PC and EtherCAT-based control technology for assembly and handling.
Assembly lines consist of several units, which are often developed and tested independently of one another. The new runtime environment of TwinCAT 3 is also modularly structured, allowing developers to make use of a large number of existing modules and combine them in a modern development environment based on Microsoft Visual Studio to form new modules or entire control programs. Both the IEC 61131-3 automation languages and C and C++ are available and can be used alongside one another. Additional development tools such as Matlab/Simulink can also be used to create modules. By means of the interaction of the TwinCAT 3 control modules via defined interfaces on a common control platform, the full performance of an industrial or embedded PC can be utilised without communication or synchronisation losses.
TwinCAT 3 can use all cores of modern CPUs and can also be used on both 32 and 64-bit systems. The TwinCAT tasks can be outsourced to different CPU cores. This further increases the performance of the PC controller and, in addition to PLC and motion control, can integrate functions such as measurement technology, condition monitoring and robotics. Beckhoff PC-based control technology provides the necessary foundation with powerful CPUs, fast I/O, the fast EtherCAT bus system and TwinCAT software.
Dynamic control of industrial solar plants and energy storage systems Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice IT in Manufacturing
Spanish group, Power Electronics uses Beckhoff embedded PCs and TwinCAT software to achieve switching times of 110 ms across solar and battery storage systems, enabling the delivery of grid support services that command higher energy prices.
Read more...PC-based control in surgery Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Researchers at the University of Basel are using Beckhoff PC-based control technology to develop a miniature laser robot for minimally invasive bone surgery.
Read more...How the DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Ageing servers and unsupported operating systems are quietly eroding the stability of process plants that rely on distributed control systems. Kobus Vermeulen of Schneider Electric explains how virtualising the DCS environment can break the hardware obsolescence cycle without disrupting operations.
Read more...Test bench for temperature calibrating power semiconductors Beckhoff Automation
Temperature Measurement
Precise temperature characteristics are essential for performing power cycling tests on power semiconductors. Infineon Technologies determines these characteristic curves on a test bench using PC-based control. As a result, calibration has become more precise and the efficiency of the entire test laboratory has increased significantly.
Read more...XTS for highly efficient end-of-line packaging of beverage bottles Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice
Italian machine builder Clevertech used Beckhoff’s XTS linear transport system to help a Dutch distillery double its bottle packaging throughput to 225 bottles per minute while cutting format changeover times from 30 minutes to just seven.
Read more...Motion control for flight simulators Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
Turkish specialist, SANLAB is a leader in motion platforms and simulation technologies. At the heart of these platforms are application-specific servo drives, servomotors and industrial PCs for real-time control, which are supplied by Beckhoff.
Read more...Centralised control rooms where growth is elastic, not physical Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Modernised control rooms feature distributed control system architecture consolidated into centralised compute environments. replacing traditional PCs with thin clients.
Read more...Appointment Beckhoff Automation
News
Beckhoff Automation has appointed Luzuko Bulembu as technical support engineer.
Read more...A single platform for all automation functions Beckhoff Automation
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The introduction of TwinCAT in 1996 marked a decisive evolutionary step for PC-based control. Today, the TwinCAT platform combines all automation functions in a strictly deterministic real-time environment, from PLC and motion control through CNC and measurement technology and beyond, to vision, robotics and pioneering AI tools.
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