Dick Morley
Encyclopedia
Richard Morley is known as the "father" of the programmable logic controller
(PLC) since he was involved with the production of the first PLC for General Motors
, the Modicon, at Bedford and Associates in 1968. The Modicon brand of PLC is now owned by Schneider Electric
. PLC has been recognized as a significant advancement in the practice of automation
, and has an important influence on manufacturing
industry.
Dick Morley is also a visionary in advanced technological
developments. An entrepreneur in high technology companies, he holds more than 20 patents. His MIT-based
background in physics provided the needed education for innovation. An inventor, machinist, author, consultant
and engineer, his peers have acknowledged his contributions with numerous awards from groups such as
Inc. magazine, the Franklin Institute
, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
and the Engineering Society of Detroit
. He has also been inducted into the Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers
offers the Richard E. Morley Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award for outstanding technical accomplishments in the manufacturing profession by engineers age 35 and under.
Mr. Morley works out of his barn in New Hampshire
where he and his wife have been home to 40 foster children.
Other points of interest include:
> Father of Anti-lock Braking System
> Daniel Webster College
Lecturer
> Teaching at AMC at Harvard
> Father of the floppy disk
> Machinist (designed early CNC machines)
> CHAOS
> NCMS
, Past Chairman of the Board
> Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Advisor
> International speaker on technology and innovation
> Writer/contributor for Wired
, Control, inTech and Manufacturing Automation magazines
> Writer/author of two storyboards and several books
> Angel investor
(100+ companies)
> Founder of Andover Controls and Modicon
> Worked on radar design, personal rapid transit, languages and computer design
> ISA and SME
life member
Misc. Achievements and Awards:
2007–2008 SME
Manufacturing Enterprise Council Member
2006–2008 NH Judge - Hi Tech Council Product of the Year
2006 Process Automation Hall of Fame (Control magazine)
2005 SME
Board of Directors
1996 Automation Hall of Fame Prometheus Award
1995 SME
Fellow
1993 Parallel Processor Design — Flavors
1991 Howard N. Potts Medal
1990 Entrepreneur of the Year
1981 Gould Science & Engineering Fellow
Boeing
Technical Excellence Award
Programmable logic controller
A programmable logic controller or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines...
(PLC) since he was involved with the production of the first PLC for General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, the Modicon, at Bedford and Associates in 1968. The Modicon brand of PLC is now owned by Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a French global company. It was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Eugène and Adolphe Schneider.In the first part of the 20th century, Schneider et Cie associated itself with Westinghouse Systems, a major international electrical group at the time. The group began manufacturing...
. PLC has been recognized as a significant advancement in the practice of automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
, and has an important influence on manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
industry.
Dick Morley is also a visionary in advanced technological
developments. An entrepreneur in high technology companies, he holds more than 20 patents. His MIT-based
background in physics provided the needed education for innovation. An inventor, machinist, author, consultant
and engineer, his peers have acknowledged his contributions with numerous awards from groups such as
Inc. magazine, the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
and the Engineering Society of Detroit
Engineering Society of Detroit
The Engineering Society of Detroit is a regional engineering association, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, serving engineers and related technical professionals in Southeast Michigan...
. He has also been inducted into the Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
offers the Richard E. Morley Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award for outstanding technical accomplishments in the manufacturing profession by engineers age 35 and under.
Mr. Morley works out of his barn in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
where he and his wife have been home to 40 foster children.
Other points of interest include:
> Father of Anti-lock Braking System
Anti-lock braking system
An anti-lock braking system is a safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to continue interacting tractively with the road surface as directed by driver steering inputs while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up and therefore avoiding skidding.An ABS generally offers...
> Daniel Webster College
Daniel Webster College
Daniel Webster College is a for-profit proprietary college in Nashua, New Hampshire with a professions focus.-History:The college was established in 1965 as the New England Aeronautical Institute and was associated with Boire Field...
Lecturer
> Teaching at AMC at Harvard
> Father of the floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
> Machinist (designed early CNC machines)
> CHAOS
> NCMS
National Center for Manufacturing Sciences
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences is a 501 non-profit membership based consortium. Membership is limited to organizations which have a substantial manufacturing presence in North America....
, Past Chairman of the Board
> Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
Advisor
> International speaker on technology and innovation
> Writer/contributor for Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, Control, inTech and Manufacturing Automation magazines
> Writer/author of two storyboards and several books
> Angel investor
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
(100+ companies)
> Founder of Andover Controls and Modicon
> Worked on radar design, personal rapid transit, languages and computer design
> ISA and SME
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
life member
Misc. Achievements and Awards:
2007–2008 SME
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
Manufacturing Enterprise Council Member
2006–2008 NH Judge - Hi Tech Council Product of the Year
2006 Process Automation Hall of Fame (Control magazine)
2005 SME
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
Board of Directors
1996 Automation Hall of Fame Prometheus Award
1995 SME
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is a non-profit organization.-History of the Society:Founded in 1932 with 33 members, the organization was originally named The Society of Tool Engineers . A year later, it was renamed the American Society of Tool Engineers...
Fellow
1993 Parallel Processor Design — Flavors
1991 Howard N. Potts Medal
1990 Entrepreneur of the Year
1981 Gould Science & Engineering Fellow
Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
Technical Excellence Award