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!