Even though programming languages for things like power transmission and motion control are getting easier and more user-friendly, I believe that you can’t get into a job these days without some software knowledge-even mechanical engineers.
However, some also venture into more complex systems. I think that every mechanical engineering degree should include software classes. For mechanical engineers, I’m finding that they rely on a lot of Windows-based programs because they’re easy to learn. The languages that the mechanical engineers I talk with typically use programs designed for the particular control systems they’ve implemented. But I think over time we will start to see entire programs written that way. Ladder logic still has the edge in visual troubleshooting, but the shear efficiency and interoperability of higher-level languages will be enticing. Scott Hibbard: New languages are already a tool and being used as a side language to communicate IoT and Industry 4.0 applications, alongside traditional Ladder Diagram, Function Block, etc. A language is just a tool, which needs to be picked by a developer in order to solve a specific problem in the most efficient manner. Like any software engineering problem, the language does not make the developer. The answer depends on many factors, not only the type of final application, but also the hardware platform/architecture, the programmers’ know-how, the availability of specific application-dependent libraries, and the existence of legacy code. The question here is: What is the most appropriate language for a certain application? They all have pros and cons, but they are all tools in a control engineer’s toolbox. Matteo Dariol: Ladder logic is like Assembly or C, they are old but widely used languages.
Ladder logic program code#
New programming architectures, such as those offered by IEC 61131-3, are far more powerful, allow for greater flexibility and modularity, and resonate more closely to how young engineers and non-PLC programmers prefer to code while also supporting Ladder Diagram. Ladder still has relevancy in the industry, but only due to its widespread adoption in older machines and residual popularity, not due to any advantage over more modern PLC programming alternatives. A combination of the need for connectivity to higher-order IT systems, and the languages that the majority of graduates come out of school knowing will slowly bring C, Java, etc., into the mainstream. Scott Hibbard: While controversial, ladder logic will not die, but it will move to a minor role. I’m finding that ladder logic is still being used in a lot of older plants and is still relevant, although shrinking. Terry Persun: I have been out of design for a while, but I still speak with many engineers. Matteo Dariol, product developer for Bosch Rexroth Marissa Tucker, product marketing manager at Parker Hannifin Scott Hibbard, vice president of technology for industrial applications at Bosch Rexroth