A Customized HMI Design Simplifies Operation
Whether for infrastructure projects, building foundations, power plants, or flood protection measures—BAUER Maschinen GmbH’s specialized civil engineering machines are in use worldwide. To control its high-performance rotary drilling rigs, pile drivers, and cable excavators, the company relies on custom-designed HMIs from Graf Syteco. These enable safe and intuitive operation of the complex equipment, even by less experienced machine operators.
BAUER Maschinen GmbH, headquartered in Schrobenhausen, is a leading global manufacturer of machinery and equipment for specialized civil engineering. The Bavarian company develops and manufactures equipment for drilling, milling, pile driving, and soil improvement projects. The portfolio is complemented by digital assistance and automation solutions that support the efficient, safe, and sustainable execution of complex construction projects.
Especially in international projects, the machines are often operated by users with varying levels of experience and training. Intuitive and safe user guidance is therefore essential. This makes the design and development of the user interface and user guidance particularly important, as Ulrich Baby, Head of Electrical Engineering at BAUER Maschinen GmbH, emphasizes: “Since the skill and experience profiles of machine operators can vary depending on the location, Graf Syteco’s HMIs—which combine a display with button controls—are used. The user-friendly design helps the operator use the machine safely and minimizes the risk of operating errors.”
BAUER develops specialized civil engineering machinery for use worldwide
HMI with more than 126 buttons
For the new development of the BT 12 control unit, BAUER is therefore once again relying on redesigned 7-inch HMIs from the HMI specialist based in Tuningen in the Black Forest. This is a highly customized version that combines display control and soft keys. For BAUER, the display control was paired with three keypads featuring a total of more than 126 individually programmable keys. The soft keys are labeled with unique icons that indicate which machine function is assigned to them. This improves user guidance and helps new operators get up to speed quickly and intuitively.
At the same time, the customized HMI allows for flexible display of machine functions. This means that only those commands that are assigned to the current work process and can be executed are displayed on the keyboard and can be activated. This simplifies operating procedures and helps users perform their tasks correctly.
A More Powerful Upgrade
In developing the new BT 12, BAUER took advantage of the large number of freely assignable soft keys. Keypads that had not yet been assigned could be reprogrammed and integrated with minimal effort. In addition, the updated version allows for the display of six camera signals—up from the previous four—and also features an Ethernet port.
Ulrich Baby explains the benefits of these upgrades: “The ability to display up to six camera feeds simultaneously improves visibility at the workplace and helps the operator operate the machine safely. This allows for better monitoring of relevant areas of the machine. The Ethernet connection also plays a key role in meeting the requirements of the Cyber Resilience Act, which will become mandatory in 2027.”
The Cyber Resilience Act requires machine manufacturers to provide cybersecurity updates for at least five years in order to address any security vulnerabilities in data transmission. “Our machines are often used in regions with limited infrastructure—and frequently in very remote locations. To efficiently deliver software and security updates, we are developing an over-the-air update process. This will enable us to meet the requirements of the Cyber Resilience Act in a cost-effective and practical manner. The Ethernet port, in combination with the Linux-based operating system and the HMI’s supported Ethernet protocols, forms an important technical foundation for this. This allows updates to the automation architecture to be deployed and installed centrally via the ECU,” explains Ulrich Baby.
Long-standing collaboration
BAUER and Graf Syteco have been collaborating for more than ten years. Graf Syteco’s keyboard controls are found in all of the civil engineering specialist’s drilling and pile-driving machines, as well as its cable excavators. And there’s a good reason for that, as Ulrich Baby explains: “Graf Syteco’s control solutions meet our requirements for durability and user-friendliness. The flexibly configurable keypads make integration into various machine series considerably easier. Furthermore, we value the close and constructive collaboration with Graf Syteco. We benefit from the team’s high flexibility and strong technical expertise, particularly when it comes to the further development and programming of the HMIs.”
BAUER Maschinen GmbH relies on the Graf Syteco software tool GSe-VISU for programming. It enables the user-friendly creation of UX/UI interfaces without text-based coding. This way, even people without extensive programming experience can integrate limit values and graphical designs and adapt them to the BAUER design. For future developments, BAUER is open to switching to the Qt Framework and C++ programming, which is also seamlessly supported by Graf Syteco HMIs.
In conclusion, Ulrich Baby notes: “We enjoy working with Graf Syteco because they implement our specific requirements quickly and in a practical manner. They also provide cost-effective solutions even for the production volumes we need—which is not always a given. The customized operating concepts help set our machines apart in the market. Since the controls are the most important interface with the user, their design is of particular importance. With Graf Syteco, we have a partner who combines quality, flexibility, and technical expertise.”
Images: © BAUER Gruppe