Industrial technical glossary

Clear technical definitions on industrial automation, blockchain, AI, regulatory compliance and electrical components. Search and alphabet filter.

A

AAS(Asset Administration Shell): IEC 63278 standard defining how an industrial machine is digitised: identity, capabilities, documentation, connections. It is the «standardised digital twin» driven by IDTA (Industrial Digital Twin Association) and Plattform Industrie 4.0. Lets machines from different vendors talk to each other without bespoke integrations.
ATEX(ATmosphères EXplosibles): EU Directive 2014/34/EU on equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (refineries, chemicals, flour mills, mining). Defines zones (0, 1, 2, 20, 21, 22) and equipment categories. An ATEX-certified component is guaranteed not to cause ignition in its declared zone.
ATEX zona 21/22(ATmosphères EXplosibles — zonas de polvo): ATEX subclass for combustible-dust explosive atmospheres: zone 21 when a hazardous atmosphere is likely under normal operation; zone 22 when it occurs only rarely. Applies to flour mills, cement plants, chemical plants and milling.

B

Borne(Terminal block): Terminal block for cable connection in an electrical panel, typically mounted on DIN rail. Separates internal from external wiring. Most common: Phoenix Contact UK, Wago TopJob S and Weidmüller A-Series, all with modern push-in tech.

C

Cable apantallado(Shielded industrial cable): Industrial cable with metallic shield (foil + braid) between insulation and conductor to protect against electromagnetic interference (EMI). Mandatory near drives, industrial communications and any environment with high-power motors.
CFR 21 Part 11(Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Part 11): US Food and Drug Administration regulation governing electronic records and electronic signatures in pharma and food industries. Requires data integrity, untampered audit trails, electronic signatures with unambiguous identification and non-repudiation. The American counterpart of EMA's Annex 11 GMP.
CODESYS(Controller Development System): The world's most-used IEC 61131-3 development environment, especially outside Siemens. Wago, Beckhoff (TwinCAT variant), Bosch Rexroth, Festo, Schneider and hundreds of vendors use it. Compatible with all languages (LD, FBD, ST, SFC, IL).
Contactor(Industrial contactor): High-current electromechanical switch controlled by a coil (24 VDC or 230 VAC). Switches motors, heaters and heavy industrial loads. Most common in electrical panels: Schneider TeSys and Siemens Sirius.

D

DID(Decentralized Identifier): Decentralized Identifier. W3C standard (DID Core) for creating digital identities that depend on no central authority — neither Google nor a State. Applied to industrial machinery, each piece of equipment carries a unique DID throughout its life-cycle, verifiable by third parties.
DIN rail(DIN 35 mm mounting rail): Standard EN 50022 metal rail (35 mm wide) used to mount components in electrical panels. The sector's universal standard: PLCs, power supplies, relays, contactors and terminals all clip onto it.
DPP(Digital Product Passport): Digital Product Passport. EU Regulation 2024/1781 (ESPR) will require, from 2027, every industrial product sold in the EU to carry a digital identifier with its full life-cycle: manufacturer, materials, maintenance, repairs, recycling. The machine's «digital birth certificate», mandated by law and verifiable by anyone through a QR code.

E

EaaS(Equipment-as-a-Service): Equipment-as-a-Service. A business model where the OEM does not sell the machine: it delivers, operates and maintains it, and the customer pays per use (hours, cycles, kg produced). Real cases: TRUMPF Pay-per-Part, Kaeser Sigma Air Utility. Turns capex into opex and aligns the manufacturer with the asset's real performance.
EDI(Electronic Data Interchange): Electronic Data Interchange. Old but widely used standards (EDIFACT, ANSI X12) for two business systems to swap orders, delivery notes and invoices automatically with no human intervention. Still the lingua franca of ERP integration in large corporations and industrial supply chains.
EMA Anexo 11(European Medicines Agency — Annex 11 (EU GMP)): Annex 11 of European Good Manufacturing Practices (EudraLex Vol. 4). Covers computerised systems in pharma: lifecycle validation, audit trail, change management, periodic review and backup/recovery. European counterpart of 21 CFR Part 11.
ERC-3643(Ethereum Request for Comments 3643): Permissioned-token standard for Real-World Assets (RWA) on EVM chains. Unlike a vanilla token, ERC-3643 requires every holder to have a verified ONCHAINID (KYC/AML/jurisdiction) before receiving or transferring the asset. It is the standard used for regulation-compliant tokenisation, and in industry it lets you issue machine certificates, OEM warranties and usage rights that can only be held by accredited entities. It also allows recovering tokens if a customer loses keys, critical in B2B.
ESPR(Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation): Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, EU 2024/1781. Replaces the old Ecodesign Directive. Sets mandatory durability, repairability, recyclability and carbon-footprint requirements for almost every physical product sold in the EU, and mandates a Digital Product Passport (DPP) for each from 2027.
EtherNet/IP(Ethernet Industrial Protocol): Industrial protocol on Ethernet, driven by ODVA and Rockwell. Uses CIP (Common Industrial Protocol) over standard TCP/IP. Dominant in North America, especially with Allen-Bradley (Rockwell) PLCs. Competes with PROFINET in Europe.
EVM(Ethereum Virtual Machine): Ethereum Virtual Machine. Originally designed by Ethereum and now compatible with dozens of chains (Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, BNB Chain, etc.). The industry's de-facto standard: code written once runs on any EVM chain, cutting single-vendor lock-in risk.

