Build-a-Thon: 2025

Prepare for the return of the Build-a-Thon, bringing with it all the thrilling design challenges, innovative solutions, and unforgettable moments you've come to expect! This year, two leading integration companies will go head-to-head, showcasing their expertise as they build the most impressive Ignition project. Witness the excitement live at this truly unique, educational, and competitive SCADA event, culminating in the crowning of our next Build-a-Thon champion!

Scaling Smart: Architecting for Industrial Growth

Sila's transition from R&D-scale experiments to a full battery material production facility required more than just more equipment — it demanded a shift in how systems were architected. Learn how Sila (working with DMC) deployed Ignition using a Unified Namespace design, UDT-driven standardization, and MQTT messaging via HiveMQ to create a consistent, scalable control layer. This structure not only streamlines deployment across the plant but also feeds contextualized process data to Snowflake for deeper insight and future optimization.

Return of the Dev Panel

Step behind the curtain and meet the minds shaping the future of Ignition. In this lively and interactive panel, you’ll have the rare opportunity to ask the developers who design and build the platform questions directly. From exploring the newest innovations to learning how features take shape, this panel gives you insider access to the visionaries driving Ignition forward. Bring your curiosity and your toughest questions. Our team is ready to share insights, stories, and a glimpse into what’s next for the software transforming industrial automation. Don’t miss this chance to connect with the people who make Ignition possible and be part of the conversation about where it’s headed next.

History of Industry: From 0.0 to 5.0

Explore how the evolution of humans, processes, and technology progressed us through the first industrial revolution and beyond. Follow the journey from the first engine, electricity, PLCs, and the Internet, and into the modern digital era. Discover what each industrial revolution contributed to human-machine collaboration. Then, find out how industrial automation and Ignition will level up industry into the future.

Making Music: Ignition in Manufacturing at Taylor Guitars

Taylor Guitars, a leading manufacturer of acoustic guitars and other musical equipment, first adopted Ignition for more cohesive HVAC monitoring. Soon after, new projects such as guitar neck quality control, legacy CNC monitoring, and UV print control have all been implemented through Ignition. Learn how Ignition helped a small engineering team at Taylor Guitars say “yes” to most production requests in manufacturing.

Designing Future-Proof Manufacturing Architectures with MQTT

This session explores how to design future-proof manufacturing system architectures using MQTT Sparkplug B, Ignition Edge, and centralized Ignition servers. Attendees will learn how this modern approach enables scalable, resilient, and easily maintainable systems while dramatically reducing commissioning time. We’ll discuss best practices for network topology design using both UNS and CDM architectures, the trade-offs between single and distributed MQTT broker architectures, and strategies for efficient device onboarding. The presentation will provide actionable insights for engineers and architects aiming to modernize their manufacturing infrastructure without compromising reliability or long-term flexibility.

API Integration: Level Up Your Ignition Deployment

Need to connect to external applications? Curious about using APIs in Ignition? Join Sales Engineers Brad Fischer and Tom Goetz to learn how to call external APIs, host API and file resources within Ignition, and use the new Ignition HTTP API.

Delivering Value Through Digital Transformation

Developing software moves your organization nowhere — it's a black hole of cost until it is adopted by users. Driving complex Industry 4.0 initiatives through the traditional "Define, Design, Deliver" process has left a wake of delayed go-lives, subpar results, or worse — unused systems. Using proven software delivery practices, Vertech is turning the model on its head by delivering immediate functionality within weeks of project kickoff and leveraging real user feedback on additional features. See Vertech’s approach and how it enables you to catch the "white whale" of Digital Transformation: value for the organization.

Achieving Scale With Ignition and Modern DevOps Practices

Get a front-row seat to a real-world project scaling Ignition with DevOps tools like Kubernetes, Helm, Argo CD, and Git-Sync. In this session you’ll get an overview of these tools, examples of automated and GitOps-driven deployments, and practical tips for boosting performance, reliability, and operations in a large-scale, complex, critical systems environment.

10 Years Later: MQTT Foundations That Still Matter

This year marks Cirrus Link’s 10th anniversary of presenting at ICC. In that time, it has consistently championed core architectural principles that are now central to modern industrial systems: decoupling devices from applications, providing a single source of truth, and enabling plug-and-play OT integration. These ideas weren’t trends — they were foundational. Join Arlen Nipper and Nathan Davenport as they reflect on a decade of progress, demonstrate how these principles are more relevant than ever, and showcase what’s new in Ignition 8.3, including tools that further simplify and strengthen MQTT-based architectures.

Ignition Maker Edition Electronics Inventory and Storage System

Most DIY electronics hobbyists have large collections of development boards, sensors, antennas, and assorted components. Attend this session to learn about an Ignition Maker Edition inventory system that allows you to add new purchases with important information, datasheets, and details of where the item is stored. A dashboard displays at-a-glance inventory information, and you can quickly search the system for specific parts from project BOMs to stop accidentally repurchasing parts you already have! This Maker Edition project could also work well for makerspaces, so members can locate and document parts and projects (a constant challenge). The next iteration of the project will include a simple pick-to-light system for greater convenience.

