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Controls
4 min
Ladder logic still has a place
Structured text is powerful. But at three in the morning, the maintenance technician reads rungs, not functions.
Write for the reader
The person who debugs your program will not be you. It will be a technician with a laptop and a stopped line.
Our rule of thumb
Interlocks, permissives and anything a technician must check live in ladder. Calculations, recipes and data handling live in structured text.
- One rung, one idea
- Comments that say why, not what
- Names that match the electrical drawings
Readable is reliable
The fastest fix is the one the night shift can make without calling anyone.
Keep reading
More field notes.
Data & OEE
OEE is a product, not an average
Availability, performance and quality multiply. Three good-looking numbers can still hide a line that loses a fifth of its time.
Safety
Designing safety zones people will not bypass
If a guard slows the job, someone will defeat it. Good safety design starts at the operator's workflow, not at the fence.
Retrofit
Retrofit or replace? A five-question test
Most old machines have good iron and tired brains. Five questions tell you whether new controls will give you another fifteen years.