What is control equipment?

Control equipment refers to devices and systems used to manage, command, direct, or regulate the behavior of other equipment or systems. This can encompass a wide range of applications, from simple on/off switches to complex programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used in industrial automation. Common examples include thermostats controlling heating and cooling, motor controllers regulating speed and torque, and industrial control systems (ICS) managing entire manufacturing processes. Control equipment typically receives input signals from sensors or operators, processes that information according to pre-defined logic or algorithms, and then generates output signals to actuators or other devices to achieve a desired outcome or maintain a setpoint.