Custom software is the best product to ensure functionality and ease of use for your exact business needs. However, custom software development is not tied to traditional desktop software applications. Modern industry relies on computers to handle everything from automation to networking. Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to find viable control system solutions. While modern industry has many unique needs, it puts a great deal of stress on the control system itself. A regular desktop computer cannot fulfill all of these needs. Fortunately, there are PLCs.
A PLC, or Programmable Logic Controller, is a control system that utilizes use-made commands to control input and output from various devices. It’s a great tool for applications due to its flexibility. Since user commands control how the system directs output devices, this system can work in just about any kind of application.
Designed specifically for industrial work, PLCs make the perfect match for manufacturers. The control systems are particularly great as automation controllers in robotic factory work. Moreover, they are a tidier computing solution than endless relays and timers, making it easier for manufacturers to track errors. PLCs offer a number of key advantages for industries.
A PLC is Easy to Use
PLCs are designed to be easy to use. Employees shouldn’t need special training in order to operate them, for example, and monitoring the control system’s decisions is simple. A PLC runs deterministic logic execution better than a desktop operating system like Windows. Functions are more reliable and consistent. In industry, the smallest timing error can cost thousands of dollars in wasted time and raw materials. This point alone makes PLCs the best option for industrial businesses.
The other chief advantage of PLCs is their input/output capabilities. Traditional computers simply don’t have the number of options PLCs provide, and finding PLC hardware capable of handling additional input/output is relatively easy. Users choose from a range of potential interfaces, as well. For example, you might choose a simple model that uses a simple, light and switch system. Alternatively, you might choose a graphic interface screen. A PLC can even be linked to a traditional desktop in a separate office space. The variety of options ensures industrial leaders can adapt their technology to meet growing demand rather than replacing the system altogether. Custom software development only expands these options. PLCs are capable of serving as sequential relay control, motion control, networking, distributed control systems, and more.
A PLC is Rugged
Everything about PLCs is built tough. Industry tends to make a mess, and typical computer hardware simply can’t handle that. Even in today’s technologically advanced business world, desktop systems require a lot of TLC. They need regular airflow and temperature control. The internal fans that keep computers cool frequently drag in the dust and muck of the computer’s surroundings. Even if a traditional computer can manage to keep cool, it will invariably pull in a lot of debris, which will eventually compromise the entire system. A PLC has about the same processing power as a desktop computer, but it’s much less delicate.
PLCs don’t just have rugged hardware, though. The initial design of all aspects of the control system gives them the ability to survive the rigors of an assembly plant’s main floor. Since it has a fairly compact design, a PLC is less likely to block access to other machinery. As an added bonus, the system fits practically anywhere, making the advantages here, abundantly clear. A PLC provides industrial businesses with a safer, more secure computing option that is far less susceptible to damage than desktop solutions.
PLCs Are Affordable
Even if you invest in custom software development, the cost of a PLC is drastically cheaper than the components it would take to fulfill the same roles. While that alone is reason to consider PLCs, the fact that the system is more efficient actually boosts savings. It doesn’t take much to create a costly error in modern industry. Costs add up quickly. For example, a machine placing the wrong shipping label on the wrong package, sets off a chain of mislabels. Moreover, incorrectly applying even the tiniest piece in a complex manufacturing project adds to increased costs. It’s worth investing in superior tech to avoid such costs. The fact that PLC is cheaper than the vast majority of the competition makes it all the more valuable.
The advantages of PLCs for industry range from superior performance to lower costs. It’s rare for those two benefits to overlap. A PLC can stand up to the rigors of industry factories and shipping centers without compromising precision computing. PLC units take up less space than the functional equivalent, and they almost always last longer. It should be no surprise that a control system developed specifically for industry environments performs better in industry conditions than the competition. PLCs provide the most refined industry computing system available today. With their dynamic range of functions and easy access, the advantages are clear.
