Industrial Computer Hardware


A new path appears for modular and IoT-capable machines and systems

Technews Industry Guide: Industrial Internet of Things & Industry 4.0 Industrial Computer Hardware

As machines and systems become more modular and control cabinets smaller, the space requirements of control components are increasingly scrutinised. At the same time, ever more complex and sophisticated machines require more computing performance. However, there are also more cost pressures in the field of automation.

In order to meet all these requirements, Beckhoff has developed a new series of ultra-compact Industrial PCs (IPCs) – starting with the C6015 and leading to the high-end C6030. These devices are ideal for a broad range of applications, including environments with decentralised architectures and today’s IIoT and Industrie 4.0 applications.

The new series of ultra-compact IPCs premiered with the C6015 at the 2016 SPS IPC Drives trade show in Nuremberg. Equipped with an Intel Atom CPU, it is well-suited for all kinds of automation, visualisation and communication tasks in the medium performance range. Measuring only 82 x 82 x 40 mm, the ultra-compact and industrial-strength multi-core IPC is only one-third the size of the C6905, previously the smallest control cabinet IPC in the Beckhoff portfolio. With price savings of approximately 25 percent, the C6015 ranks far below the previously lowest-cost x86 IPCs from Beckhoff. With exceptional installation flexibility, it also opens the door to application areas that were previously closed to IPC technology because of cost or space limitations.

The four factors of a true success story

The ultra-compact C6015 IPC was a true success from the very start. It has already been deployed in a wide range of applications in high volumes, including many large-scale projects in Germany and abroad. The concept of the new IPC generation impressed users for several reasons:

• The most important and obvious feature of the C6015 is the extremely compact size that does not compromise suitability for industrial applications. This is underscored by a design with passive cooling and long-term availability in a robust aluminium and zinc die-cast housing. It also meets all other industrial requirements, such as an expanded temperature range from 0 to 55°C and exceptional vibration and shock resistance.

• Combining high computing power with low energy consumption, the C6015 leverages Intel Atom CPUs with up to four cores, providing the ideal basis to handle all applications in the low to medium performance range.

• The exceptionally flexible installation concept permits vertical or horizontal back wall installation in control cabinets. Moreover, with its symmetrical cooling fins, the C6015 can be positioned freely within the mounting frame. Features like these and the free orientation of the connector level, with all connectors on a single side, allow a wide range of installation scenarios that accommodate all incoming cable feeds in even the smallest spaces. In the past, this was often impossible, precluding the use of an industrial PC in certain machine designs.

• The features and interfaces of the C6015 are also designed for a wide range of applications with a 30 GB M.2 SSD, 2 GB of DDR3L RAM (expandable to 4 GB), one DisplayPort, one onboard dual Ethernet adaptor with 2 x 100/1000Base-T connectors, one USB 3.0 port, and one USB 2.0 port.

Overall, the C6015 is likely the first IPC on the market to offer such a high-performance density paired with all the interfaces needed in machine design.

C6015: popular for use as an IoT gateway

Beyond its typical use case as control hardware for automation and visualisation tasks, the success of the C6015 is also largely based on IoT applications. About half of the devices installed to-date are being used for communications purposes in IoT applications. These may include something as simple as the collection, processing and provision of process data or more complex tasks that are typical of an IoT gateway. The Microsoft Azure certification of the C6015 underscores that it is an ideal device for Industrie 4.0 applications.

The C6015 is well-matched for such communication tasks, including connectivity with legacy systems, because it makes it easy to add IoT capabilities to existing machines and get them ready for future communication requirements, either as an IoT gateway or a basic data collection device.

C6030: Building on a successful concept with high-end computing power

Beckhoff is continuously adding models to its family of ultra-compact and flexible industrial PCs. At the 2017 SPS IPC Drives trade show, for example, the company unveiled the high-end C6030 with processors from the most advanced performance class. This is because the innovative concept introduced with the C6015 also quickly impressed users with automation, visualisation and communication applications who have requirements that go beyond the medium performance range.

The C6030, which is also Microsoft Azure Certified, advances the design of the C6015. In addition to dual-core Intel Celeron and Pentium CPUs, 6th and 7th Generation Intel Core i-processors are available. This is possible because of a new cooling concept based on a durable speed-monitored and controlled fan with dual ball bearings. With dimensions of

132 x 132 x 67 millimetres, the computer is nearly half the size of the closest comparable C6930 control cabinet IPC. The C6030 also offers more standard interfaces even in the basic configuration: an onboard Ethernet adaptor with four 100/1000Base-T connectors, four USB 3.0 ports, and two DisplayPorts. It also features two easily accessible slots for M.2 SSD drives (incl. RAID). Depending on the selected configuration, the C6030 costs up to 34 percent less than a comparable IPC from the C69xx family.

