HMI (Human-Machine Interface) software for operator panels and industrial PCs is the development and runtime environment that transforms a touchscreen display into a functioning machine operator interface — displaying live process values from the PLC, enabling operator setpoint entry, presenting alarm lists and acknowledging faults, managing production recipes and logging operational data. This category covers machine-level HMI software: the tools used to develop and run operator interfaces on panel-mount hardware (Siemens SIMATIC HMI panels, Mitsubishi GOT2000, Rockwell PanelView, ESA Automation VT and IT series) and on IPC-based industrial PC platforms (panel PCs running Windows IoT Enterprise or Linux as the embedded control interface).
The critical distinction from the SCADA monitoring software category is scope: machine HMI software creates the operator interface for a single machine or production cell — the touchscreen the machine operator uses to start a cycle, select a recipe, monitor temperatures and acknowledge a safety alarm. Plant SCADA software (AVEVA InTouch at plant level, System Platform) aggregates data from dozens of machines across a facility into a supervisory overview for control room operators. Most machine builders, OEM manufacturers and panel builders need machine HMI software; process plant operators and utilities additionally need plant SCADA. DAS Company supplies both — this page covers machine-level HMI and IPC software specifically.
Before selecting HMI software, the deployment architecture determines which software options apply. Panel-mount HMI hardware (SIMATIC KTP, GOT2000, PanelView Plus 7, ESA VT/IT series) are self-contained units with a fixed CPU, display and I/O connections — they run a proprietary runtime environment pre-installed by the manufacturer, and the HMI application is developed on a PC using the brand-specific development tool (WinCC Basic/Comfort, GT Designer3, FactoryTalk View ME, ESA Polymath) and downloaded to the hardware. The development tool requires a licence; the runtime on the panel hardware is typically pre-activated with the hardware purchase. IPC-based HMI (panel PCs running Windows IoT Enterprise or Linux) requires both a development tool and a separate runtime licence — the panel PC is generic hardware and the HMI runtime must be purchased and activated separately. IPC-based HMI is typically used for more complex applications requiring database connectivity, web browser access, multiple simultaneous process connections and applications that exceed the processing power of dedicated panel hardware.
Siemens WinCC (Windows Control Centre) covers three licence tiers for SIMATIC HMI panel applications. WinCC Basic is included with TIA Portal STEP 7 Basic and supports SIMATIC Basic Panels (KTP400, KTP700, KTP900, KTP1200) — the compact, lower-cost panel range for simple machine HMI with restricted tag count and screen capabilities. WinCC Comfort supports SIMATIC Comfort Panels (TP700, TP900, TP1200, TP1500 — the standard range for machine HMI) with full alarm management, recipe management, data logging to SD card, trend display and script capabilities — the appropriate choice for most standard machine operator interface applications. WinCC Advanced extends to PC-based HMI runtime — running on Windows IoT Enterprise IPC hardware to provide a scalable PC-based machine HMI with up to 2048 power tags and multi-panel client capability. The critical compatibility rule: WinCC development licence version must match the SIMATIC panel firmware version — WinCC Comfort V18 developed projects cannot be downloaded to panels running V15 firmware without a panel firmware update. DAS Company provides WinCC Comfort and Advanced licence supply alongside SIMATIC panel and IPC hardware, with pre-dispatch firmware compatibility verification between panel hardware firmware and the TIA Portal/WinCC version the customer is using.
Mitsubishi GT Designer3 is the HMI development environment for the GOT2000 series (GT27, GT25, GT21) touchscreen operator panels, with backwards compatibility for GOT1000 series applications. GT Designer3 provides graphical screen development with Mitsubishi-specific library objects (lamps, switches, numerical displays, trend graphs, alarm lists) that connect directly to MELSEC PLC devices via the GOT's built-in communication drivers without separate driver configuration. The GT SoftGOT1000 software GOT runtime extends GT Designer3 applications to PC-based operation — running the GOT2000 application on a Windows PC or industrial panel PC as a software GOT, sharing the exact same GT Designer3 project file without redevelopment. GT Designer3 licences are available in standard and professional tiers; GT Designer3 development licences are priced at approximately $2,800–$4,000 with op tional annual maintenance. DAS Company supplies GT Designer3 alongside Mitsubishi GOT2000 panel hardware and MELSEC PLC controller orders from our authorised Mitsubishi Electric distribution.
Rockwell FactoryTalk View Machine Edition (ME) is the HMI development and runtime environment for PanelView Plus 7 and PanelView 5000 operator terminals. FactoryTalk View ME development licence runs on engineering PC (Windows 10/11); the runtime licence activates the PanelView hardware to execute the application. FactoryTalk View ME provides direct tag import from Studio 5000 Logix Designer — PLC tag names, data types and descriptions import directly into the HMI project without manual tag re-entry, the key productivity benefit when developing Allen-Bradley machine HMI alongside the CompactLogix or ControlLogix programme. The FactoryTalk View Studio development tool creates applications for both PanelView Plus 7 (ME runtime) and PC-based FactoryTalk View SE (Site Edition) SCADA from the same software environment — protecting development skills investment across machine HMI and plant SCADA application types. FactoryTalk View ME development licences are priced at approximately $4,800–$7,200 with 20% annual maintenance, with s ubscription options also available. DAS Company supplies FactoryTalk View ME licences alongside PanelView Plus 7, PanelView 5000 and CompactLogix hardware from our authorised Rockwell Automation distribution.
