How to efficiently connect 12 processing stations to one controller
Date: 03/11/2026
Loading...
How do you collect signals from 12 surface treatment stations across a 50-metre line without running extensive cabling back to a central PLC? For this customer, the answer was remote I/O at each station, connected to the main controller via Modbus TCP.
The customer’s challenge:
Imagine a processing line 50 metres in length, with 12 individual surface treatment stations along it. The customer’s challenge was to ensure local I/O was available at each processing station and to feed signals back to a main controller, reducing field wiring, improving installation efficiency and reducing commissioning time.
The initial system in place:
Previous system designs used one main, large PLC system, which required a significant amount of cabling to & from all of the sensors and control devices from the 12 surface treatment tanks.
The solution we provided:
By utilising the IDEC SX8R remote I/O coupler, fitted with a number of I/O modules from the IDEC FC6A PLC family and connected back to an FC6A-D16xxxx main PLC, we delivered a streamlined Distributed Control System (DCS).
Each of the 12 processing stations controlled and monitored the surface treatment required at each stage. These remote I/O systems (part of the DCS) received signals from analogue sensors for distance, temperature and flow, plus digital signals from sensors and switches. The IDEC DCS (FC6A + SX8R) used Modbus TCP for remote I/O communication, and the solution allowed for fast deployment during installation.
Want to know more?
If you're interested in IDEC products and need expert advice to help you choose, configure, or find the solution best suited to your application, our team is here to help.
We provide a wide range of help and resources:
If you have questions or suggestions, we're here to listen.
Our sales and support teams are on hand to help.
All the technical documentation you need.