In the IT sector, especially in software development, containerization is a major trend. It is a lightweight alternative or companion to virtualization. Developers can speed up their processes without the need to keep an eye on the application’s target environment. This is done by encapsulation of the software and all… Read More
The trend towards digitization involves both opportunities and risks for the industry because digitization requires large computing power and storage capacities. Industrial cloud computing enables companies to process and evaluate the growing volumes of data in order to optimize the entire value chain. When talking about cloud computing, it is… Read More
Some of you avid users will have taken notice of the 2021.0 LTS update for the PLCnext firmware that had been released in December 2020.The 2021.0 LTS is wrapping up all the changes made in the 2020 feature releases and adding a bunch of improvements, such as: the Global Data… Read More
Safety plays a central role in automation. In the past, the areas of safety and security could be considered separately. However, digitalization and the networked automation systems of Industry 4.0 are creating mutual dependencies that require a holistic concept. In the following article, you will learn more about what happens… Read More
Watch the unboxing of the new PLCnext Technology starterkit. The first video of a whole series is online right now. The Youtube video is created by RealPars, an online platform for industry learning. In this video, they are going to identify all the PLCnext Technology starterkit bits and pieces in… Read More
Augmented reality (AR) can make many processes in manufacturing even more efficient. Especially in complicated changeover processes or maintenance work, the technology offers high savings potential. The cost of implementation is usually still high, but the solutions are improving constantly. For an efficient rollout a flexible, powerful and open control… Read More
Alexander Kost works as a robotics engineer in the manufacturing engineering interface department of Phoenix Contact Electronics GmbH in Bad Pyrmont. The future has already been at this place for a long time: Alexander Kost has successfully accompanied the introduction of two cobots into the production processes of electronics and… Read More
Cloud-native vs. cloud-agnostic: What’s the mystery behind the hype? Speed seems to be the order of the day in digitization. Service providers and customers seem to compete with each other in this digital space. We see huge, successful solution providers switching from rigid monolithic structures to loosely coupled, service-oriented architectures. Read More
Craft Beer is trending. More and more small gastro and home breweries are being founded worldwide. Read More
When we start the conversation about which programming languages to use for industrial automation use cases, we usually begin by talking about IEC 61131-3 languages for PLCs, such as the classic Ladder Diagram (LD) or Structured Text (ST). For applications like robotics, we often see compiled, low-level programming languages like those found in the C family. Read More
