At SoftCapp, we enable customers to have immediate ownership of their projects by using our cloud-based Chameleon platform. Our platform can be installed and operating within minutes allowing customers to be up and running quickly. The platform requires little training and installation effort. Chameleon is a collection of cloud-based, “ready to use” templates that are easy to install and apply to projects. For example, one of the most important project tasks is to develop the HMI for the system. Chameleon allows users to select a standard HMI format that is created
automatically from a collection of templates in the PLC code.
Chameleon uses a novel approach to generate software by harnessing the power of the cloud. Chameleon cloud software is composed of a template library developed using industrial standards intended to accelerate the development process. The measurement points and internal variables are in a standard format hence development of PLC code is very straight forward and applicable. Using this approach, process owners like line managers, quality managers and production engineers can rapidly produce and modify code for their automation projects.
Chameleon avoids the common communication block between the process owners and the PLC programmer which is a natural block due to their different backgrounds and work approach. In a classical project at least one third of the initial project specs change during the test phase. Using Chameleon, the PLC code is generated. Then the HMI is automatically generated. As a result, project time is drastically reduced compared to the Classical Automation approach. A second advantage is that there is no communication time spent to describing the details of the work to be performed to the PLC programmer.
A typical project completion comparison table is below.
| Classical Projects | With Chameleon | |
| PLC Development | 80 Days | Reduced to Half |
| SCADA or HMI | 20 days |
Avoided
|
| Development |
|
|
|
MES Software
Development
|
100 Days |
Reduced to half
|
|
ERP and MES
Integration
|
50 Days |
Avoided
|
| TOTAL | 250 man – days |
90 Man Days
|
In addition to the benefits described above, running high level software in the cloud reduces the need for expensive hardware.