Machine Builders Upgrade from Hardwired to Networked Proximity Switches

May 5, 2011

Our machines use a variety of proximity switches to detect presence or absence. These switches have been hardwired to local I/O at our central PLC. We think it might be time to upgrade and move to switches connected to our PLC via a digital network to cut wiring costs and add diagnostics. Our concerns are the complexity of adding a network and, most importantly, real-time performance because we'll be depending on the network for speed of execution and ultimately the safety of our machine. What's been the experience of others in a similar situation to ours--machine builders that have made the upgrade from hardwired to networked proximity switches?

Our machines use a variety of proximity switches to detect presence or absence. These switches have been hardwired to local I/O at our central PLC. We think it might be time to upgrade and move to switches connected to our PLC via a digital network to cut wiring costs and add diagnostics. Our concerns are the complexity of adding a network and, most importantly, real-time performance because we'll be depending on the network for speed of execution and ultimately the safety of our machine. What's been the experience of others in a similar situation to ours--machine builders that have made the upgrade from hardwired to networked proximity switches?

Send us your comments, suggestions or solutions for this problem. We'll include it in the July '11 issue, and post it on ControlDesign.com. Send visuals if you'd like-a sketch is fine. Email us at [email protected]. Please include your company, location and title in the response.

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