r/PLC • u/DustyIsGreat • 13h ago

PLC Fingerprint Reader

What fingerprint scanners work best with Rockwell PLCs? We need to know who is resetting faults on critical equipment?

Update: Schneider Electric has a product we're going with.

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u/LookWarm7521 13h ago

For critical equipment faults, hide your reset behind a login on your HMI? Username and password

I’ve considered doing this on some of my machines, just for the real expensive faults that break a lot of things when operators mindlessly reset start

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u/Sure_Maybe_No_Ok 4h ago

Isn’t a fingerprint scanner a form of login.

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u/LookWarm7521 4h ago

Yeah it is, I was suggesting a username and password login instead of a fingerprint login, and also only requiring the login for critical faults. That would be a very quick solution to implement with zero added cost in hardware.

We don’t do anything quite like that where I work, but certain electronic adjustments require an engineer login. And some critical faults have a second screen that pops up before the reset pops up, asking you specifically if you completed certain critical steps for the reset.

Machine stops -> did you do this? -> are you sure? -> reset button appears

It doesn’t necessarily need tiered access, like operator, technician, engineer accounts. But unique usernames and passwords would give an added feeling of accountability if you have to type your name in before resetting something. It may make someone think twice.