Hardware Integration

ControLinc is an application generator for plant floor data collection, work cell control, and management reporting as well as a way of bridging communications between multiple devices that are installed in a manufacturing plant. With the ability to interface with PLC’s, serial connections, ethernet connections and digital/analog signals ControLinc is able to handle nearly any device. ControLinc is also OPC capable as well as interfacing with already defined persistent storage solutions, Databases and file systems. ControLinc is a necessity for System’s Integration in the manufacturing environment and has been used in multiple locations for over 12 years proving its reliability. ControLinc is also available in a software only package.

Example Uses

Pick Light Control

ControLinc has been used to control pick lights in sequencing operations to ensure the appropriate items are installed. When a part is scanned at a station ControLinc then activates the appropriate pick lights for the specific part. This ensures that the correct items get installed on the correct part.

Work in Progress Tracking

The ControLinc application enables the tracking of individual parts during the manufacturing process. This is beneficial for inventory management, shipping, and planning purposes.

Marquee Management

Using ControLinc’s Event Processor allows you to control individual workcells on your assembly line. This will let you dictate when and what devices activate during the manufacturing process. This is useful in managing how operators assemble the individual parts. Since ControLinc is capable of connecting to devices that PLCs can not connect to, you can achieve a greater level of control over the individual workcell.

PLC Cycle Monitoring and Logging

In the world of manufacturing today, the division between the IT and Engineering departments is growing larger while the necessity of cooperation between the two is proving to be more important than ever. ControLinc can be configured to receive event data from any Socket I/O capable PLC. Performance and enhancement analysis can then be provided by any number of back-end tools, such as Summit Management Systems€™ reporting and data mining utilities.

Industrial-Data Mining

What does every company have in common with Internet giants such as Google and Amazon? Every company should, and eventually will, realize the need for an effective use of data. Google and Amazon are able to tell their customers what they want to spend their money on, because of efficient use of data. They record every facet of data available to them, and consequently they greatly enhance their productivity. With a Data Collection system such as ControLinc, the world of data mining becomes a reality.


There are questions that every business must face, and should be able to make informed answers about. The answers to these questions can be very pivotal in the success of a project or company:

Is there something going on in our business, process, or manufacturing environment that we should be learning from or saving for future use? Are we recording, or are we even able to record, all of the data we can on the particular situation or process? Are we putting the information to good use after we acquire it? Do we have the need to integrate the information into our system that we currently have, or into a system that we may want in the future?

All of these questions can be influential to a particular situation or problem. Addressing these questions properly has the potential to set your project or business up for long term success, because knowledge is empowering, especially when you have the tools to utilize the knowledge that you are given. With ControLinc, you will be able to acquire seemingly limitless data, and put it to work for the success of whatever goals you may have.