With processors ranging up to the Intel Core i7 with four cores running at 3.6 GHz and the Core i3 with two cores running at 3.9 GHz, the C6030 delivers what may be an unprecedented level of performance in such a compact format. As a result, the successful concept of ultra-compact Beckhoff IPCs has now become available even for very large and complex machine control applications. This can include CNC, XTS and HMI applications, multi-axis control, as well as applications with extremely short cycle times and large data volumes. For legacy equipment, the C6030 can serve as a powerful replacement in control platform retrofits and go well beyond the capabilities of alternate systems. With such a high level of performance, the C6030 can easily handle all machine automation and visualisation tasks as well as all IoT operations. Just like the C6015, the user benefits from an exceptionally flexible installation concept with vertical and horizontal back wall mounting and totally free positioning of the IPC within the mounting frame.

For more information contact Michelle Murphy, Beckhoff Automation, +27 (0)11 795 2898, michellem@beckhoff.com, www.beckhoff.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Complete system for transparent energy monitoring
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Electrical Power & Protection
Transparent energy monitoring reduces both machine downtime and the necessity to oversize the corresponding components. Added to these advantages are simplified preventive maintenance, and increased production efficiency. The wide range of PC-based control technology from Beckhoff offers a solution that can be optimally adapted to individual applications.

Read more...
Condition monitoring in a forging press retrofit
Beckhoff Automation System Integration & Control Systems Design
Significantly increased vibration on machines can result in many forms of negative impacts such as reduced system performance or damage to the machine and foundation. Using the example of retrofitting a forging press with a maximum press force of 2000 tons, Wölfel Engineering explains how efficiently the process was tailored and implemented with PC-based control and measurement technology from Beckhoff.

Read more...
Thermoforming machine automation
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
Hamer has joined forces with Beckhoff to develop a thermoforming machine for water-based cellulose pulp to produce fully recyclable and environmentally-friendly cellulose packaging.

Read more...
TwinCAT Chat integrates LLMs into the automation environment
Beckhoff Automation IT in Manufacturing
Large language models offer a number of benefits for both automation engineers and enterprise management. For automation engineers, LLMs have the potential to revolutionise the development process by automatically generating and completing code. From an enterprise management perspective, LLMs promote knowledge transfer within the organisation.

Read more...
Compact and integrated EtherCAT stepper motor drives
Beckhoff Automation Motion Control & Drives
The integrated ASI8100 stepper motor drive from Beckhoff’s range of compact drive technology products up to 48 V DC combines a stepper motor, stepper motor output stage and fieldbus connection in a space-saving design. As an EtherCAT slave, it can be placed directly on the machine without a control cabinet or upstream I/O level, allowing for highly compact, control cabinet-free machines.

Read more...
Precise detection of complex rotational movements
Beckhoff Automation Sensors & Transducers
The EP3751-0260 EtherCAT Box module by Beckhoff connects an acceleration sensor with an inertial measurement unit - a gyroscope. This provides accurate detection of acceleration and rotational motion in addition to shock, vibration and tilt measurement, both as preprocessed values and as raw sensor data.

Read more...
Easy integration of a motor into a machine
Beckhoff Automation Motion Control & Drives
The AL8000 and AL8100 linear motor series now offers integrated position detection, thanks to the addition of a feedback system. This makes the entire process of integrating a motor into a machine much easier, as users no longer have to mount the scanning head themselves. Users also benefit from all the advantages of Beckhoff’s One Cable Technology.

Read more...
Intelligent energy recovery
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Electrical Power & Protection
Beckhoff’s AX8820 regenerative unit for effective energy management is designed for a nominal supply voltage of 400 to 480 V AC, nominal output of 7 kW, and a maximum DC link voltage of 848 V DC. The regenerative energy is initially stored in the DC link.

Read more...
Precise part machining
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
toolcraft manufactures on behalf of its customers using its 60 CNC machines, and designs, plans and builds turnkey production systems for companies in various industries, having added injection moulding, mould making and additive manufacturing technologies along the way. Robotics is the company’s newest technology division. This is why toolcraft relies on PC-based control, including in the production cells, which have seven-axis milling robots for machining components at CNC level.

Read more...
CNC cycle package for triple-axis milling and drilling
Beckhoff Automation Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Beckhoff provides a comprehensive package of different cycles for triple-axis milling and drilling machines with the TwinCAT 3 CNC milling base.

Read more...