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Nip Impressions® is Paperitalo Publications' flagship publication.  Published every Thursday afternoon (US Eastern Time), Nip Impressions® is eagerly read by pulp and paper professionals around the world.
21 Oct 15: Applications 23: Control Systems--Ladder Diagrams


Maybe it is time to do away with Ladder Diagrams

Back when I started working in industry, we made "ladder diagrams" for electrical control.  That is long enough ago that ladder diagrams were necessary--the machinery had large control panels full of discrete components hard wired together.

When PLCs and then DCS came along, ladder diagrams stayed.  The reason was control logic designers were used to doing ladder diagrams and hence that method of conveying information continued.

Now, forty years later, we still have ladder diagrams. My personal view is that it is long past time to eliminate these now confusing documents from the information flow.  We need a better, more efficient, more streamlined way to get from P & IDs to lines of programming in the DCS.

This is a subject which I don't touch every day, so I would like to hear your thoughts.  Is it time for ladder logic to go or am I missing something?
 
We would like to hear from you. Please send an email to jthompson@taii.com 
with "LGMI Frontiers" in the subject line. 
  
 

 
 
 
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As always, your comments will be appreciated.
Think light!

 

Brian Brogdon, Ph.D.
Executive Director

 

or

 

Jim Thompson
Founder
_____ 

Send us your comments by emailing Brian Brogdon
or Jim Thompson!
 

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LGMI Weekly Ideas are presented for your consideration and inspiration only.  It is solely your responsibility to check for engineering correctness, applicability, standards, insurance policy and local, national or any other legal compliance required before implementing.  Neither The Light Green Machine (TM) Institute, Paperitalo Publications, Talo Analytic International, Inc., nor any individual associated with these entities accepts any responsibility for your application or compliance issues.


 



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