On the 40th anniversary of the invention of the PLC (programmable logic controller), Cyon Research is honouring its developer Dick Morley.
Bradley Holtz, Cyon Research president and CEO makes the point that the Modicon PLC line, now distributed by Schneider Electric, revolutionised the control of manufacturing machinery and processes, and spawned an entirely new industry, which most of us now take for granted.
“We are amazed by Dick Morley and his many achievements, both as inventor and as investor,” says Holtz. “Cyon Research congratulates him on this well-deserved recognition.”
The requirements of the American automotive industry triggered the invention of the PLC. Until its introduction, control, sequencing and safety interlock logic were accomplished using relays, timers and closed-loop controllers. Updates, modifications and changeovers were incredibly expensive and time-consuming.
Morley’s invention, which became the Modicon (Modular Digital Controller) 084, changed all that. The PLC was a box of virtual relays, allowing programming to take place on or off of the factory floor. Indeed, the application of computing technology to the factory floor brought the flexibility of computing to manufacturing for the first time.
Morley holds more than 20 US and foreign patents, including the parallel inference machine, hand-held terminal, programmable logic controller and magnetic thin film. He is an internationally recognised pioneer in the areas of computer design, artificial intelligence, automation and futurism.
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