F

FDA(Food and Drug Administration (USA)): US federal agency regulating food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics. Its 21 CFR Part 11 regulation on electronic records and signatures is mandatory for every product sold in the US in those sectors.

G

GdO(Garantía de Origen (renovable)): Guarantee of Origin. Official certificate confirming that a given amount of electricity was produced from renewable sources or high-efficiency cogeneration. In Spain it is issued by CNMC; in Europe it corresponds to I-REC under EU Directive 2018/2001 RED II. Every certified MWh can be traded independently of the physical kWh.
GMP(Good Manufacturing Practices): Good Manufacturing Practices. Mandatory guidelines for pharma, cosmetics, food and medical-device industries on how products must be manufactured, controlled and documented to guarantee quality and safety. In the EU, GMP are published as EudraLex annexes; Annex 11 covers computerised systems.
GxP(Good x Practices): General regulatory framework of Good Practices grouping GMP (manufacturing), GLP (laboratory), GCP (clinical), GDP (distribution) and others. Any computerised system affecting GxP quality must be validated under CSV (Computer System Validation).

H

HMI(Human-Machine Interface): Human-Machine Interface. The screen through which an operator controls and monitors an industrial machine. Traditionally an embedded touch panel with proprietary software; modern web HMIs run on any browser from tablet, mobile or control workstation, with no client to install and multi-role support for operator, maintenance and engineering.

I

IEC 61131-3(International Electrotechnical Commission 61131-3): International IEC standard for programming PLCs and industrial controllers. Defines five languages — Ladder (LD), Function Block Diagram (FBD), Structured Text (ST), Sequential Function Chart (SFC) and Instruction List (IL) — and a common type and block model. CODESYS, TIA Portal, Sysmac Studio and TwinCAT all implement the standard.
IEC 61439(International Electrotechnical Commission 61439): International standard for low-voltage switchgear assemblies (industrial electrical panels). IEC 61439-1 sets general requirements; -2 covers distribution panels; -3 construction-site panels. CE marking of a panel requires tests under this standard.
IEC 62443(International Electrotechnical Commission 62443): Family of international standards on cybersecurity for industrial automation and control systems. Defines security levels (SL 1-4), protection profiles and requirements for integrators, operators and component vendors. The reference framework whenever an industrial plant connects to the internet.
IEC 63278(Asset Administration Shell (AAS) standard): IEC 63278 standard defining the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) format, the standardised digital twin of an industrial machine. The central standard of Plattform Industrie 4.0 and technical base of the European Digital Product Passport.
IIoT(Industrial Internet of Things): Industrial Internet of Things. The industrial flavour of IoT: sensors, machines and plant systems connected to networks (local or cloud) to exchange real-time data. Differs from consumer IoT in its demand for determinism, robust cybersecurity (IEC 62443), hardware longevity (10-20 years) and operation in harsh conditions.
IK10(Impact protection IK10 (IEC 62262)): Mechanical impact protection rating (IEC 62262). IK10 is the highest: withstands a 5 kg object falling from 40 cm (20 joules). Common in industrial luminaires and outdoor enclosures.
IO-Link(IO-Link (IEC 61131-9)): IEC 61131-9 point-to-point serial communication standard to connect industrial sensors and actuators to the PLC. Carries power and data on the same cable, identifies the sensor automatically and replaces it without re-engineering — the new device receives the previous configuration from the PLC. Turns the last metre of wiring into plug-and-play.
IP67(Ingress Protection 67): IEC 60529 protection rating: dust-tight (6) and resistant to temporary immersion in water at 1 m for 30 min (7). Common for sensors and luminaires in wet industrial environments.
IP69K(Ingress Protection 69K): Reinforced IEC 60529 rating: equipment withstands high-pressure hot-water cleaning (80°C, 80-100 bar) from any angle. Mandatory in pharma, food and CIP/SIP.

L

LLM(Large Language Model): Large Language Model. AI model trained on massive text data to understand and generate natural language. Examples: GPT-4, Claude, Llama, Gemini. In industry they process technical manuals, generate documentation, handle HMI questions and read supplier emails for relevant information.

M

M2M(Machine-to-Machine): Machine-to-machine communication or settlement. Two industrial machines transact with each other without human intervention: machine A consumes a service from machine B and B charges A automatically. For example, a robot paying a compressor for every m³ of air consumed, or an OEM billed for every part produced.
M8/M12(M8 / M12 industrial connectors): Industrial circular connectors (8 mm and 12 mm diameter) for sensors, actuators and communications. M12 with coding A (signals), B (Profibus), D (Profinet/EtherNet/IP), X (Gigabit). Rugged, IP67 and IP69K, quick-connect.
MaaS(Machine-as-a-Service): Machine-as-a-Service. EaaS variant for production machinery: the OEM delivers the machine and charges per produced unit, not for the machine. Cases: TRUMPF Pay-per-Part, Kaeser Sigma Air Utility. ISIGECO has built the first Spanish MaaS for packaging.
MES(Manufacturing Execution System): Manufacturing Execution System. Software layer between the ERP (deciding what to make) and the PLC/SCADA (running the making). Manages production orders, recipes, batch traceability, in-line quality and machine performance. The central nervous system of any modern plant.
Modbus TCP(Modbus over TCP/IP): Ethernet version of the old Modbus RTU protocol (1979). The simplest and most widespread industrial protocol worldwide. No real-time guarantees but universal: any PLC, drive, sensor or serial-to-Ethernet gateway supports it.
MQTT Sparkplug B(MQTT Sparkplug B): Open specification on top of MQTT (lightweight messaging protocol) that adds a standardised schema for industrial data: each node declares its metrics, its life-cycle state and publishes with timestamp. Sparkplug B underpins the idea of a Unified Namespace — a single data tree that any plant system can understand without bespoke integrations.
MTBF(Mean Time Between Failures): Mean Time Between Failures. Reliability metric: hours (or years) the equipment operates on average before a failure. Quality industrial sensors exceed 100,000 h MTBF; mid-range industrial Ethernet switches, 500,000 h.

O

OEE(Overall Equipment Effectiveness): Overall Equipment Effectiveness. Universal manufacturing KPI combining three factors: availability (% uptime), performance (% of theoretical speed) and quality (% of good parts). 85 % OEE is considered excellent; the global average is around 60 %. The standard measure to compare lines and plants.
OEM(Original Equipment Manufacturer): Original Equipment Manufacturer. Company that designs and builds a complete machine or system to be sold to the end user (a maker of packaging machines, robots, treatment equipment). The OEM buys components (PLCs, motors, sensors) from its suppliers and integrates them. ISIGECO works both ways: as component supplier to the OEM and as the software/AI partner that differentiates the machine.
OPC UA(Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture): IEC 62541 standard for industrial machine-to-machine communication. Vendor-neutral, cross-platform (Windows, Linux, embedded) and security-by-design (encryption, authentication, X.509 certificates). Replaces the old COM/DCOM-based classic OPC and is the foundation of modern Industry 4.0 plants.

P

PLC(Programmable Logic Controller): Programmable Logic Controller. Industrial computer designed to govern machines in real time: reads sensor signals, runs the control program and drives valves, motors and actuators. Most common vendors: Siemens, OMRON, Beckhoff, Rockwell (Allen-Bradley), Mitsubishi, Schneider and CODESYS-based ones. Programmed under IEC 61131-3.
PROFINET(Process Field Network): Industrial Ethernet communication standard driven by Siemens and other PROFIBUS vendors. Lets controllers, sensors, drives and HMIs exchange real-time data over standard Ethernet. One of the most widespread industrial buses in Europe along with EtherCAT and EtherNet/IP.

