Industrial Automation Using OPC and PHP - Control Machines Through Your Browser

Listed under: Premium Sites News > Updates on Wed 18th January 2012

Have you ever thought "I'd love to control this hardware through my phone / tablet / web browser", but on an industrial scale?

Though the galaxies of industrial machine automation and web applications have rarely overlapped, it's now possible to control PLC hardware and plant machinery through simple web interfaces.

Using a protocol called OPC Data Access (OPCDA), PHP developers working on Windows servers can now utilise a set of components called QuickOPC-COM, by OPC Labs, with which to retrieve real-time data from, and send OPCDA commands to, hardware that complies to the OPCDA standard.

This allows you to control the machines, through a browser!
(.. as opposed to them controlling you, which as we all know could very well eventually happen).

Some real-life examples of OPCDA usage are:
 - Home Automation Systems
 - Access Control Systems
 - Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
 - Plant Machinery
 - Factory Hardware
 
..all of which, given the right conditions, can now be controlled through a custom app in any web browser, which opens up numerous possibilities for companies looking to upgrade their interfaces, and PHP app developers worldwide.

 

If you work in Industrial Automation (or any industry that uses machinery or hardware automation) and would like to explore custom browser-based applications to control your OPCDA hardware, drop us a line and we'll be glad to build it for you.

 

 Have a great day everyone.

- Paul G
Premium Sites
http://www.premium-sites.net

 

OPC Labs (http://www.opclabs.com) are a software company based in the Czech Republic, and have recently released QuickOPCCOM (http://www.opclabs.com/Products/QuickOPCCOM.aspx), a set of components that radically simplify accessing OPC data, and sending commands to OPC DA servers. Check it out.

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