Press Release

27th July 2010
Beckhoff at Motek 2010: Hall 9, Booth 9108
PC- and EtherCAT- based control technology for assembly and handling
Modular automation of assembly lines
Beckhoff will present its PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology at Motek, the 29th international trade fair for handling and assembly technology, which will take place between 13 and 16 September 2010 at the New Exhibition Centre in Stuttgart, Germany. One of the main items at Booth 9108 in Hall 9 is the new TwinCAT 3 software generation, which offers new possibilities for modern control technology due to its modular structure and multi-core support.
Assembly lines consist of several units, which as a rule are developed and tested to a large extent independently of one another. The new runtime environment of TwinCAT 3 is also modularly structured. With TwinCAT 3, the developer can 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 equally alongside one another. Additional development tools such as Matlab®/Simulink® can 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.

Scientific Automation: Optimum utilisation of multi-core technology

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 summarises this functional extension of the PC-based controller under the topic of “Scientific Automation”, a further main item of Beckhoff’s Motek trade fair presentation. The Beckhoff PC-based control technology provides the necessary basic foundation with powerful CPUs, fast I/O, the fast EtherCAT bus system and TwinCAT software.

www.beckhoff.com/motek

www.beckhoff.com/scientific-automation

www.beckhoff.com/TwinCAT3

Press picture

  • TwinCAT 3 enables the use of pre-developed and tested control modules, which significantly reduces engineering expenditure for new machines and plants. The control applications can be assembled to a large extent from existing modules; they are adapted to the current task solely by parameterisation and interconnection with one another.

    Picture caption:

    TwinCAT 3 enables the use of pre-developed and tested control modules, which significantly reduces engineering expenditure for new machines and plants. The control applications can be assembled to a large extent from existing modules; they are adapted to the current task solely by parameterisation and interconnection with one another.

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Further information:

TwinCAT 3 – Modularisation (PC Control article)

TwinCAT 3 – Multi-core support (PC Control article)

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