R

RAG(Retrieval-Augmented Generation): Retrieval-Augmented Generation. Technique to make an LLM answer only over verifiable documents: instead of making things up, it first searches a document base (datasheets, manuals, logs) and then answers citing the exact source. The standard way to avoid LLM hallucinations in critical applications.
Relé de seguridad(Safety relay): Specialised relay for machine-safety functions (emergency stop, door monitoring, light curtains). SIL2 or SIL3 certified, with internal redundancy and self-diagnostics. Common brands: Pilz PNOZ, Sick Flexi Soft, Schmersal.
RWA(Real-World Assets): Real-World Assets. The on-chain representation of physical or financial assets (machines, real estate, debt, warranties, produced MWh). In industry, RWA means issuing machine certificates, usage rights or OEM warranties as regulated tokens (see ERC-3643) and trading them with built-in compliance.

S

SCADA(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition): Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. Plant software that gathers PLC data in real time, presents it in synoptic screens for the operator and stores history for later analysis. Unlike an HMI (controlling one machine), SCADA supervises many machines and processes in a control room.
Sensor capacitivo(Capacitive proximity sensor): Non-contact sensor detecting any material (metal, plastic, liquid, granulate, paper) via electric-field variation. Typical ranges 1-25 mm. Ideal for hopper level, empty-container detection and counting on non-metallic lines.
Sensor inductivo(Inductive proximity sensor): Non-contact sensor detecting metallic objects via electromagnetic induction. Typical ranges: 1-40 mm. Very resistant to dust, water and oil (IP67/IP69K). Common brands: Sick, Pepperl+Fuchs, Balluff, Omron.
Sensor láser(Laser distance sensor): Optical sensor measuring distance via laser beam (time-of-flight or triangulation). Accuracy 0.1-1 mm over 0.05-30 m. Essential for non-contact measurement in packaging, robotics and positioning.
Sensor ultrasónico(Ultrasonic sensor): Sensor measuring distance by ultrasonic wave reflection (40-400 kHz). Works with any material (metal, liquid, transparent) up to 10 m. Immune to colour and transparency — ideal for liquid level and transparent-object detection.
SIL(Safety Integrity Level (IEC 61508)): Safety Integrity Level. IEC 61508 / IEC 61511 metric classifying the acceptable risk of failure of an industrial safety function. SIL 1 is the lowest, SIL 4 the highest. Most machine-safety functions (emergency stop, speed monitoring) are designed to SIL 2 or SIL 3.
SIL2(Safety Integrity Level 2): Level 2 of IEC 61508/61511. Acceptable failure rate between 10⁻⁶ and 10⁻⁷ per hour. Typical for common machine-safety functions (emergency stop, basic speed monitoring).
SIL3(Safety Integrity Level 3): Level 3 of IEC 61508/61511. Acceptable failure rate between 10⁻⁷ and 10⁻⁸ per hour. Required for critical functions like boiler pressure monitoring or sensitive chemical-process protection.
SLA(Service Level Agreement): Service Level Agreement. Contract setting measurably what a vendor commits to: minimum availability (e.g. 99.5 % monthly), incident response time, resolution deadlines. Includes service credits if not met. In EaaS models the SLA is the cornerstone of outcome-based contracting.
STP/UTP(Shielded/Unshielded Twisted Pair): Ethernet cable types: UTP (unshielded) for clean environments and STP (shielded) for industrial environments with EMC noise. On the factory floor always STP cat 5e or 6, terminated with industrial M12 or RJ45.

T

TIA Portal(Totally Integrated Automation Portal): Siemens development environment for its PLCs (S7-1200, S7-1500), HMIs (Comfort, Unified) and drives (Sinamics). The de-facto standard of European industry and the foundation of most industrial plant programming.
Tokenización industrial(Industrial tokenisation): Conversion of a physical industrial asset (machine, production batch, certificate) into a blockchain token (typically ERC-3643 or permissioned equivalent). Lets the asset be financed, secured, transferred and monetised programmatically and verifiably.

V

VC(Verifiable Credentials (W3C)): Verifiable Credentials. W3C standard (VC Data Model 2.0, 2025) to issue cryptographically signed digital credentials that anyone can verify without contacting the issuer. In industry they replace signed PDFs and paper: a calibration certificate, a quality certificate, a warranty or an access permit issued as a W3C VC is verifiable instantly by any auditor.
VFD(Variable Frequency Drive): Variable Frequency Drive. Electronic converter that controls the speed and torque of asynchronous motors by varying supply frequency and voltage. Cuts up to 50% of electrical consumption in pumps and fans with flow regulation.

#

21 CFR Part 11(Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Part 11): US FDA regulation on electronic records and signatures in pharma, food and medical devices. Requires complete audit trail, unambiguous identification and non-repudiation. The American counterpart of EMA's GMP Annex 11.

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