Flex Your Knowledge on Perspective Containers

How well do you know your Perspective containers? Come test your knowledge in an interactive session, level up your design game, and maybe even get a new “perspective” on container types!

Beyond Installation: Production Ignition Operations

Many Ignition implementations stop at "it works," but running production systems requires comprehensive operational practices. Discover how to make your Ignition deployments easier to maintain and more secure with modern practices including observability, DevOps, disaster recovery, configuration management, and deployment automation. Learn proven strategies for monitoring, maintaining, and scaling Ignition systems that enterprises depend on. This session reveals the technical and operational frameworks that separate hobby projects from mission-critical industrial systems.

Secure, Scalable Edge Orchestration Using Ignition

In today’s cybersecurity landscape, SCADA systems deployed with edge devices are increasingly restricted, limiting direct access to individual nodes. Administrative and security frameworks introduce multiple layers across environments, often complicating centralized management and control of enterprise-wide operations. Join TIGA in this session to explore how it harnessed Ignition to overcome these barriers.

Modern Ignition Deployments: Containers, Version Control & Ignition

Take a look behind the scenes at how IA deploys the Ignition Public Demo with containers and version control. In this session, we’ll review the public demo’s previous legacy deployment strategy and architecture, and discuss the research and development phase for the new deployment. Then we’ll take a detailed look at the new deployment strategy and how it leverages containers and version control. Whether you’re already using these deployment strategies or learning about them for the first time, attend this session to learn more about how IA has taken a more modern approach to Ignition deployment with the Ignition Public Demo.

Fueling Manufacturing Integration With AI & Ignition Containers

Explore how AI is transforming the development of Ignition applications and integrations across the manufacturing enterprise. This session demonstrates how AI-assisted coding, architecture generation, and integration design accelerate the creation of modular, containerized Ignition solutions. By deploying Ignition in containers and leveraging AI to streamline development workflows, manufacturers can modernize legacy systems, unify data sources, and deploy more scalable, intelligent applications. Learn how this approach enhances developer productivity, reduces integration time, and supports more agile, connected operations across MES, SCADA, and enterprise platforms.

Ready to Level Up Your Machine Monitoring Game?

Do you have dark, unconnected operational data stranded on the plant floor or in the field? While Ignition excels at connecting PLC-based equipment, many assets without PLCs or smart devices can be far more challenging. Join this session to discover how to use edge industrial I/O to securely link almost any equipment to Ignition – including simple sensors – enhancing your plant's production tracking and operational awareness. You’ll also see real-world case studies, including the story of a Tier 1 automotive supplier that successfully implemented these techniques, improving efficiency, creating a Unified Namespace (UNS), and advancing its digitalization efforts as a result.

Migrating from 7.9 Vision to 8.1 Perspective

Frederick Water has been upgrading its Ignition instances from 7.9 to 8.1. In upgrading one of its water treatment plants, it decided to leverage Perspective for the platform’s easily reproducible styles and end-device flexibility. While Vision is a fantastic platform to work in, this session covers some of the benefits of moving to Perspective.

ISO 9001 Certification Journey

Learn about Inductive Automation’s ISO 9001 Certification journey in this moderated panel session. Panel members will share IA’s reasons for pursuing this certification, an overview of the project, lessons learned during the process, resulting benefits, and the impact on IA’s customers.

Tapping Tag Data Flows With SDK Actors

Ignition's Java API makes it easy to tap into raw data flows in the tag subsystem, allowing an SDK module to efficiently monitor, modify, or intercept values. This API can tie into the tag property model to present your features in the designer's Tag Editor with little or no UI code, blending into the Tag Editor like IA's own native features. The Ignition Tag Actor Pipeline will be reviewed in detail in this session, with code examples, implementation ideas, and known pitfalls to avoid.

Industry Panel: Leveling Up Insights Across the Enterprise

Hear from a panel of industry leaders as they discuss how embracing and integrating the different levels of the enterprise can empower industrial organizations with powerful insights and applications that drive growth. Learn strategies for inspiring innovation, unlocking critical insights, and driving significant productivity gains across your entire operation.

From Pit Stop to Power Drive: A Data-Driven Digital Overhaul

Get a walk-through of the basics of utilizing Ignition to start transforming your manual physical-based processes into a modern digital format. The goal of this session is to equip you with the knowledge of how to utilize the tools within the Ignition Designer "garage" to implement a practical use case with a data-driven and templatized model. If you're interested in a targeted under-the-hood presentation that focuses on the implementation side of Ignition, with examples of the grease, gears, and gadgets at your disposal to tune up your plant, this session is for you!

