In the past, machine builders hardwired the equipment they built using multi-conductor cable and point-to-point wiring between sensed and actuated machine elements and a centralized cabinet-mounted controller. As automation and fieldbus communications evolved, intelligence and control began to migrate from rack mounted PLCs and I/O to increasingly distributed architectures. Now, automation devices – controllers, smart I/O, wired and wireless networking hardware, and other components can be mounted on the machine and communicate via networks.
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