Mastering the Language of Automation: A Complete Guide to Industrial Acronyms
In the fast-evolving world of industrial automation, acronyms aren’t just shorthand—they’re a critical part of everyday communication for engineers, technicians, and decision-makers. Understanding them is essential for decoding datasheets, control panels, system designs, and emerging technologies.
To support the automation community, Imprint Automation India Magazine and PARA Tech Expo have compiled this comprehensive, A–Z reference of automation acronyms—curated to serve as a reliable, quick-access glossary. From foundational terms like PLC, SCADA, and MTTR to emerging concepts such as XIoT, TSN, and RPA, this guide bridges traditional and modern automation vocabulary in one place.
Whether you're streamlining a factory floor or building a smart manufacturing system, keep this list handy—because in automation, clarity begins with knowing the language
A
ABS – Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
ACK – Acknowledgment
AI – Analog Input
AMD – Advanced Micro Devices
ANSI-C– American National Standards Institute- Program ming Language
AO – Analog Output
API – Application Programming Interface
ARP – Address Resolution Protocol
ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASICs – Application Specific Integrated Circuits
AUI – Attachment Unit Interface
ACL – ACCESS CONTROL LIST
AWG - American Wire Gauge
AV - ANALOG VALUE
ASO - Automated System Optimization
ATS - Automatic Transfer Switch
APQP – Advanced Product Quality Planning
ASi – Actuator Sensor Interface
AOI – Automated Optical Inspection
AIDC – Automatic Identification and Data Capture
ATP – Acceptance Test Procedure
AIT – Automation Interface Terminal
B
BNC – Bayonet Nut Connector
BOOTP – Bootstrap Protocol
BPA- Business Process Automation
BACNET - Building Automation Control Network
BBMD - BACNET Broadcast Management Device
BI - Binary Input
BO - Binary Output
BV - Binary Value
BDT - Broadcast Definition Table
BTU - British Thermal Unit
BAS - Building Automation System
BMS - Building Management System
BOP – Balance of Plant
BLE – Bluetooth Low Energy
BPCS – Basic Process Control System
BOM – Bill of Materials
C
CAN – Controller-area Network
CDC – Change Data Capture
CFC – Continuous Function Chart
CIP – Common Industrial Protocol
CIP – Control and Information Protocol
CMRR – Common-Mode Rejection Ratio
COB – Communication Object
COM – Component Object Model
CPU – Central Processing Unit
CRC – Cyclic Redundancy Check
CSC – Convertible Static Compensator
CSMA/CD – Carrier Sense, Multiple Access/Collision Detect
CIP – Common Industrial Protocol
CNC – Computer Numerical Control
CRP – Capacity Requirements Planning
CSM – Control System Module
D
DCOM – Distributed Component Object Model
DEC – Digital Equipment Corporation
DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DIO – Discrete Input/Output
DIP – Dual In-line Package
DIX – Digital Equipment Corp., Intel
DLL – Dynamic Link Library
DNS – Domain Name Server
DOS – Denial of Service
DAT - Discharge Air Temperature
DNP3 – Distributed Network Protocol
DLR – Device Level Ring
DTM – Device Type Manager
DAQ – Data Acquisition System
DCM – Digital Control Module
E
EBCDIC – Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
ECM – Enterprise Contact Management
EDS – Electronic Data Sheet
EIA – Electric Industries Alliance
EMI – Electromagnetic Interference
ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
ESD – Electrostatic Sensitive Devices
EER - Energy Efficiency Ratio
ESD – Emergency Shutdown System
EPCM – Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management
EEPROM – Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM
EPICS – Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System
F
FBD – Function Block Diagram
FDDI – Fiber Distributed Data Interface
FOIRL – Fiber Optic Inter Repeater Link
FTP – File Transfer Protocol
FCU - Fan Coil Unit
FPT - Functional Performance Testing
FAT – Factory Acceptance Test
FDT – Field Device Tool
FPGA – Field-Programmable Gate Array
