Application Development
User Interfaces Services Web Dashboards ReactiveAIC Solutions is a Specialist Engineering and Software Development company that specializes in Industrial Automation and Process Control solutions. We have been providing our Software Development Services to the industry globaly for over 20 years and have worked with many different clients around the world and across various industries, including automotive, aerospace, energy, and manufacturing. For the past 10 years, we have been using C# to develop industrial applications that now comply with Factory 4.0 principles. Aside from C#, we also use databases such as SQL Server and Oracle to store data and perform data analysis.
Over the years we have developed a number of controls, tools and frameworks that we can use to speed up the development of our industrial applications. Our software is based upon the principles of Factory 4.0 and is designed to support and optimise industrial processes and operations using reactive programming to ensure that our applications are highly responsive and can handle large amounts of data in real-time. For example, our FIMS (Factory Information Management system) software is a desktop and web-based application that can be used to capture and manage production data, including the scheduling of production lines and the monitoring of production progress.
The core of our software is written in C# and uses the Reactive Extensions (Rx) framework to implement the reactive programming paradigm. This allows us to build applications that are highly responsive and can handle large amounts of data in real-time.
Our Senior Technologist, Chris Pulman, has over 25 years of experience in the industry and has worked on a number of projects that have used C# to develop industrial applications. He is an owner of the Reactive Marbles organization, which is a group of developers who are passionate about modern reactive programming and are working together to build a community around it, Reactive Marbles is the home to Dynamic Data a library for bringing the power of Reactive Extensions (Rx) to collections, AIC Solutions use this library extensively to assist with data analytics. He is a Maintainer of the ReactiveUI framework, which is an open-source framework for building reactive user interfaces with DotNet. He is also a member of the Microsoft Dotnet Foundation, which is a non-profit organization established to support an innovative, commercially friendly, open-source ecosystem around the .NET platform.
Chris is also a key contributor to the Reactive Extensions (Rx) framework, which is an open-source library that provides a set of APIs for composing asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences. Almost all of the software that AIC Solutions develops uses the Rx Framework to implement Reactive Programming for server software, user interfaces and middleware.
There is a digital book called Intro To Rx that was written by Ian Griffiths and Lee Campbell. The book provides an introduction to reactive programming and explains how to use the Rx framework to build reactive applications in C# and will give insight as to how AIC Solutions creates solutions for Industrial Applications. Chris is also helping to guide and develop the Modernising of the Reactive Extensions (Rx) framework Modernising Reactive Extensions enabling a more modern approach to Reactive Programming.
What is C#?
C# is a popular programming language that is widely used in the development of various types of applications, including those for industrial purposes. Industrial applications are software solutions that are designed to support and optimize manufacturing processes, quality control, and logistics in various industries, such as automotive, aerospace, and energy.
One of the main benefits of using C# for industrial application development is its versatility. C# is a general-purpose programming language that can be used to build a wide range of applications, including web, mobile, desktop, and backend solutions. It is also a statically-typed language, which means that the type of data that a variable can hold is checked at compile-time, leading to more reliable and maintainable code.
Another advantage of C# is its strong support for object-oriented programming (OOP). OOP is a programming paradigm that is based on the concept of "objects", which represent real-world entities and their attributes and behaviors. OOP allows developers to model complex systems and relationships in a more organized and efficient way, making it easier to understand, maintain, and reuse code.
In addition, C# has a rich set of libraries and frameworks that can be leveraged to speed up the development of industrial applications. For example, the .NET framework provides a set of APIs and tools that can be used to build applications that run on Windows platforms. The .NET framework also includes libraries for accessing databases, communicating with web services, and performing various tasks, such as data processing, security, and parallel programming.
Furthermore, C# has a strong ecosystem of tools and frameworks that can be used to optimize the development and deployment of industrial applications. For example, Visual Studio is a popular integrated development environment (IDE) that provides a rich set of features for developing, debugging, and testing C# applications. Visual Studio also supports integration with source control systems, such as Git, and agile development tools, such as Azure DevOps, to enable collaboration and continuous delivery.
In conclusion, C# is a powerful programming language that is well-suited for the development of industrial applications. Its versatility, strong support for OOP, rich libraries and frameworks, and robust ecosystem of tools and frameworks make it an ideal choice for building software solutions that support and optimize industrial processes and operations.
Why is C# the right choice for an industrial application to comply with Factory 4.0?
There are several reasons why C# may be a good choice for an industrial application that needs to comply with the principles of Factory 4.0, also known as Industry 4.0.
First, C# is a modern programming language that supports a wide range of features and technologies that are relevant to Factory 4.0. For example, C# has support for parallel programming, which can be used to optimize the performance of applications that need to process large amounts of data in real-time. C# also has support for networking and communication protocols, such as MQTT and AMQP, which are commonly used in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to enable the exchange of data between devices and systems.
Second, C# has a strong ecosystem of tools and frameworks that can be used to develop and deploy industrial applications that comply with Factory 4.0. For example, the .NET framework includes libraries for accessing databases, performing data analysis, and communicating with web services, which can be useful for building applications that need to store, process, and visualize data from various sources. Visual Studio is a popular IDE that supports the development of C# applications and offers integration with agile development tools, such as Azure DevOps, which can be used to manage the development process and ensure compliance with Factory 4.0 standards.
Third, C# is a widely-used programming language that has a large and active community of developers and users. This can be beneficial for industrial applications that need to be supported and maintained over a long period of time, as it is more likely that there will be resources and expertise available to address any issues or challenges that may arise.
Overall, C# is a strong choice for the development of industrial applications that need to comply with Factory 4.0 due to its modern features, rich ecosystem of tools and frameworks, and wide adoption in the industry.