PC-based HMI machine control expected to rival PLCs

There's no free lunch, but there are some very inexpensive ones. To give machine builders PC-based control benefits at less cost, CTC Parker Automation plans to release its new MachineLogic product later this year. MachineLogic is a deterministic, hard real-time control system featuring scan times reduced to 1 millisecond.

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There's no free lunch, but there are some very inexpensive ones. To give machine builders PC-based control benefits at less cost, CTC Parker Automation plans to release its new MachineLogic product later this year. MachineLogic is a deterministic, hard real-time control system featuring scan times reduced to 1 millisecond. It also supports all five IEC 1131-3 languages, including ladder logic.

"Until Machine Logic, the only soft control alternative was [Microsoft Windows] NT. However, it's hardware, software, training, and support costs were often cost prohibitive for builders looking to replace smaller PLCs such as Allen-Bradley's SLC-500 or General Electric's 90-30," says Jay Vierling, CTC's general manager. "With our new approach, users will be able to implement a soft control system for about the same cost as their PLCs." MachineLogic's run-time software will sell for about $695, while its development software will sell for about $1,500.

MachineLogic will be able to run on CTC's PowerStation workstations, from the 6-in display P1 to the 14-in 200 MHz Pentium P7. It will also support two types of I/O devices: fieldbuses, such as Profibus and DeviceNet, and PC I/O in ISA and PC104 formats for lower-cost systems.

For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .