Headless into digitalization?

“Headless” into digitalisation? –
With the io-key®, low-code & co. bypassing the PLC

Controller, monitor, brain and head of the machine: the PLC is many things, but in digitalisation projects above all one thing — in the way. The problem is in the name: a programmable logic controller means programming. That’s time-consuming and expensive; you first need the patience and the specialists. Luckily, there are ways to get machine data into the cloud without going through the PLC. And anyone who wants more than “just” monitoring, visualisation and alarming can even implement PLC-typical functions and control instructions that way — completely without programming knowledge.

As is well known, the io-key® transmits sensor data to the cloud via mobile communications independently of location, without intervening in the IT infrastructure. This allows digital applications to be implemented in parallel with the analogue PLC world — as much Industry 4.0 as possible, as much PLC as necessary. If the route were via the PLC, extensive changes to hardware and software would be required instead.

Cloud-based, intuitive low-code or no-code platforms ultimately enable complex applications to be implemented via microservices that are “programmed” simply by drag and drop. Without a single line of code. Without PLC programmers. Without a physical PLC. Because that can also be completely replaced by a virtual one.

So that’s it then, bye-bye PLC? Not quite. Of course it also has its strengths. FRIMA FRIction MAterial Reibbelag GmbH, for example, takes advantage of this. It has expanded the autosen io-key® together with an IO-Link module into a powerful gateway for transferring PLC data from several hot presses. With this custom-developed concept, the brake-lining specialist monitors the function of its presses in real time and can also optimise production planning. To do this, the respective current utilisation is recorded in the machines’ PLCs using a piece counter and transmitted to the cloud via the autosen io-key®. Additional sensors are not required.

Which digitalisation strategy is best — via the PLC to the cloud, bypassing it, or both — depends on the individual case. “Headless” isn’t one of them — the head just no longer has to be mounted on the machine. You can easily test what best fits your requirements with the io-key®.