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Keeping motion and logic separate

This builder of liquid filling machines maintains its belief in a motion controller that is separate from the PLC that governs a machine’s logic.

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A manufacturer of liquid filling machines used chiefly in pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical specialties, cosmetics, and household products, Filamatic (www.filamatic.com), a division of National Instruments Co. LLC, has resisted the growing popularity of the PAC. Short for Programmable Automation Controller, the PAC is a controller that combines logic, motion, and sometimes HMI in one device.

“We’ve kept motion control and logic separate largely because it’s more customer friendly where our general customer base is concerned,” says Jack Chopper, chief electrical engineer at Filamatic. “If troubleshooting is ever needed, it’s easier to perform it when dealing with separate motion and logic controls.”

Chopper hastens to add that should a customer request that a machine’s controls architecture be built around a PAC, Filamatic can meet such a request easily enough. “But again, for our general customer base, keeping logic and motion separate is our standard approach.”

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