Do any HMI's have SD card slots on their front face?

[dreaslerSKF]

This seems like it would be a very useful option. As an example:

A machine has a long list of sequences it needs to go through to complete its function. These sequences are programmable, and there are several identical machines. Instead of having the operator program the sequences segment by segment on each machine (leading to potential transcription errors), The sequence could be programmed once, double-checked by a supervisor for accuracy, and then exported to an SD card as a 'recipe file' that could be imported into the other machines.

This could be done with existing HMI's, but since the SD card is on the back of the HMI hardware, the cabinet housing the HMI needs to be opened to access it. However, HMI's are not always installed into a separate enclosure; some are installed on the control cabinet's main door, and opening it will expose the operator to 120-480 volts. Obviously, this is not an ideal situation for what should be a simple, routine task.

This leads me to the question in the title. Are there any HMI's that have an SD card slot accessible from the front face? I understand that the basic design would lower the IP rating, but the 'cavity' for the SD card COULD be sealed against water intrusion at the wiring end, and the slot could also be designed with a rubber cover to block out dust-water when not in use. This just seems like an easy solition to the problem of moving large amounts of data into or out of a machine when setting up a LAN for machine data transfer is either not feasible or strongly discouraged by the IT department.

Thank you for your time and attention.

[Crossbow]

Mitsubishi offers front mounted USB for programming and another for a flash drive,  but I have never seen one with a front mounted SD card.

[dreaslerSKF]

So at least ONE manufacturer has thought of front-panel data transfer.

My focus on the SD slot in particular is that the PLCs and HMIs I've come across only load/save 'recipes' to their SD slot, they don't allow that function to directly access the USB stick, nor do they allow data recording directly to USB.

I've been thinking of ways to make the technicians' lives easier, and giving a procedure of "You save the data to the SD card inside the machine, then use this file transfer routine to copy it from the card to the USB stick" feels like a bit of a kludge.

Sometimes it's a matter of learning the right question to ask. So I will need to amend my original query:

Do any HMIs have an SD card on their front face -OR- Do any HMIs allow for recipe loading/saving directly to a USB stick?

(Extending a USB port to the panel enclosure is child's play, so the HMI doesn't even need a front-face USB-A socket, the rear socket will work just fine.) 

[chelton]

4 hours ago, dreaslerSKF said:

....

I've been thinking of ways to make the technicians' lives easier, and giving a procedure of "You save the data to the SD card inside the machine, then use this file transfer routine to copy it from the card to the USB stick" 

Might need to change to "You save the data to the .....

Rockwell SD card

Siemens SD card

And let's pay $$$ per Gb

 

[Crossbow]

I've saved recipe data on an Omron to the SD card or a USB drive, but those are on the back of the screen.  I have not yet had an opportunity to try it with a USB drive on the front of a Mitsubishi screen, but maybe I can try later this week.

[Gambit]

Mitsubishi has an example program to copy files from the standard memory to the USB drive which is handy when the USB Stick is not always present.

B.T.W.

Even with the USB the Mitsubihsi panels are still IP67

[Gambit]

On 1/17/2025 at 9:52 PM, chelton said:

Might need to change to "You save the data to the .....

Rockwell SD card

Siemens SD card

And let's pay $$$ per Gb

 

Mitsubishi controllers and HMI support standard industrial SD cards 

[Crossbow]

7 hours ago, Gambit said:

Even with the USB the Mitsubihsi panels are still IP67

When the door is properly latched closed, not while a USB drive is present.