CLASS 01
Control & I/O
PLCs, PACs, distributed I/O, remote I/O, industrial computers, and edge controllers.
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Equipment taxonomy
A non-commercial classification of equipment used to sense, control, move, inspect, protect, and optimize industrial processes. Listings describe technology categories, not event exhibitors or endorsed suppliers.
Archive disclaimer. Disclaimer: automationworldconference.com is an independent historical archive and technical educational resource. It is not affiliated with, authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by PMMI Media Group, Automation World Magazine, or any prior conference operators. All registered trademarks belong to their respective owners.
CLASS 01
PLCs, PACs, distributed I/O, remote I/O, industrial computers, and edge controllers.
CLASS 02
Servo systems, VFDs, coordinated motion, motors, gearboxes, and feedback devices.
CLASS 03
Photoelectric, inductive, pressure, temperature, condition monitoring, and machine vision.
CLASS 04
Managed switches, gateways, protocol converters, wireless infrastructure, and time synchronization.
CLASS 05
Articulated robots, cobots, SCARA systems, grippers, tool changers, and safety-rated controls.
CLASS 06
Safety PLCs, interlocks, light curtains, scanners, relays, and functional-safety engineering.
CLASS 07
SCADA, HMI, historians, MES, alarm management, asset performance, and analytics.
CLASS 08
Enclosures, circuit protection, terminals, power supplies, UPS systems, and thermal management.
Products within the same category can differ substantially in environmental rating, deterministic performance, diagnostics, lifecycle policy, functional-safety certification, and protocol behavior. A defensible selection records the use case, hazards, operating envelope, required evidence, and long-term support assumptions before a brand or model is shortlisted.