Control Intelligence

Optimizing industrial control systems with PLCs and PACs

A programmable logic controller (PLC) is essentially a term used for any controller these days. A programmable automation controller (PAC) is the alternative. It could be looked at as a flip phone vs. a smart phone. However, there are distinguishing characteristics.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Tobey Strauch, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses PLCs, PACs and code.

Absolute vs. incremental encoders: when are they appropriate?

In the world of motor encoders, there are two main types – incremental and absolute. Incremental encoders do not retain their actual position upon power-up, whereas absolute encoders do. They both give position feedback, which the motion controller can use to calculate velocity, acceleration and jerk. These parameters are necessary for a fully capable motion control system.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by Joey Stubbs, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses absolute encoders.

Building the tech and workforce for the bioindustrial economy

Managing editor Anna Townshend spoke with two team members at BioMADE, which is one of nine different Manufacturing Innovation Institutes started by the Department of Defense. This particular group is focused on building the U.S. bioindustrial economy. There are many companies and scientists doing great work using chemical waste products to create new products that we often lack a domestic supply chain for, and the organization is also focused on commercializing and scaling the technology needed to do this work and the workforce to support the industry.

Jill Zullo, executive vice president and chief operating officer at BioMADE, has a long career supporting sustainable products and focused on new bioindustrial markets. Most recently, she worked at Cargill, as interim president & CEO of NatureWorks, a Cargill joint venture focused on biomanufacturing development to replace fossil fuel-based materials.

Tim Dobbs, data architect for BioMADE’s data science team, is a chemical engineer with a degree from the University of Connectivity and a master’s degree in Life Sciences. At BioMADE, he designs, models and deploys data models to BioMADE’s member organizations. He and the technology team at BioMADE provide the unified computational infrastructure for bioproduction-centered collaboration across industry, academia and government.

May 2025 industry news: scholarships, decarbonization and Automate

In this episode of Control Intelligence, managing editor Anna Townshend shares machine builder and system integrator news highlights from the month of May.

Patrick Bunn: laying the groundwork for future generations of automation

This week’s guest on Control Intelligence is Patrick Bunn, owner of Bunn Automation Consulting in Birmingham, Alabama. Bunn’s career has included valuable experience with CMC Steel Alabama, Revere Control Systems, EC&S, Hargrove Controls & Automation and Enercon, as well as his volunteer work with younger people in technology, engineering and automation.

He will be one of the presenters at OT SCADA CON this July in Houston, where he'll be discussing industrial network protocols and how to use Wireshark software for troubleshooting, as well as the OSI model, which he wrote a very popular on for Control Design. He will speak at the event on July 24 at 3 p.m.

Stu Shepherd talks robotics, AI, and the 2025 Engelberger Robotics Awards

This week’s guest on Control Intelligence is Stu Shepherd, co-founder and president of Shepherd Solutions. Shepherd was selected as the winner of the 2025 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award for Leadership. He will be recognized at the awards dinner during the Automate Show in Detroit the week of May 12.

Shepherd is nearing 50 years of transforming manufacturing in the Americas through robotic automation and capital equipment-related new business development. His past service includes being chairperson of the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

In addition to having chaired both A3 and RIA, Shepherd continues as an A3 Robotics board member. He is also a safety committee member and a member of the American Welding Society (AWS), serving on the D16 Robotic and Automatic Welding Committee.

Prior to founding his consulting firm, Shepherd's past professional experience includes automation integration roles at General Motors, a well as sales and leadership roles at FANUC America, KUKA, Güdel and Universal Robots. He’s also held consulting roles at Gain and HowToRobot, which merged in April 2024.

Cabinet-free automation

The decentralized MX-System achieves completely cabinet-free automation of machines and systems. Beckhoff has bundled more than four decades of automation expertise into the MX-System, which performs all of the tasks and gives individual externally mounted components the protection of a classic control cabinet.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, editor in chief Mike Bacidore talks with Brandon Snell, MX-System Product Manager at Beckhoff Automation about all thinks cabinet-free automation.

A conversation with robot royalty Joe Gemma

This week’s guest on Control Intelligence is robot royalty. Joe Gemma was the 2024 winner of the Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award for Leadership, but that was just a touchstone along a career that continues to move robotics and automation forward.

Gemma serves on the board of directors for the Association for Advancing Automation, A3, which hosts the annual Automate Show, this year taking place in Detroit the week of May 12.
He’s also past president and board member of the International Federation of Robotics. He’s been the CEO of KUKA Robotics Americas and CEO of Staubli North America, and this month he was named CEO of Wauseon Machine, which specializes in automation, endforming equipment and precision machining, where he’s been since 2022.

What is MQTT?

Message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) is a protocol. It has a broker and a client and can run over Ethernet.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Tobey Strauch, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses MQTT and how it is used in different industries.

Presence-sensing tech for safer automation

Manufacturing is wrought with safety devices. As we progress further along with cobots and mixing humans and automation together, presence sensing becomes more important, not only for operations, but for functional safety.

In this episode of Control Intelligence, written by contributing editor Tobey Strauch, editor in chief Mike Bacidore discusses machine safety, specifically presence-sensing technologies.