James Belcher
Senior Controls Engineer / AI Systems Integration
Senior Design/Controls Engineer with extensive experience in the design, manufacture, maintenance, and support of a wide range of automation systems. Customer-facing technical advisor with history of traveling with sales teams for discovery, demos, and implementation support. Currently developing AI integration platforms connecting frontier LLMs (Claude, GPT-4) to industrial control systems. Background includes PLC, SCADA, Motion control, Robotics, software, electrical, and management responsibilities.
Industrial Control Systems - Lead Controls / Programming Engineer
April 2018 - March 2022ICS Remote Customer Monitor System
- Developed Secure Remote Customer Monitoring system for maintenance and upgrades for remote customer facilities
- Enabled secure access for troubleshooting and system updates
Filter Magic IQ Vision System
- SCADA acquisition system for Water/Wastewater Facilities
- Backwash Monitoring System with visual inspection capabilities
HSQ Technology - Senior Design/Controls Engineer
Aug 2014 - May 2016, Dec 2017 - April 2018Major Transit Expansion SCADA Control System
- Complex SCADA control system for multiple stations and train control houses
- System used multiple Rockwell L72 CPU and Flex IO with 5000+ I/O points
RIDS - Railway Intruder Detection System
- Virtualized OpenVMS based control system to detect fence intrusions along train right of way
- Integrated motion sensors and thermal vision cameras
- Over 1100 sensors and 16000+ I/O points
InMotion Robotics LLC - Lead Controls Engineer
August 2012 - July 2014Water Heater Robotic Line Upgrade
- Upgraded manual assembly line to full robotic system with machine vision
- High speed water heater spud weld process while maintaining safe manual operation capability
Automated Fuel Pump Assembly System
- Weld cell to assemble and weld fuel pump bellow assemblies
- Vision verification of proper weld quality
Automatic Accumulating Conveyor Upgrade
- Upgraded existing accumulator conveyor system for range packaging line
- Tight schedule: only 1 week during plant shutdown to install and commission
Secure Remote M2M Monitoring System
- Secure web-based HMI and production monitoring for windshield defrost cells
- Multi-site deployment: Tennessee (2) and Mexico (2)
Automated Laser Core Deflection Measuring System
- Automated measurement of large-format radiator core assemblies
Aquilex Corp - Principal Controls Engineer
October 1998 - July 2012PAIRS - Pipe Automated Inspecting, Welding and Repair System
- Automated remote pipe MIG repair for on-site underground refinery piping
- Work performed at operational refinery
- Sick 3D machine vision for scanning
- Extremely short design and build schedule
Alloy 600 Repair Welding and Machining System
- Remote automated TIG and MIG welding and machining for nuclear weld repair
- Operators operated the system over two miles from reactor over fiber optics
Midwall Automated Welding and Machining System
- Automated TIG welding and machining for reactor control rod nozzle repair
CANDU Reactor Coolant Piping Repair Weld System
- Complex geometry TIG welding for CANDU reactor coolant lines
STARS High Pressure Cleaning System
- Remote automated high pressure cleaning for refinery tubesheet cleaning
Welding Services (WSI)
1998 - 2004Spent Fuel Canister Weld System
- Automated TIG welding process for spent fuel canister lid welds for nuclear industry
PLC Mig Automated Weld System
- Automated MIG weld metal overlay for boilers and vessels
- Used in petrochemical plants and refineries
Mag Particle Automated Inspection System
- Automated Magnetic Particle Inspection of Spent Fuel Canister Welds
Remote Video Weld Control Console
- Automated TIG welding for remote video welding applications
- Nuclear, petrochemical, and refining industries
Tube Overlay Weld System
- Automated tube MIG overlay for manufacture of pre-overlay boilers
Framatome - Field Service Engineer
May 1991 - October 1998Narrow Groove Welding System Interface
- System to operate and control automated welding machine for remote video welding
- Steam generator replacement primary piping welds
EDM Control System
- Remote EDM system interface console for Handsvedt EDM machine
- Custom PCB controls interface
Underwater Laser Measurement Inspection System
- Optically correct measurements from live underwater video
- Custom PCB controls interface
Quality Technology Services (QTS) - Senior DCIM III Engineer
August 2024 - August 2025- Managing data center infrastructure projects including new construction and maintaining facility uptime
- Work with Senior management on latest technologies for large scale SCADA systems using Aveva and Ignition
- Provide senior mentorship to other DCIM engineers and staff
ITAC Corporation - Senior Controls Consultant
June 2023 - July 2024- Worked with both internal and external customers for Power Systems and Water Technology groups
- Lead Design Engineer for Z2W Sensor System and Ameriskid Ultrafiltration Pilot Skid
