Spike Prototype Python is the fifth most widely used language on the planet and is already used in Industrial Automation as a testing and scripting language. It is the language of choice for ‘big data’ data analytics, is used in Microsoft Azure machine learning and is likely to have a greater role to play in […]
Archive | Agile Software applied to Industrial Automation
Design challenges of enabling an Industry 4.0 manufacturing ecosystem
Industrial Automation and manufacturing IT design status In a recent IHS survey of over 1000 automation and control engineering professionals of manufacturing and process industries, the following was highlighted: Between 20 and 30% of a project is rework and change implementation .This work happens after detail design requirements have been signed off.Asked if prototyping was […]
Virtualise this! Engineering design and manufacturing control in the cloud
Manufacturing and Automation control systems in the cloud Engineering design and manufacturing control in the cloud. When Vmware PC virtualisation started to gain traction in the mid noughties amongst the engineering fraternity, it was a godsend. Prior to vmware, engineers were laboured with PC multiboot configuration hell. It was at best, very difficult to set […]
ISA-S88/S95 Software Prototyping 101
Why does prototyping make sense? “Measure twice; cut once.” This old adage is relevant to more than just Carpentry. Automotive companies wouldn’t build a car without first prototyping. Prototyping allows for a ‘hands-on’ feedback opportunity in order to correct errors before going to product manufacture. Almost all industries that produce products routinely use prototyping. One of […]
Unit testing for Industrial Automation software development. What is it?
Unit testing has been around for years in mainstream software development, and variations of unit testing are used in Industrial Automation software development presently. However Industrial Automation software design, be it PLC, SCADA, Batch, MES or DCS, is just not amenable to modern day automated unit testing in the same was that say Java or […]