PlantoLogi Hub

Introduction

The modern industrial manufacturing operation is a complex hub of thousands of different data points from equipment, IIOT sensors, and other monitoring equipment. Plant operators and managers are often tasked with complex workflows that usually involve navigating a variety of different dashboards, software, logs, reporting tools and data streams. At the same time, employees also have to interpret this multitude of data sources to make intelligent decisions about process controls and equipment.

In this environment, speed and efficiency are important, but can result in higher rates of human error. Our team is especially interested in Human Factors Engineering, the implementation of systems and tools that help individuals manage the cognitive burden of these complex and detailed operations.

The Solution- PlantoLogi Hub

For this hackathon, we will present our concept of the PlantoLogi Hub, a suite of administrative and engineering management tools pre-loaded directly into the creative MX console. We envision incorporating the MX Create Console and Actions SDK directly into the manufacturing environment.

This system will focus on three key pain points we have encountered: -Streamline monitoring and reporting workflows -Rapid parsing of schematics and diagrams -Precision controls of inspection tools

Streamline monitoring and reporting workflows

The Actions SDK and custom macros will be implemented to trigger efficiency workflows. For example, selecting the ‘Reactor Tank Inspection ’ macro on the Creative Keypad will launch the required inspection log, the latest maintenance manifest, live data reported from the tool. This reduces the (significant) amount of time required to click through dashboards and search through file systems for equipment logs, and safety inspections and audits.

Our solution will also test out incident and emergency response use cases. For example, in the event of a potential chemical leak, a plant manager can launch the necessary workflow with the press of a button, which includes the chemical leak checklist, emergency reporting console, facility maps, CAMEO software, and ALOHA simulator to calculate exposure thresholds.

Rapid parsing of schematics and diagrams (Autocad Plant3D Custom Actions)

Because an important part of plant operations involves analyzing P&ID diagrams and schematics, PlantoLogi also addresses some of the key pain points in working with AutoCAD Plant3D. For example, to improve the readability of these information-dense diagrams, the Dialpad will be incorporated to parse through items, preventing small details from being missed. This will be achieved by incorporating the Actions SDK with the AutoCAD P&ID Software Developer’s Kit, PnPSDK.

Precision controls of inspection tools

Another key pain point expressed by operators is the information density of logs and graphs plotted by monitoring tools. It can be extremely cumbersome for engineers to click through/ select specific data points. The Dialpad will be incorporated with an IIOT monitoring hub to demonstrate an improved user experience.

Built With

• c#