How did programmable logic controllers (PLCs) revolutionize industrial automation, transforming factory floors worldwide?

On Mastering the Machine, Frank Lamb pulls the curtain back on the untold history of PLCs, tracing their origins from a General Motors brainstorm through global expansion, industry shakeups, and the relentless pursuit of reliability. He unpacks the technical prowess, daring design choices, and even the international standards that redefined how we build, connect, and optimize factories worldwide. This isn’t just a story of circuits and code; it’s about how engineers, inventors, and visionaries bent the future to their will.

Are you ready to master the ever-evolving language of the machine—or risk being left behind?

TAKEAWAYS

• Birth of the PLC: The GM Challenge and Modicon’s Breakthrough 03:19 – 12:24
  General Motors’ quest for a change-friendly, rugged electronic controller led to a specification that inspired the first Modicon 084 PLC by Bedford Associates—ushering in an era of programmable, easily reconfigurable automation.
• Expansion, Rivalry, and Standardization 13:50 – 00:38:46
  Competition from Allen Bradley, Siemens, Omron, and others led to rapid innovation, while the IEC 61131-3 standard, established in 1994, unified programming practices and set the stage for the modern, interoperable PLC landscape.
• Evolution in Hardware and Programming Paradigms 40:22 – 00:53:46
  PLC platforms shrank in size but grew in power, with controller memory and network capabilities soaring; programming transitioned from mnemonic codes to user-friendly graphical languages and multi-language standards.
• The Ongoing Revolution: Openness, Affordability, and the Future 43:46 – 00:53:54
  With the spread of Codesys-based and PC-driven systems, plus low-cost options like Raspberry Pi and Arduino PLC engines, automation has never been more accessible—or rapidly evolving. The question now is not if, but how PLCs will keep adapting to next-gen industrial needs.

Links mentioned in this episode

Automation Consulting, LLC & The Automation Academy: www.automationllc.com

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