PLCopen is celebrating its 30-year anniversary. In its more than 50 years of existence, the programmable logic controller (PLC) has changed from a big, heavy rack-sized unit, however modular and rugged, to small, flexible and low-cost devices that have a lot more performance.
PLCs changed from strict logic to the combination of logic, motion and safety, both in the development environment as in the controller. And, on top of that, the ever more important communication and exchange.
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The software has also changed from a couple of rungs of ladder diagram to a massive number of different functionalities linked together with structuring tools, different programming languages and an ever-increasing libraries of function blocks.
The PLC has changed from a stand-alone unit to a key part of an automation solution. It has moved into the drives, in embedded controllers, in trucks, in farming equipment, and a lot of other places beyond the classical industrial automation.
The future
It is very clear that in the future we will be even more dependent on software. This software will be in more application areas, with possible new areas that we are not aware of now.
With the growth of the capabilities and functionalities in the IT domain at such a high pace, the impact on industrial automation is imminent. How will it look? Certain initiatives like Industry 4.0, Industrial IoT, and Made in China 2025 already show that the role of software will become even more prominent, or even at the core of the new business models that will arise. Communication is key, but also a key target for sabotaging actions, so the security and aligned safety gets to the forefront. New ways of communication make new architectures possible, creating new business opportunities that were not possible before. PLCopen believes the industry has to think about new flexible solutions providing new business models, new ways of serving the market and new ways of production.
PLCopen reports it will continue to support these trends with its focus on global harmonization. The PLCopen organization is designed to offer a solid base now and in the future for harmonizing principle technological challenges and a platform for members to work on these.
