In industrial automation, the words permissive and interlock are often used as if they mean the same thing.
They do not.
Both are conditions that influence whether equipment is allowed to operate, …
Read MoreIntroduction
One of the best ways to improve PLC programming skills is to stop thinking only in terms of individual instructions and start thinking in terms of process behavior, equipment states, …
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence is moving into industrial automation faster than many technicians expected.
AI is beginning to appear in engineering tools, predictive maintenance systems, digital twins, robotics, machine vision, process optimization, and …
Read MoreThere is a message becoming increasingly common in industrial automation:
Take a PLC course, learn ladder logic, become a PLC programmer, and start making great money.
There is some truth inside that …
Read MoreA PLC programmer does not need to be a chemical engineer, mechanical engineer, process engineer, electrician, instrumentation specialist, and machine designer all at the same time.
But there is another extreme …
Read MoreIn industrial automation, the word alarm is often used for almost everything that goes wrong.
A motor fails to start.
A tank reaches a high level.
A VFD trips.
A communication module disconnects.
An operator …
Read MoreA PLC program can work perfectly and still be difficult to troubleshoot.
That distinction matters.
When we first learn ladder logic, the goal is usually simple:
Make the motor run.
Later, the goal becomes …
Read MoreOne of the most useful PLC programming patterns a technician can learn is also one of the simplest:
Trigger → Hold-In → Interrupt
The idea is straightforward.
Something starts the action.
Something keeps it …
Read MoreIn industrial PLC programming, there are often several ways to make the same machine work.
Two of the most common methods for maintaining a control condition are Seal-In logic and Latch/Unlatch …
Read MoreModern industrial automation systems are no longer isolated PLCs controlling a few inputs and outputs.
Today, a machine may interact with PLCs, HMIs, SCADA platforms, historians, databases, MES systems, remote I/O, …
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