When a PLC is used primarily to replace relays, timers, and counters, it's hard to beat the simplicity and usefulness of ladder diagram programming. Their ability to accept programming in ladder ...

THE use of function blocks for programming of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) is gaining wider acceptance. Rather than the classic “contact and coil” representation of ladder diagram or relay ...

The SICK Function Block Factory is the first web-based service of its type that enables users to create function blocks automatically from any IO-link device with an I/O device description (IODD), no ...

Old habits die hard. But change is inevitable. And in this case, if proponents are right, change is on the way in the form of an open PLC programming standard known as IEC 61131-3. Promulgated by the ...

Leveraging the computing industry’s Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) technologies, PLCopen and other open standards organizations (including the OPC Foundation) developed an open standards ...