DDC: Innovation in Manufacturing

DDC means direct digital control of manufacturing variables at the lowest level process regulation, but DDC can ``talk'' to higher order systems and extend upwards in a computer hierarchy. DDC has been developed to a large degree by users and can be fitted to existing processes using standard available equipment and control concepts. No computer programming is necessary, reliability is higher than in some conventional systems, and maintenance is not difficult. Anyone now operating the plant can handle DDC. Costs can be lower than comparable function conventional controls, and there are only four major hardware components to a DDC system. The paper lists a number of real problems taken from the record which DDC has solved in existing successful installations. Methods for putting across a project and overcoming traditional management objections have been worked out.