Human-Machine-Interfaces are with no doubt one of the constitutive
parts of an automation system. However, it is not till recently that they
have received appropriate attention. It is because of a major concern about aspects
related to maintenance, safety, achieve operator awareness, etc has been
gained. Even there are in the market software solutions that allow for the
design of efficient and complex interaction systems, it is not widespread the
use of a rational design of the overall interface system, especially for large scale
systems where the monitoring and supervision systems may include hundreds
of interfacing screens. It is on this respect hat this communication provides an
example of such development also by showing how to include the automation
level operational modes into the interfacing system. Another important aspect
is how the human operator can enter the control loop in different ways, and
such interaction needs to be considered as an integral part of the automation
procedure as well as the communication of the automation device.In this paper
the application of design and operational modes guidelines in automation are
presented inside an educational flexible manufacturing system case study.Postprint (published version