Suppliers listed in this category make equipment that controls machines, lines and operations, such as motors, drives, controllers, network components, instrumentation and sensors. Also included are companies that develop production/operations.
Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are industrial-hardened controllers that are designed for machine and line control. Input/output (I/O) refers to wiring accessories that enable communications between sensors, actuators and the controller. Includes related equipment such as cards for PLC, signal conditioners, etc.
Drives are used to regulate motor speed and torque. Motion controls are programmable systems that enable complex coordination of multiple motors, typically servos, throughout a packaging machine.
Sensors and instrumentation are used to measure physical parameters such as pressure, temperature, flow and position, and translate these measurements into electrical signals for use in control. An actuator converts electrical signals into mechanical force that creates some sort of action within a machine or process.
Includes a variety of components and accessories used for control and power distribution, including strip lights, enclosures, DIN rails, wire trays, transformers, motor control centers, breakers, cabling and terminal strips/blocks. Also includes other mechanical components, such as drive belts, bearings, bushings and O rings.
Screens that display operational data. These may be stationary, such as a fixed monitor or shop floor display, or mobile devices such as hand-held monitors, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and related devices.
Motors convert electrical signals into a rotating, mechanical motion used to drive equipment. Servo motors are a specific type of motor commonly used in packaging equipment, designed to provide feedback to a drive or motion control based on actual real-world conditions. This feedback enables precise positive control over various motions on a packaging machine. Encoders convert shaft motions into output signals to provide feedback on the actual speed of a rotating shaft. Gearboxes or gear reducers alter speed and torque to better control loads.
Includes equipment and accessories that allow network communications, such as Ethernet switches, hubs, routers, wireless access point (WAP) technologies, and cyber security hardware and accessories.
Devices that provide a graphical interface to the equipment, providing operators with the ability to control the machine or line.
Pneumatic and vacuum systems use air to control various aspects of a process or machine, often related to movement. Includes suction cups, pneumatic valves, and cylinders. Hydraulic systems rely on the control of pressurized fluids to produce high pressures for processing, lifting and so forth.
Systems that manage specific applications within a line, such as systems that monitor and manage loss-in-weight controls, batch management, yield management and related areas.
Manufacturing software and performance monitoring software that focuses on facility-wide operations, including software and systems for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), manufacturing operations management (MOM), manufacturing execution systems (MES), overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), predictive maintenance, simulation and modeling software, order fulfillment software, label track-and-trace software and related digital tools.
Specialized controllers and devices related to machine safety, such as safety relays, light curtains, safety-rated switches for doors and other safety controls.
