The OS for the factory. Integration without friction, from machine control to IoT.
The Operating System for industrial machines:
control, remote monitoring, and alerting in one platform,
on the hardware you choose.
Deterministic Unified Control Kernel
RATCHTECH D.U.C.K. is a complete all-in-one process control and SCADA platform - from the factory floor to the cloud. D.U.C.K. controls and records everything and gives you access from anywhere.
Your process should not be locked to one vendor’s hardware. D.U.C.K. runs on the hardware you choose.
Control, operator interface, data historian, alerting, and IoT in a single platform, instead of separate products bolted together.
Let D.U.C.K. run the machine, or connect it alongside the controller that's already installed.
Your Setup, Your Way
D.U.C.K. is the controller. It reads your sensors and drives your actuators over off-the-shelf fieldbus I/O, with the operator interface, data historian and IoT built in.
Traditional deterministic control. Keepin' it simple. Spare compute powers advanced quality control, processing, and safety - all on one device.
A 1 ms control cycle with under 1 µs jitter for precise process control.
Predictable timing for Deterministic systems
Run control software on an industrial PC or server with standard fieldbus I/O.
More sourcing options and less dependence on proprietary hardware.
Language Integrations coming soon *
Develop in your preferred language, using the tools and libraries your team knows.
Build on existing skills to reduce development and training time.
Configure control sequences and interlocks in a familiar ladder-style interface.
Simpler logic review, commissioning and maintenance.
Language Integrations coming soon *
D.U.C.K. executes control logic on a fixed 1 ms cycle, with input sampling, computation and output updates in a defined sequence.
Jitter below 1 µs limits timing variation in feedback loops, supporting consistent process control.
D.U.C.K. runs on industrial PCs or servers connected to standard fieldbus I/O. Specify hardware around performance, availability and lifecycle cost.
Standard components broaden sourcing options and simplify replacement. On our catalysis research units, this approach reduced hardware costs by 90%.
Choose the language that suits your application and your team. Planned integrations include C, C++, Python, JavaScript and Rust.
Use familiar libraries and retain existing application code to reduce redevelopment effort. Engineers can maintain the system using skills they already have.
Build control sequences and interlocks in a ladder-style editor. Conditions and outputs remain visible for engineering review and fault diagnosis.
Engineers can inspect and modify logic without writing code for each change, reducing effort during commissioning and maintenance.
Access live readings and equipment status through a browser, from the control room, office or a mobile device.
Remote visibility helps engineers assess faults before travelling to site and gives management a current view of operations. Process data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
Logins, setpoint changes, manual operations and alarm acknowledgements are recorded with the user, timestamp and relevant values.
Compare the action history with process trends during fault investigations. A shared record supports shift handovers and reduces time spent reconstructing events.
View temperatures, pressures, flow rates and equipment status together. Logged readings provide historical trends and exports for engineering analysis and operational reporting.
On our Observability Platform project, one display replaced sequential checks of 50 thermocouple readings. Data can also be delivered by email, WhatsApp or integrated into existing systems.
Configure high and low limits for process readings. D.U.C.K. raises alarms and notifies operators or engineers when a limit is exceeded.
Prompt notification gives teams more time to investigate and intervene, helping limit downtime, wasted material and equipment damage.
Access live process data through a browser, with encryption in transit and at rest.
Assess faults remotely and reduce diagnostic site visits.
Record operator actions, parameter changes and alarm acknowledgements with user identities and timestamps.
A clear record for fault investigation and shift handovers.
Combine live readings, equipment status and historical trends in a single interface.
Less manual data collection; better visibility of process performance.
Notify operators and engineers when process readings exceed configured limits.
Earlier intervention to limit downtime and process losses.
These control units were built for research. Functional, but very limited. The brief was to modernize them without replacing the underlying hardware, and give operators a faster read on the whole system.
Full electrical installation done by
RATCHTECH.
find out more...
The D.U.C.K. software was integrated into catalysis research units to provide full system data collection and control using 'off the shelf' I/O hardware.
The system includes temperature sensing and control, flow rate control through mass flow controllers, pressure readings, and valve actuation. The system can be interacted with through a full custom user interface including data display, graphing, and data export.