- Provided subject matter expertise and engineering support for existing SCADA and Controls installations
Bosch Rexroth Corporation - Senior Application Specialist, Motion
May 2022 - June 2023- 100% customer-facing role providing application and software support for Bosch Rexroth customers in Florida region
- Traveled regularly with sales team to customer sites for technical discovery, demos, and relationship building
- Developed demos, sample code, and prototypes for prospective customers. Assisted with legacy code conversion
- Provided sales support and tested/developed libraries for new controls products
Industrial Control Systems - Lead Controls / Programming Engineer
April 2018 - March 2022- Lead developer of VTScada as flagship SCADA solution and ICS's IQ System/IQ Vision products
- Provided national sales support including establishing California office for west coast water/wastewater market
- Developed Remote Maintenance Access system and standardized programming methods
Blueprint Automation - Senior Controls Engineer
May 2016 - Dec 2017- Lead Controls Engineer for Delta Robot single and multi-cell packaging systems development
- Instrumental in developing new modular coding standards. Factory trained Fanuc iRPicktool/Handlingtool
HSQ Technology - Senior Design/Controls Engineer
Aug 2014 - May 2016, Dec 2017 - April 2018- Electrical design, software, documentation, project management for large scale mass transit SCADA systems
- Lead architect for integrated railroad intruder detection system (RIDS). Managed custom protocol development team
InMotion Robotics LLC - Lead Controls Engineer
August 2012 - July 2014- Designed custom automation for Tier 2/3 automotive manufacturers: ABB robot cells, Cognex vision, Rockwell PLCs
Aquilex (formerly Welding Services WSI) - Principal Controls Engineer
October 1998 - July 2012- Key company subject matter expert on weld metal overlay automation. Led multiple automation process control initiatives
- Managed internal and external controls resources. Extensive remote video welding/machining/inspection experience
- Lead Controls Engineer for Alloy 600 weld overlay and PLCMIG automation systems development
Framatome - Field Service Engineer
May 1991 - October 1998- Maintenance and field support of automated welding machines at nuclear facilities worldwide
- Assisted in design and manufacture of field welding and machining automation modules
Software & AI Development
- GOPLC - Full IEC 61131-3 PLC runtime in Go: 14 protocol drivers, boss/minion clustering (10,000+ instances), agentic AI control loop, JWT auth, offline licensing, Snap/ctrlX CORE packaging — White Papers: Data Center Gateway | PLC Clustering | DC Simulation: Hardware | DC Simulation: Virtual
- Industrial Protocol Suite - Modbus Client/Server, Omron FINS Client/Server, EtherNet/IP Adapter & Scanner
- ScanForge - AI-powered trading analysis platform with backtesting and market scanning
- Item Analyzer - Computer vision and AI-based product analysis system for market research
- Smart Organizer - Inventory management system with image recognition and cataloging
- Design Automation - Custom scripting and automation tools for engineering workflows
- Technologies - Python, Go, REST APIs, Docker, Claude AI, Machine Learning integration
PLC / Controls Manufacturers
- Rockwell (ControlLogix / CompactLogix / GuardLogix)
- Schneider Electric
- Yaskawa
- Siemens
- Bosch Rexroth
- Phoenix Contact
- Wago
- Opto22
- Automation Direct
HMI / SCADA
- Aveva Wonderware
- VT Scada
- GE Ifix
- Ignition
- Iconics Genesis
- Rockwell Factory Talk
- HSQ Miser
Robotics & Motion
- ABB Robots (IRB-120, IRB-140, IRB-6640)
- Delta Robot Systems
- Yaskawa Motion Controllers & Servos
- AB PowerFlex VFDs
Machine Vision
- Cognex Insight Vision Systems
- Sick 3D Machine Vision
- Thermal Vision Cameras
- Laser Measurement Systems
Industrial Protocols
- EtherCAT
- EtherNet/IP
- Modbus TCP/RTU
- DeviceNet
- Profibus
- ASi Bus
- BACNet
- Fiber Optic Communications
Industry Experience
- Data Center
- Water / Wastewater
- Nuclear
- Aerospace
- Packaging
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Mass Transit
Hardware Design
- Custom PCB Design
- Embedded Microprocessor Development
- Control Panel Design
- Remote/Underwater Systems
Programming Languages
- IEC 61131-3 (Ladder, Structured Text, Function Block, SFC)
- C / C++
- Python
- Go
- JavaScript / Node.js
Education
Virginia Western Community College
Roanoke, VA (ABET Accredited)
Associate in Applied Science
Electrical Engineering Technology
Class of 1991
U.S. Patent
Apparatus and Method for Automatically Performing Weld Operations Using Computer Vision
Multi-axis motion control with automatic torch positioning and real-time seam tracking for nuclear manufacturing environments.
Professional Portfolio
- GitHub Profile — Open source industrial automation projects, protocol implementations, and AI integration tools
- LinkedIn Profile — Professional network and recommendations