Instrumentation, automation, process control systems, and software is a broad category with each subcategory comprising a wide selection of equipment and/or software.

Instrumentation will at least consist of devices to measure the most basic parameters in process control: flow, level, pressure, and temperature. Without accurately measuring these, you have no idea what’s going on in production—whether you’re making beer or waffles or drying milk. Most of these parameters can be measured in line and in real time to provide vital data that helps keep your product of consistent quality and safety.

Other off-line instrumentation can provide a wealth of information about both process and product. Some examples include lab analysis equipment for chemical constituents/heavy metal content, bacteria, viruses, and mycotoxins.

Automation equipment and process control systems range from motor controllers to single- and multi-loop PID/process controllers, PLCs, programmable automation controllers (PACs), robot controllers, and even full-fledged distributed control systems. With today’s digital equipment, control systems can be as small or large as you need to make them.

For existing control systems where you need more data to improve a process or find out what’s going wrong with it, you can install wired and wireless IIoT-based sensors and data collection systems to help fine-tune processes or monitor the conditions of important equipment. This can include monitoring motors, blade sharpness, power transmission gear wear, and whatever is critical to keeping your process going.

Where process control software systems were a little narrow in what they controlled a couple of decades ago, today’s not only control your process but also coordinate it with internal environmental/climatic conditions that may critically affect its outcome. Today, the key word is “connected,” and software-based process control systems typically interface with MES, quality, PLM (product lifecycle management), energy management, inventory, and several other systems. This section is your resource to learn more about the systems and software that control production.