Industrial control systems are devices used for the automated control of machinery and plant. They process sensor data, execute control logic and transmit commands to actuators such as motors, valves or drives.
The main types are programmable logic controllers (PLCs) as the standard for industrial machine control, CNC controls for machine tools, motion control systems for multi-axis drives, HMI terminals for the human-machine interface, and process control systems for complex process engineering plants.
Leading manufacturers include Siemens (SIMATIC), Allen-Bradley (Rockwell), Beckhoff, Mitsubishi Electric, Schneider Electric, Bosch Rexroth, B&R, Omron, Phoenix Contact and Heidenhain (CNC).
Control systems are used in manufacturing machinery, packaging systems, conveyor technology, process engineering, building automation, water and wastewater technology, and in food and pharmaceutical production.