Design of Industrial LCDs for Automotive Assembly

Design of Industrial LCDs for Automotive Assembly

When it comes to automated manufacturing, the automotive industry is recognized as one of the world’s leading and most innovative industries. Automated assembly has grown immensely because of the demand for higher production rates, lower employment costs, high precision and duplication.

Automotive manufacturing processes are highly technical and computerized. But still they require trained technicians to operate and oversee them, using the best LCD monitors that have the highest quality displays and are built to handle the demands of an automotive assembly plant.

The Human Factor in the Automotive Assembly Process

No matter how automated a process is, a human operator is needed to supervise and monitor industrial systems. And that operator needs the best industrial grade display to see what is going on.

Any automated process carries the possibility of system failure. Even the most sophisticated self-regulating systems cannot handle every contingency. An operator may need to monitor a range of industrial displays to determine the location and nature of a fault.

As the automotive industry demands increased production output, automation systems are becoming more complex. This in turn means that the interface between the process and the human operator must be designed and customized with rigorous attention to detail.

The Importance of LCD Display Design

Control consoles and their displays are very often the only point of contact and source of information for an operator on the automated assembly line. It is therefore vital that they are designed to be easily accessible yet durable enough to withstand the harsh manufacturing conditions.

The design of programmable logic controller (PLC) console displays is important for a number of reasons:

>> Space on the factory floor is at a premium and displays must be designed to be compact and cost efficient.
>> The design of the display should correspond to a large degree with the actual process. This makes the work of an operator easier when identifying location of faults.
>> Well designed displays will increase operator confidence and reduce stress.
>> Ergonomics play a major part in display design. Sometimes a worker may need to monitor more than one display. The placement and angles of displays must be considered carefully.
>> While automation can limit human errors, those employed must be more skilled and trained to work at various technical workstations. Displays must be configured for ease of work rotation and task assignment.
>> A hugely important factor in console and display design is plant safety. Alarm indicators and emergency switches should be highly visible and easily accessible.

Industrial LCD Displays: Features and Benefits

The latest LCD displays used in the industrial automation of automotive assembly processes have the following characteristics:

>> High brightness, up to 500 cd/m²
>> High resolution
>> Wide viewing angle of up to 170°
>> Large color range of 16.7 million

The design of these industrial grade displays offers numerous benefits:

>> Rugged fronts of die-cast aluminium that are designed to be maintenance free and for continuous operation.
>> Displays are designed to withstand high temperature and dusty environments and to meet EMC requirements.
>> Vibration and shock resistant.
>> Widescreen monitors enable clear display and very good readability from all angles.
>> Energy saving LED back lighting allows for the display to be dimmed by up to 100% in brightly lit working environments.
>> Different mounting options.
>> Long service life.

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