Traditional PLCs vs. Soft PLCs: The Rising Tide of Soft PLCs
Traditional PLCs vs. Soft PLCs: The Rising Tide of Soft PLCs
Traditional PLCs vs. Soft PLCs: The Rising Tide of Soft PLCs
In today's industrial automation landscape, a notable debate is emerging: Are traditional PLCs on the decline, and can soft PLCs truly rise to prominence and replace them? Let's delve into this discussion.
The Definition of Soft PLCs
A soft PLC integrates the functions of a traditional PLC into a software package installed on a standard industrial computer. This fusion creates a high - performance, feature - rich PAC that combines the proprietary functions of PLCs with an open - architecture design and computer technology.
The Advantages of Soft PLCs
- Standardization: Soft PLCs ensure a high level of standardization for both software and hardware, which is hard to achieve on dedicated embedded platforms without an operating system.
- Performance Excellence: Leveraging the powerful and configurable hardware of PC platforms, soft PLCs can optimally control factory production processes. They are capable of handling thousands of I/Os and numerous processes.
- IoT - Readiness and Connectivity: Soft PLCs align well with IoT trends, offering enhanced connectivity. They can easily implement useful functions such as real - time performance through software extensions and specialized libraries on the operating system. They also support data backup on USB devices, network connectivity, data exchange with IT platforms, and security policies.
- Cost - Effectiveness: Compared to traditional PLC solutions, soft PLCs have lower installation and maintenance costs. They can integrate robotics, vision, and motion control, reducing production costs and offering better value for money. They have advantages in improving production efficiency and productivity, potentially leading to higher profits.
- User - Friendliness and Flexibility: Traditional PLCs often only support the programming language of their manufacturer, and different manufacturers may have significant differences in their programming languages. This can increase the difficulty for programmers, especially in complex data applications involving different brands. In contrast, soft PLCs support various programming languages, such as the six standard IEC61131 - 3 languages, as well as PC - based languages like C #, C++, and Python. This makes them ideal for high - capacity industrial environments that require constant updates.
Will Hard PLCs Be Replaced by Soft PLCs?
On one hand, hard PLCs have met the majority of market demands in the past and continue to do so today. Importantly, there is an existing talent pool capable of supporting and maintaining these systems.
On the other hand, soft PLCs offer more flexible control solutions that can meet new customer demands at a fraction of the cost of comparable PLCs.
In some specific scenarios, hard PLCs remain the preferred choice. However, since the 1990s, advancements in virtualization technologies, real - time Linux operating systems, and edge computing have significantly improved the performance of soft PLCs. As PC prices continue to drop and software vendors constantly update their technologies, under the Industrial 4.0 paradigm, the market share of soft PLCs is expected to grow.
In conclusion, soft PLCs cannot fully replace traditional PLCs at present. However, driven by Industrial 4.0 and cutting - edge technologies like artificial intelligence, the flexibility and scalability of soft PLCs, along with industry - specific plugins that provide functions beyond the reach of traditional PLCs, will enable soft PLCs to gradually capture emerging markets.