FCS – Field Control Station
FMEA – Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
G
GMII – Gigabit Media-Independent Interface
GND – Ground
GPIO – General Purpose Input/Output
GPS – Global Positioning System
GUI - Graphical Unit Interface
GSD – General Station Description
GOT – Graphical Operator Terminal
GA – General Arrangement
GAMP – Good Automated Manufacturing Practice
GNSS – Global Navigation Satellite System
H
HMI – Human Machine Interface
HSSDC – High Speed Serial Data Connector
HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HVAC – Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning
HART – Highway Addressable Remote Transducer
HILS – Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation
HTD – High Torque Drive
HPS – High Performance System
I
IANA – Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
IC – Integrated Chip
ICMP – Internet Control Message Protocol
IDC – Industrial Development Corporation
IEC – International Electrical Commission
IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force
IGMP – Internet Group Management Protocol
IL – Instruction List
I/O – Input/Output
IP – Internet Protocol
IPV – Internet Protocol Version
ISA – Industry Standard Architecture
ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network
ISO – International Organization for Standardization
ISA – International Society of Automation
ICS – Industrial Control System
ICCP – Inter-Control Center Protocol
IACS – Industrial Automation and Control Systems
IO-Link – Intelligent Sensor/Actuator Communication Protocol
J
JTAG – Joint Test Action Group
JSON – JavaScript Object Notation
JSP – Job Safety Plan
K
KPI – Key Performance Indicator
KUKA – Robotics brand used as programming reference
L
LAN – Local Area Network
LD – Ladder Diagram
LED – Light Emitting Diode
M
MAC – Media Access Controller
MAU – Media Attachment Unit
MES – Manufacturing Execution System
MIB – Management Information Base
MII – Media Independent Interface
MMF – Multimode Fiber
MOV – Metal Oxide Varistor
MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures
MTTR – Mean Time to Repair
MES – Manufacturing Execution System
MCC – Motor Control Center
MODBUS – Modular Bus Protocol
N
NCS – Network Control System
NEMA – National Electrical Manufacturers Association
NOC – Network Operations Center
NAMUR – Process Automation Standards Group
NRZ – Non-Return to Zero Encoding
O
OPC UA – Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer
OEE – Overall Equipment Effectiveness
ORP – Oxidation Reduction Potential Sensor
ORP – Oxidation Reduction Potential Sensor
P
PAC – Programmable Automation Controller
PDM – Plant Data Management
PSSR – Pre-Startup Safety Review
PFD – Process Flow Diagram
PLCopen – PLC Standardization Initiative
Q
QOS – Quality of Service
QRM – Quick Response Manufacturing
QRQC – Quick Response Quality Control
R
RTU – Remote Terminal Unit
RPA – Robotic Process Automation
RFID – Radio Frequency Identification
RTO – Real-Time Optimization
EST – Representational State Transfer
S
SIL – Safety Integrity Level
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
SCM – Supply Chain Management
SMED – Single-Minute Exchange of Die
SPC – Statistical Process Control
T
TPM – Total Productive Maintenance
TDC – Total Distributed Control
TSN – Time Sensitive Networking
TQM – Total Quality Management
TIA – Totally Integrated Automation
U
UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply
UART – Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter
UDT – User Defined Type
V
VFD – Variable Frequency Drive
VPN – Virtual Private Network
VSA – Value Stream Analysis
W
WMS – Warehouse Management System
WAN – Wide Area Network
WES – Warehouse Execution System
X
XIoT – Extended Internet of Things
XSLT – Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation
XML – Extensible Markup Language
Y
YASKAWA – Common in robotics, drives, and automation
YTD – Year to Date (used in industrial dashboards)
Z
ZTP – Zero Touch Provisioning
ZSC – Zero Speed Control
ZPA – Zone Presence Automation
