LOGIN ENGLISH Perfection in AutomationCompanyPress RoomTechnology HighlightsWill the cloud replace the PLC? Will the cloud replace the PLC? The Internet of Things, virtualization and 5G are opening up many new possibilities. Will our traditional PLCs soon be moving to the cloud? Andreas Hager: I can certainly imagine that, in the future, some processes will be controlled from the cloud. Nevertheless, we'll still need hardware on site to handle data transmission. And as soon as there's time-critical synchronization of sensors and actuators involved, the control intelligence itself will also need to be on site. Even with the unprecedented speeds of technologies like 5G and TSN, it's not enough to completely virtualize all machine controls and move them to the cloud. Can you express that in numbers? Hager: In a modern machine, when motion control sequences have to be precisely synchronized, we're talking about cycle times of well under one millisecond. Anything higher than that slows down the machine and impacts production efficiency. If we look at 5G, the real latency is currently in the double-digit millisecond range. On top of that, you've got the fluctuations that come with wireless connections. That's a dealbreaker for motion control applications – especially wherever safety is involved. So will controllers still look the same in five years as they do today? Hager: Not entirely. The basic functions you find in every PLC will still be the same five years from now. Nevertheless, the Internet of Things and cloud computing are introducing entirely new demands. We'll be needing them to not only control the machine, but also collect and evaluate huge volumes of data and make it ready for higher-level systems. We'll also be using 5G for things like secure remote maintenance. So – far from becoming superfluous – the PLC will actually grow in importance by taking on an additional role: as an edge device connected to the cloud. About us Philosophy Press Room Media Contacts Customer magazine Email news service Career Locations Contact Imprint GTC Privacy notices Follow us! B&R Industrial Automation GmbH B&R Straße 1 5142 Eggelsberg Austria Phone : +43 7748 6586 0 E-Mail : office@br-automation.com B&R email news Sign up now and be the first to know about the latest news. SIGN UP NOW New products 2021 Customer magazine Employment opportunities Seminars ABB Robotics Contact © 2021 B&R | IMPRINT/DISCLOSURE | PRIVACY NOTICES | GTC Cookie settings We use cookies to optimize our website for you, for web analytics and for social media integration. Click on "Accept all cookies" to accept this form of processing or make individual settings. Technically necessary cookies are set regardless of the selection made. For more information, please see our policy on the use of cookies and our privacy notices. ACCEPT ALL COOKIES