Machine, PLC & Device Connectivity
Most plants have machines that were never designed to share data. 10in6 connects to them anyway — from modern PLCs with OPC UA to legacy equipment with no standard interface. If it generates a signal, we can capture it.
Every plant has at least one machine nobody expects to connect.
A brand-new injection molder with OPC UA built in, sitting on the same floor as a press from 1998 that runs fine but has never shared data with any system. A CNC from a vendor that went out of business fifteen years ago. A conveyor line where the only way to know it's running is to walk over and look.
Most connectivity vendors are comfortable with the easy cases. The modern PLC with a clean network connection and a published OPC UA interface. 10in6's experience is built on the harder cases — the equipment that's been dismissed as unconnectable, the legacy controllers with serial-only interfaces, the machines where the documentation no longer exists.
That's where the real value is. Because if you can only collect data from the easy machines, you have an incomplete picture of your operation.
Read-only by default
We read data from your equipment using existing communication interfaces. We don't write to your control system, alter ladder logic, or require access to production programming. The connection doesn't change how your machines run.
Three different problems. All solved.
The connection method depends on the equipment. Here's how 10in6 approaches each category.
Fast, clean, and non-intrusive
Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Omron, Beckhoff, and others with standard network interfaces.
Modern PLCs expose data through OPC UA, Ethernet/IP, or manufacturer-native protocols over your existing plant network. The connection is fast to configure, requires no hardware changes, and begins collecting data from the first commissioning session.
Where a PLC doesn't natively expose OPC UA, we use the manufacturer's preferred protocol — such as Rockwell's CIP or Mitsubishi's MC Protocol — which gives equivalent access with full reliability.
- OPC UA — preferred for new and recent equipment
- Ethernet/IP — Allen-Bradley and compatible platforms
- Manufacturer-native protocols where OPC UA isn't available
- No PLC modification or ladder logic access required
The machines that were never supposed to connect
Older PLCs, serial-only controllers, machines without a network port.
Legacy equipment communicates through Modbus RTU, RS-232 serial, RS-485, or older vendor protocols. Some of it requires a hardware interface — a physical adaptor that sits between the machine's output and the plant network — to bridge the gap between an older communication standard and modern data collection.
We've connected PLCs with no surviving documentation, controllers from vendors that no longer exist, and machines where the only interface was a serial port on the back panel. The method depends on what the equipment exposes. We determine the connection approach during the site assessment.
- Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP
- RS-232 and RS-485 serial connections
- Hardware-level interfaces for non-standard outputs
- Discrete I/O capture (running signals, cycle signals, fault outputs)
The tools that feed quality and traceability data
Barcode scanners, torque tools, vision systems, coordinate measuring machines.
Peripheral devices aren't PLCs — they don't control machines. They generate data that belongs in your quality and traceability records: scan events, torque results, dimensional measurements, vision pass/fail results. 10in6 captures this data at the point of collection and feeds it directly into DQS workflows.
A barcode scan confirms the right part is at the right station. A torque tool result records the actual value, not just a pass/fail. A CMM measurement flows into SPC automatically. These connections turn individual tool outputs into auditable production records.
- Barcode and 2D scanner integration (USB and serial)
- Torque tool controllers — actual value capture, not just pass/fail
- Vision system result integration
- CMM measurement export to SPC and quality records
PLC brands 10in6 connects to
Brands with confirmed connections in the 10in6 customer base:
- Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation)
- Siemens
- Mitsubishi Electric
- Omron
- Beckhoff
- Schneider Electric (Modicon)
- ABB
- Fanuc
- Keyence
- Honeywell
- Yokogawa
- Emerson (GE Fanuc / PACSystems)
If your PLC brand isn't listed, the relevant question is whether it supports a standard protocol or has a documented communication interface. We'll evaluate it during the assessment phase.
10in6 handles the connections
We configure the driver connections, write any custom integration code, and test against your live equipment before go-live. Your automation engineers don't need to own the data collection layer.
When a machine is replaced or upgraded, we update the connection. The connectivity layer is part of the ongoing service relationship — not a project that closes at go-live and leaves your team responsible for what happens next.
- We configure all driver connections and test on-site
- No automation engineering resource required on your side
- Connection updated when equipment changes
- Maintained through plant network and infrastructure changes
What machine connections enable in 10in6
Machine connectivity questions
- Do you modify our PLCs or machines to make the connection work?
- No. We read data from your PLCs using existing communication interfaces — the same ports and protocols the hardware already has. We don't write to your control system, alter ladder logic, or require access to production programming. The connection is read-only for data collection purposes. If a specific write-back capability such as recipe delivery is scoped and agreed as part of the project, that's handled separately and explicitly — not as part of the standard data connection.
- What if our PLC brand isn't on the list?
- If it supports a standard protocol — OPC UA, Modbus, Ethernet/IP, or similar — or has a documented communication interface, we can evaluate it. Some less common brands require more initial work during the assessment phase to confirm the connection method. Brand unfamiliarity isn't a disqualifier. The question we need to answer is what interface the PLC exposes, and we address that during scoping.
- How do you connect to machines that have no digital interface at all?
- Several options, depending on the machine. Some older equipment has discrete digital outputs — a running signal, a cycle complete signal, a fault output — that we can capture through I/O modules without touching the PLC or control system. For machines with no digital output, we assess whether adding a sensor or hardware interface is practical and cost-justified. We'll give you a straight answer on what's possible and what the effort looks like during the assessment phase.
- Who configures and maintains the connections?
- 10in6. We configure the driver connections, write any custom integration code, and test against your live equipment before go-live. You don't need automation engineers on your side to stand up or maintain the connections. When equipment changes or is replaced, we update the connection.
- How many machines can the system handle?
- We've deployed in small focused cells and in large multi-line facilities with many machines running simultaneously. The platform scales without requiring a separate server for each connection. Exact capacity depends on your network architecture and data polling requirements — we address this as part of the infrastructure assessment at the start of the project.
- What's the difference between using OPC UA and a vendor-specific driver?
- OPC UA is the modern, manufacturer-neutral standard — it's documented, widely supported, and doesn't require vendor-specific tooling. It's the preferred method for new equipment. Vendor-specific drivers (such as native protocols for Allen-Bradley or Mitsubishi hardware) are used when OPC UA isn't available on the equipment or when the native driver gives better performance or feature coverage for that hardware family. In practice, most modern PLCs support both, and we choose based on what's most reliable for your specific environment.
Tell us what's on your floor.
Give us a list of your equipment — the modern and the legacy — and we'll tell you how we'd approach connecting each one. No surprises at go-live.