Click 【Industrial Automation Insights】 to follow us! This article delves into the analysis and discussion of two key PLC technologies in current industrial automation: traditional hard PLCs and software-based soft PLCs. Source: Xiaoyu Discovery Basic Concepts and Essential Differences between Hard and Soft PLCs Comparison of Operating Principles Feature Hard PLC Soft PLC Processing Core … Read more
‖ System Learning Life is like a marathon; occasionally stopping to fish allows you to go further. In the modern industrial automation field, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) serve as the core of control systems, with the global market expected to reach $15.8 billion by 2025. From automotive manufacturing to energy management, PLCs control 80% of … Read more
In the modern industrial automation field, Soft PLCs act like a flexible “digital nerve,” closely connecting the “muscle” (hardware devices) of traditional machinery with the intelligent “brain” (software algorithms), endowing production lines with more agile execution capabilities and smarter decision-making abilities. Traditional PLCs excel in achieving stable and efficient standardized processes, making them ideal for … Read more
Click the blue text above “Industrial Control Beacon” to follow! Soft PLC: A Re-examination of the Dilemma Facing Industrial Innovators. In Brief In industrial environments, software is increasingly replacing hardware. Today, software-based controllers (Soft PLCs) are reliable, powerful, and flexible. The adoption rate of Soft PLCs is expected to double between 2019 and 2025, presenting … Read more
[Background] In April 2025, a move by Audi’s Böllinger Höfe factory in Germany shocked the automation industry: they removed 200 traditional PLCs from the production line and replaced them with virtual PLCs (vPLCs) running on Siemens’ cloud. The control logic shifted from “hardware next to the machine” to “software in a data center kilometers away,” … Read more
Today, we will discuss whether traditional PLCs will be replaced by soft PLCs? First, let’s explain the definition of Soft PLC. A Soft PLC integrates the functions of a hard PLC into a software package, installed on a standard industrial computer, forming a high-performance, feature-rich Programmable Automation Controller (PAC), combining the proprietary functions of PLCs … Read more
The concept of Soft PLC has been around for some time. As early as 2020, when we started offering CODESYS-related courses, we were already using Soft PLC. Nowadays, in the field of industrial control, Soft PLC combined with EtherCAT master can replace most domestic application scenarios. Will Soft PLC replace traditional hard PLC? Indeed, many … Read more
In the field of industrial automation, Soft PLC is gradually becoming a brilliant new star in the industrial control domain. As a modern alternative to traditional PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), Soft PLC is changing the landscape of industrial control with its flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. This article will delve into the concept, advantages, application scenarios, … Read more