Can Plantnode capture data from machines without PLC’s?

Plantnode can either ‘piggy back’ from existing sensors on your production line or use new sensors. These sensors can either be digital or analogue meaning that measurement can be taken from simple count of product passing a sensor or, for example temperature and pressure.

This means that you can gain an insight into performance of machines that do not have PLC’s, or indeed, no current sensors at all.

Even in situations where there are PLC’s it is often better to takes signals from existing sensors, or add new sensors, as this may provide ‘machine truth’ rather than any programming issues of the PLC’s.

Also, it is not unknown for PLCs to be reprogrammed for other reasons inadvertently changing the measurement into Plantnode.