration into the automation environment.”

The digital printing press standing in production hall

screenshot of the HMI with the alarm display

No limits to creativity

For Ludwig Kania, a software engineer at Hinterkopf, it was the web technologies in particular that made the project so unique: “At the beginning, we sat down in a small team and simply came up with a lot of ideas. What we did not expect was that so many of them would actually work with the new system.” Particular highlights include a carousel menu that allows operators to swipe through the designs “just like in a photo album app”, a 3D live rendering of the product to visualize the design for the print job, and a camera live stream to monitor the process in the machine. These features are complemented by process information elements and an interactive alarm display that links an alert with the corresponding entry in the user manual. “This feature guides operators to the appropriate maintenance information, which enables them to help themselves faster and better”, explains Kania.

Versatile controls as a window into automation systems

In total, there are five monitors on the machine to make sure the operators always keep the process in sight. The central dashboard runs on a large 49-inch display. Kania and the developer team at Hinterkopf implemented the carousel menu and live rendering using Custom Web Controls available in SIMATIC WinCC Unified, which runs on a SIMATIC Industrial PC. “Essentially, I can have all the functions of a web page, but as part of the machine visualization. This enables us to implement much more than before – for example, things like animated graphics. Basically, anything is possible”, says Kania enthusiastically. This dashboard is supplemented by four smaller SIMATIC IFP1900 displays, which support the operators during close-to-the-machine tasks such as servicing and machine set-up. These smaller displays have the same look and feel, says Kania, “just with a reduced range of functions”.

Ludwig Kania points to the visualization on the monitor while talking to Alexander Hinterkopf

At the beginning, we came up with a lot of ideas. What we did not expect was that so many of them would actually work with the new system.

Ludwig Kania, Software Engineer, Hinterkopf GmbH

With Siemens, we get a bit more – in this case, not ‘just’ a control cabinet, but also consulting, feedback, expertise – a clear value-add.

Joachim Schulz, Head of Automation Technology, Hinterkopf GmbH

What goes on behind the screen, this great technology – this is what is immediately visible in the HMI.

Alexander Hinterkopf, CEO, Hinterkopf GmbH

You want to achieve a compelling look and feel, but you also need to integrate it into the automation environment.

Joachim Schulz, Head of Automation Technology, Hinterkopf GmbH

Efficient engineering with a coordinated solution

Despite this flexibility, the design and engineering team can use familiar tools, as Kania confirms: “In our projects, there are always different disciplines involved: control engineering, drive engineering, HMI design. With WinCC Unified, each team was able to implement its work package, with interfaces that worked well for each discipline.” The engineering takes place in TIA Portal just like the rest of the automation solution, and tasks can be outsourced to third parties. For example, Hinterkopf collaborated with a design studio for the graphic design of the interface, “and via the Custom Web Controls in WinCC Unified, we easily integrated the result into TIA Portal and thereby with the PLC”. Siemens csupported with expert support for the visualization system and coordinated hardware for the automation and drive technology. The control cabinets were also built by Siemens.

Drive technology for a challenging application

The right partners and the right expertise are also crucial when it comes to what takes place beneath the surface of the design: “We are definitely testing the limits of what is technically feasible in this machine”, explains Schulz. A total of around 100 axes are integrated into the machine, including sophisticated functions such as distributed synchronous operation and on-the-fly synchronization. In addition, the machine uses drives with an extremely wide performance spectrum. In order to handle this complexity and variance efficiently, Hinterkopf uses drive technology from Siemens wherever possible, “because drive management is really orders of magnitude easier with Siemens. I plug in the drive, read the data from the drive, start the automatic controller optimization, and know that the drive is 80% correctly parameterized. That gives me more time for fine-tuning”, says Kania.

Three SIMATIC Industrial Rack PCs used for the printing press

Someone pointing a finger at a design on the monitor

Easy operation, striking design

The result is a machine that “simply looks good”, says Schulz. The design suggests a simplicity that is the exact opposite of what is under the hood of the machine, a point that highlights what Hinterkopf has achieved with the new design, says Alexander Hinterkopf: “The machine conveys a sense of confidence. The operators have the feeling that they can see what is happening with and in the machine, because all the information is presented with a coordinated and consistent design.” This not only makes the digital printing machines a real head-turner at trade shows, for visitors and potential customers, but also scores points with another target group: young technology enthusiasts. “Everyone wants to work in a successful team and with a great product. That’s what they can see with us: what goes on behind the screen, this great technology – this is what's immediately visible in the HMI.”

Other products used

SIMATIC Rack PCs, SINAMICS drives, SITOP power supplies

Hinterkopf GmbH: High-tech solutions made in Eislingen

Since the 1960s, Hinterkopf GmbH has been developting and implementing machine and system solutions that set new standards in the production of and application of graphic designs to tubes, cans, and sleeves made of aluminum or plastic: from the almost legendary robot from the founding years, which replaced manual work when transferring tube sleeves, to ultramodern printing and coating units, capping machines, necking and trimming machines, washing systems, and accumulators as well as various special-purpose machines. The family-run company is now managed by the second generation and employs 230 people at its headquarters in Eislingen, Germany. Thanks to the reliability and flexibility of Hinterkopf's modular system design, users in the packaging industry - from California to Japan - can react quickly and optimally to changing market requirements.

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