Got Control?

The modern era of manufacturing is largely an outgrowth of controls. And that migration has had a long history since the relay logic and Computer Numerical Control systems of the 1950’s. (CNC for any younger readers that might not know what some of these crazy acronyms actually stand for). Would high speed automation of manufacturing be possible without control systems?

Probably not. And since all business is ultimately governed by return on investment, what are the implications on manufacturing processes when control systems cost in the tens of thousands of dollars as they did in the Seventies? Or over time, as the cost of control has decreased, are we justified in putting a controller on everything?

Is the alphabet soup of industrial control the basis of real distinctions in functionality? Or is it a matter of keeping the domain of a particular field of application in the hands of a few suppliers of proprietary solutions? In the early days, I think a lot of new control frontiers were driven by the demands of particular industries, Military and Aerospace applications of CNC’s where speed and precision were required, and high costs were acceptable. This stimulated the creation of a whole universe of equipment which, as with all things electronic, have become more affordable over time. Read more