Context & background

CTRL Engineering develops PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) software for industrial machines used in the automotive, production, and food industries. A critical component of every such machine is its Human-Machine Interface (HMI). This is the graphical environment through which operators monitor, control, and interact with the machine in real time.

To date, CTRL has exclusively used the integrated vendor-specific HMI development environment to build these interfaces. While this toolchain is reliable and well-suited for the task, it offers limited flexibility when it comes to modern UI design and lightweight front-end delivery. As the web development landscape has matured significantly in recent years, CTRL is eager to explore whether industry-standard front-end technologies can serve as a viable and more versatile alternative.

Thesis objective

The goal of this thesis is to investigate whether a modern web-based front-end framework can be used to build production-grade HMIs for industrial machinery, replacing or complementing the existing vendor-specifc environment. The student will explore the full pipeline from real-time PLC data extraction to the rendering of a functional, performant, and maintainable operator interface.

Research Deliverables

• A technical research report evaluating available approaches for real-time PLC data communication (e.g. OPC-UA, WebSockets, REST APIs).
• A proof-of-concept HMI application built with a modern front-end stack (e.g. React, Vue, or Svelte).
• A documented proposal for a reusable front-end framework tailored to CTRL’s HMI development needs.
• A comparative analysis of the new approach versus the current vendor-specifc workflow

Research question examples

• ” Which front-end technologies and frameworks are best suited for building industrial HMIs? “
• ” What are the trade-offs in performance, reliability and maintainability when using a custom built HMI framework compared to a vendor-specific solutions? “
• ” How can real time data best be extracted from industrial PLCs and made available to a web-based front-end? “

Student Profile

We are looking for a motivated bachelor student with a genuine interest in both software engineering and industrial systems. Relevant skills and interests include:

• Web front-end development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript and/or a modern framework)
• Interest in real-time systems, networking protocols, or embedded/industrial software
• Curiosity about bridging the gap between software engineering and physical machinery
• Ability to work independently and communicate technical findings clearly
• Proficiency with OOP programming language and/or C#

Interested?

We would love to hear from you if you are! Please contact the dedicated CTRL contact person for this case. We can set up a meeting to get to know each other and go over if your wants and needs match ours.