Hello AI, Meet Ignition: Leveraging LLMs in the Ignition Ecosystem

Explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) can enhance the Ignition platform in practical, effective ways. This session will introduce approachable methods for integrating LLMs into your industrial systems — no advanced AI expertise required. Learn how to use LLMs to streamline development, generate insights from historical data, automate repetitive tasks, and improve operator interfaces. We’ll walk through client use cases, development tools, and project management examples to show how LLMs can add value without adding complexity.

Empowering Humanity: Prosthetic Arm and Open-Source Homeless Management System Powered by Ignition

Join HebronSoft and Inductive Automation’s Vice President of Sales, Chris McLaughlin, for an inspiring look at how Ignition is being used to power innovative, socially impactful solutions. This session explores two real-world projects that harness the flexibility and power of the Ignition platform: - Prosthetic Arm Project: Learn how Ignition was used to develop a cutting-edge prosthetic arm that enhances mobility and quality of life for individuals with limb differences — including Ukrainian soldiers who have suffered amputations due to the war. - Homeless Management System: Explore how a volunteer-driven initiative, originally led by Chris McLaughlin during his time at Vertech, evolved into a robust, open-source system — refined in partnership with HebronSoft — to help communities better coordinate support for those experiencing homelessness. Discover how these projects combine cutting-edge technology with social good, setting a new standard for automation in purpose-driven applications.

Compliant Innovation: Ignition in 21 CFR Pharmaceutical Environments

Explore how to navigate the complexities of 21 CFR pharmaceutical environments with Ignition. This session delves into CSA vs. CSV, overcoming the challenges of deploying innovative applications like Ignition, fostering successful partnerships, and rethinking traditional approaches. Gain insights into doing things differently while ensuring compliance and efficiency in regulated spaces. This session is perfect for professionals seeking actionable strategies and collaboration in tech-driven compliance innovation.

Technical Keynote: What's Next?

The industrial technology landscape demands constant evolution. As architectural complexity grows, AI advances rapidly, and enterprise management becomes more challenging, companies must have the software tools they need to keep pace. In this keynote, we'll reveal how the Ignition platform's development is addressing these forces. We'll explore our approach to building distributed architectures, the potential for AI in automation, and the new tools we're designing to deliver the best customer experience in the industry. Join us for an exciting presentation and engaging live Q&A session with Ignition experts.

MES and Beyond: Where Execution Meets Intelligence

Build systems that support today’s goals — and shape tomorrow’s possibilities. This session explores how open, modular MES platforms provide the digital backbone for future-ready operations. In addition to core functions like production tracking, traceability, and quality management, modern MES should drive execution on the plant floor, orchestrate workflows, and enable proactive decision-making through real-time insights, advanced analytics, and AI readiness. Join experts from Sepasoft to see how Sepasoft MES supports continuous improvement and fuels long-term innovation.

Ignition Perspective UX Development & Model-Driven UI

In this session, join Tetra Pak® to learn how to level up your food and beverage process automation with Tetra Pak® PlantMaster. Hear about how Tetra Pak® designed a new front-end application library using Ignition Perspective, exploring collaboration between process automation engineering and UX/UI design teams. You’ll discover UX/UI best practices, how to implement reusable application standards in Ignition Perspective, and how to leverage the Ignition tag provider to accelerate your Perspective application development workflow with model-driven UI.

Creating Modern Smart Manufacturing Architectures and Better Namespaces

Join CESMII CEO, John Dyck, and CESMII Chief Technology Architect, Jonathan Wise, to learn about the three imperatives for smart manufacturing architectures, and how Ignition is positioned to leverage them. Manufacturers stand at an inflection point, facing a generational choice to either continue propagating the architectures, methodologies, and mindsets of the past, or pivot toward smart manufacturing, a journey that positions your enterprise for a significant leap forward in value creation and productivity, and a much more effective, organic collaboration between your OT, IT, and ET organizations. In this session you'll learn best practices for unifying your namespaces with standards, evolving your architectures for AI-readiness, and building portable applications that accelerate agility and prevent vendor lock-in.

Taking the Helm With Ignition on Kubernetes

Get a sneak peek of the new Helm Chart for setting up easier deployments of Ignition on Kubernetes clusters. Inductive Automation’s Lead Software Engineer, Kevin Collins, will share an overview of the chart to build out more advanced architectures.

Structured for Scale: Tag Naming & Data Modeling

Want to level up your Ignition game? It all starts with structure. This session dives into practical, real-world strategies for organizing tag names and designing scalable data models that can grow without turning into a mess. From clean naming conventions to solid architectural patterns, we’ll look at what actually works when building Ignition systems that are easy to scale, maintain, and understand — whether you're starting fresh or trying to bring order to an existing setup.

Welcome to the Next Level: The Future is Here

Industrial automation has changed forever. A new paradigm has taken hold. Old categories are collapsing. Legacy architectures are fading. And a new standard has emerged. This keynote unveils what this shift means and how it's already transforming operations across the globe for those who've made Ignition the cornerstone of their digital strategy for the future.