Glossary · PLC and control programming
Recipe management
Also known as: Recipe handling, Recipe system
German: Rezepturverwaltung
In industrial automation, recipe management is the creation, storage, versioning, approval and download of recipes, which are sets of parameters and procedures that define how a machine or process makes a specific product.
- PLC programming
- Process industry
In one sentence
Recipe management creates, stores, versions, approves and downloads the parameter sets a machine needs for each product.
Example
On a bakery line, the operator selects the recipe Rye Bread 750 g on the HMI, and the controller loads the oven temperatures, belt speeds and dosing quantities.
How it applies
- Engineering: Simple machines keep recipes as parameter sets in the controller or HMI; process plants follow ISA-88, where master and control recipes describe procedures, formulas and equipment requirements. The recipe data structure is usually built from structures and arrays.
- Operation: Operators select, and sometimes edit, recipes. Limits and access rights prevent values outside the validated range.
- Regulated industries: In pharma and food, recipe changes require approval, versioning and an Audit trail. Recipe systems in GxP environments are part of Computerized system validation (CSV) and computer software assurance (CSA).
- Documentation: Document the recipe structure (every parameter with unit, range and effect), the workflow for creating and approving recipes and the user roles. The operating manual needs task-based instructions for selecting and changing recipes.
Recipe vs. program
A recipe changes what the machine produces by changing parameters. The program defines how the machine works. Recipe changes should not require program changes, which is why the separation is a design goal.