ESA Automation Polymath is the universal HMI configuration software for all ESA Automation VT, IT, SC and Lumia IPC hardware — providing a single development environment covering the complete ESA panel hardware range from compact VT Touch 4.3" panels through IT 15" widescreen panels and Lumia industrial PCs. Polymath's key productivity feature for machine builders is direct variable import from PLC project databases — importing tag lists from Siemens STEP 7/TIA Portal, Rockwell Studio 5000, Omron CX-Programmer/Sysmac Studio, Mitsubishi GX Works and Modbus device descriptions, eliminating the manual HMI tag database creation that consumes a significant portion of HMI project development time. Polymath supports the double driver function (two simultaneous PLC communication protocols from one panel without external adapters) — enabling a single ESA panel to communicate with a Siemens S7-1200 via MPI/Ethernet and a third-party controller via Modbus RTU simultaneously. Remote project transfer via modem or Ethernet allows Polymath projects to be updated on installed machines without on-site laptop connection. DAS Company is an authorised ESA Automation partner — supplying Polymath licences alongside ESA VT, IT and Lumia IPC hardware from our distribution inventory.
KREO HMI is ESA Automation's modern web-technology-based HMI platform for IPC-based machine interface and remote supervision applications. KREO HMI is the tool that allows the user to create powerful, intuitive and web technology-based supervision applications — native HTML5 video pages are automatically created during compilation and no knowledge of web programming is required. The ed geHMI–webHMI architecture allows users to develop distributed automation applications involving multiple independent workstations — one I PC runs the KREO edgeHMI runtime connected to the machine PLC, while remote operator workstations, tablets and smartphones access the same interface through the KREO webHMI browser client without a client application installation. The SVG graphic library with a dedicated tool allows the user to create their own animated objects from generic SVG files — suppo rting custom machine-specific visualisation beyond standard library symbols. KREO HMI includes full 21 CFR Part 11 compliance — audit trails, electronic signature workflows and user access management for pharmaceutical and regulated industry machine HMI validation. KREO HMI licensing is 365 days from activation, with 2GB per month KREO CONNECT — a sub scription model that includes cloud remote access as part of the annual licence. DAS Company supplies KREO HMI licences alongside ESA Automation Lumia IPC, VT and IT hardware.
AVEVA Edge (formerly InduSoft Web Studio, formerly InTouch Machine Edition) is a scalable, modern platform for PC-based systems, industrial panels, and embedded devices, built on HTML5 web runtimes that enable cross-platform deployment — design once and run anywhere, whether on a smartphone, tablet, panel PC, or embedded controller. For OE M machine builders integrating an IPC-based HMI as a standard machine feature, AVEVA Edge's design-once-deploy-anywhere architecture eliminates the need to develop separate applications for the machine touchscreen, the maintenance technician's tablet and the production manager's web browser — the same AVEVA Edge project deploys across all three access points with automatic responsive layout adjustment. AVEVA Edge covers three runtime tiers: AVEVA Edge SCADA (full SCADA runtime for Windows-based stations), AVEVA Edge Embedded HMI (for industrial panel PCs with Windows IoT Enterprise), and AVEVA Edge IoT View (for Linux-based embedded controllers). Application conversion from FactoryTalk ME/SE and other platforms is supported with an additional licence, enabli ng machine builders migrating from Allen-Bradley PanelView to IPC-based AVEVA Edge to convert existing screen libraries. DAS Company supplies AVEVA Edge licences alongside ESA Automation Lumia IPC and Rittal Lumia IPC hardware as part of our AVEVA authorised partner relationship.
HMI software licensing models vary significantly across platforms and directly affect project cost — understanding the licensing structure before specifying the platform prevents budget surprises at commissioning. Tag-based (I/O point) licensing — used by AVEVA InTouch, WinCC Runtime Advanced and FactoryTalk View SE — prices the runtime licence based on the number of data points (tags) the HMI communicates with the PLC; small machine applications with few process variables cost significantly less than large installations. Hardware-bound runtime — used by SIMATIC Comfort Panels, GOT2000 and PanelView Plus 7 — activates the runtime to a specific serial-numbered panel; replacing the panel hardware requires a new runtime activation but no additional tag-based licence. Annual subscription — KREO HMI's 365-day model — provides current-version software access with continuous updates included. Perpetual development licence with optional annual maintenance — GT Designer3, Polymath and WinCC Comfort — provides permanent development rights for the purchased version with optional annual maintenance covering software updates. For machine builders developing series machines with many identical units, per-machine runtime licence costs (FactoryTalk View ME, WinCC Advanced per-node) must be included in the machine BOM cost from the first project, as they represent a recurring per-unit cost that scales with production volume.
The correct HMI software platform depends on three primary factors: the hardware brand already standardised in the machine (or the hardware brand being selected); the application complexity (number of tags, screen count, data logging requirements, remote access need); and the licence cost model that fits the project economics. Facilities standardised on specific PLC brands benefit significantly from matching HMI platforms: Siemens PLCs with WinCC, Allen-Bradley with FactoryTalk View, Mitsubishi with GT Designer3 — nativ e integration provides superior performance, shared tag databases and streamlined engineering. For multi-vendor machine environments where the PLC brand varies by customer specification, ESA Automation Polymath or AVEVA Edge provide the broadest PLC driver coverage — Polymath's 300+ device driver library and AVEVA Edge's protocol support cover the mixed-brand PLC environments that single-vendor HMI tools cannot address without third-party OPC server middleware. For machine builders targeting export markets with high regulatory requirements (pharmaceutical, food, medical), KREO HMI's 21 CFR Part 11 compliance and AVEVA Edge's HTML5 web deployment both address validated system and remote access requirements that panel-mount hardware cannot meet. DAS Company's engineering team provides a platform recommendation based on the specific machine type, PLC selection and project constraints — contact us before committing to a platform to ensure the licensing model and technical capabilities match the application before investment is committed.
Contact DAS Company for HMI software licence pricing, platform selection support, hardware-to-software version compatibility checking and implementation support for machine HMI projects across Eastern Europe.
