Raspberry Pi vs PLC in Industrial Automation: When to Use Each
One of the biggest questions in industrial automation: should you use Raspberry Pi or a PLC? The honest answer is usually 'both' — but the split matters.
What PLCs do well
- Deterministic control
- High reliability
- Certified for industrial use
- Real-time safety
What Raspberry Pi does well
- Flexibility
- Cost efficiency
- Data processing
- Integration with modern systems
Where Raspberry Pi fits
- Data layer
- Monitoring
- Edge processing
- Integration bridge
The hybrid model
The strongest setups combine both:
PLC: control. Raspberry Pi: data + intelligence.
Final thought
Raspberry Pi is not a replacement for the PLC. It's an extension — adding the data, integration and intelligence layer that traditional control systems were never designed for.
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