(All new GP3000 Series graphic touch screen displays, and all new editor, GP-Pro EX make possible an entirely new concept in automation: Operator interface as the “Command Center” of the manufacturing process)

Osaka, Japan - Digital Electronics Corporation, maker of the world famous Pro-face brand of HMI (Human Machine Interface) industrial displays and communication equipment, announces the release of a new lineup of touch screen displays and an all-new screen editor software platform.

Touch screen graphic operator interfaces integrate data presentation with user input to save space, simplify usage and eliminate user error. Pro-face is the world leader in graphic operator interfaces, and is famous for high performance and reliability.
 
In the more and more interconnected worlds of global industrial, building and home automation, Pro-face recognizes the importance of connectivity and usability anywhere in the world. Pro-face has built its reputation by communicating easily with the most popular PLC’s, motion controllers, and sensors from around the world. In addition, Pro-face is committed to providing products that conform to international safety standards, and can be successfully integrated, easily operated, and readily supported anywhere in the world.

Pro-face has redefined the HMI operator terminal as the command center of the production site, giving operators insight into processes and putting control and communication at their fingertips. Putting the HMI at the center of production makes complex processes easier to understand and easier to control.

In many areas around the world the next few years will bring a dramatic reduction in the skilled labor available to manufacturers. As labor costs increase, manufacturers will need to manage their plants more efficiently and compensate for loss of expertise through staff development, multimedia documentation, or creation of easier-to-use equipment.
 
To meet these changes, HMI needs to be more than just an operator terminal or production monitor. Pro-face has looked beyond that simple role, and aimed for a higher level of functionality and performance that turns the HMI into the center of the production site. The GP3000 Series and GP-Pro EX were developed with these ideas in mind, to meet the needs and demands of the market for the next generation of operator interface.

The GP3000 Series of touch screen, fully graphic operator interface terminals is a huge leap forward for factory automation and builders of industrial, building, and home automation systems. This product series offer significant advances in display quality, processing speed, and supported connectivity, with a full line-up to choose from including 19 different models, available in sizes from 5.7 to 15-inch screens.

The GP3000 Series offers TFT LCD models with 65,536 colors standard with no additional equipment required. This allows the design of more sophisticated, more information-rich interfaces. STN models offer 4,096 colors, and Monochrome LCD 16 shades. The analog TFT touch panel is rugged and responsive to the operator’s touch. The aluminum die cast bezel, available in all sizes is environmentally friendly and offers superb heat dissipation, with a simple and stylish design.

These displays are tough enough for industrial applications, yet offer display quality with the resolution and range of colors to present a large volume of information to the operator quickly and clearly. Because the graphic touch screen integrates the functions of information sharing and control, they save space, while at the same time making operation more simple and intuitive, which helps to eliminate user error.

High-speed, 64Bit RISC processor and large memory capacity give these units the fastest response time of any displays in the industry. A wide range of interfaces including USB host I/F, serial, CF card and Ethernet are standard on most models. Screens can be downloaded over USB at speeds seven times faster than current displays. The USB host port allows easy connection to barcode readers, printers, and a wide range of peripheral devices.

Only Pro-face can offer simultaneous connectivity with up to four different controllers from different manufacturers, enabling multi-vender systems. Large model GP3000 units support four controllers and medium models two controllers. GP-Pro EX includes communication protocols for a wide range of PLC types from many different manufacturers, and Pro-face continues to develop new protocols constantly in response to industry demands. 

These touch screen displays come in a wide variety of models and sizes, and offer very high-resolution displays for managing and monitoring crucial industrial processes. This family of products also offers cost-optimized models that make it possible to replace traditional solutions with better performing graphic terminals that can be integrated into moderately priced equipment.

The GP3000 Series of touch screen, fully graphic operator interface terminals will be available in most areas worldwide in December 2005, offering more appealing graphics, easier use, and more compatibility than ever. Contact your local Pro-face sales representative for details.

GP-Pro EX was developed with usability as a top priority, and offers huge improvements for both the developer and the terminal end-user. This editor includes many great new tools for creating great interfaces, in a development environment that maximizes design efficiency.

This screen editor comes with a library of over 1500 high-quality graphics, or “Parts,” created to make it easier than ever to create operator screens. In addition, GP-Pro EX comes with many illustrated image parts, so users can make appealing screens for their products to stand out from the competition. These “Parts” are frequently used design objects such as buttons, lamps, and graphs. Symbolic and pictorial parts include buttons and lamps with icons, images, and international symbols that are easily understood around the world.

In addition to graphic tools, advanced text display makes it possible to present more detailed information flexibly to a range of users. Stroke fonts allow adjustment of font size by single pixel increments. Unicode is used for internal character-code, so multi-language applications can be created in the editor and languages can be switched during display by the operator. Language switching can be applied to all aspects of the interface, including comments, labels on buttons and parts, alarms, text messages, and more. Also, multiple languages can be displayed on a single screen.

In addition, GP-Pro EX has developed new tools to help designers create better interfaces and work more efficiently. Drag-and-drop address mapping is an industry first, making it easier than ever to map device addresses and prevents errors. New design tools allow the designer to create templates, headers, and footers, and also fix screen parts to prevent mistaken movement during screen creation. In addition there is a range of new features designed to ease documentation creation. All of these features assist the designer throughout the entire design process to make great interfaces.

For details, or to download a trial version of GP-Pro EX for a limited time only, visit the Pro-face Homepage at www.pro-face.com, or contact your local Pro-face office.

Designed and produced by Digital Electronics Corporation in Osaka, Japan, Pro-face has been the leading brand in Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) for over 10 years. Pro-face is a world leader in factory data communication products and industrial automation.