PCBased Controllers - Motion Control Tips

IoT with Beckhoff at IMTS: Hardware + software + networking for machine tool and metalworking

August 23, 2018 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Beckhoff Automation will highlight smart-factory hardware, software, EtherCAT, and TSN networking solutions this September at the Integrated Automation, Motion & Drives (IAMD) USA show — Hannover Messe USA 2018 — in booth 134417. Visit them September 10 to 15, 2018 at McCormick Place in the convention center’s Lakeside Center — the east building.

This IAMD show is collocated with IMTS 2018.

Beckhoff Automation will also show an integrated PC and EtherCAT-based CNC platform … and support the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) — the largest fieldbus organization in the world — at partner booth 134117.

ETG was founded in 2003 and has more than 4,900 members from 65 countries to support and advance EtherCAT technology.

Beckhoff’s TwinCAT facilitates the implementation of advanced data acquisition and analytics in the field via system-integrated hardware, software and networking tools. Users can implement IoT and data analytics scenarios directly into existing control systems and IT infrastructures. Existing fieldbuses can be used for the communication; data exchange with the cloud also takes place via standard protocols. As a result, system costs, engineering effort and training time are all significantly reduced.

The newest series of ultra-compact Industrial PCs from Beckhoff meets all requirements for advanced machine and smart factory designs. Scalable computing power and flexible mounting make the IPCs work for myriad automation, visualization, and communication installations.

C6015 PCs offers ample computing power for use as an IoT edge device for collecting, processing and transmitting process data … up to the more complex tasks of an IoT gateway.

In contrast, C6017 PCs complement the series by integrating a larger number of communication interfaces and a UPS. The C6030, which combines high-end computing power with an ultra-compact design, is targeted for applications with the highest performance requirements in the industry.

Another Beckhoff Automation option on display will be the EK1000 coupler, which connects EtherCAT I/O with time-sensitive networking (TSN). That broadens application possibilities of EtherCAT in heterogeneous network environments. According to Beckhoff Automation, support of TSN networking means the coupler minimizes delay times caused by TSN switches in Ethernet networks and connects the wide range of EtherCAT devices and EtherCAT I/O Terminals to the TSN world.

Still another item on display will be the EL922x EtherCAT Terminal series for integrated electronic overcurrent protection into EtherCAT I/O system (for safeguarding 24-Vdc components).

Use promo code BECKVIP18 for free admission courtesy of Beckhoff Automation to the IAMD-IMTS-Hannover Messe USA show.

What are PCI motion control cards?

November 3, 2017 By Miles Budimir Leave a Comment

PCI stands for peripheral component interconnect (PCI.) It is a computer bus for connecting together various hardware devices. A PCI motion control card is simply a card that is PCI compatible, that is, one that plugs into a PCI bus on a PC or industrial PC.

In fact, for motion control cards, the most common form factor is PCI. The reason this is so goes back to the origin of the bus itself. In the early ‘90s Intel introduced the PCI bus and by the mid ‘90s with Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system and it’s plug-and-play feature, PCI took off. This made it easy to add new functionality to PCs, quickly and with a minimum of programming and setup. Combined with the steadily increasing processing power of PCs, motion control algorithms could now be executed on PC-based systems via the PCI bus.

PCI-based motion controllers, like these DMC-18×6 controllers from Galil, handle from one to eight axes of motion, feature servo update rates to 32 kHz, and can be configured to work with either stepper or servo motors.

A typical PCI-based system consists of a host computer in which the PCI cards reside, and an interconnect card that interfaces between the control and feedback signals from the field (from motors, drives, and feedback devices) and the controller card itself. Because PC-based systems were the first ones to use motion control cards that were PCI-based, the PCI-bus card was one of the original and still is fairly common throughout the industry.

These days, a standard PCI card for motion control has a certain number of fairly standard features. These can include multiple axes of motion control (from 1 to 4 is typical, but more axes up to 8 or 16 and even beyond are increasingly common), a range of I/O options, motion profile generation and control algorithms such as PID, as well as options for different network connections.

What is PC control for motion?

September 15, 2017 By Miles Budimir Leave a Comment

Motion controller architectures can be one of several types. Among the most common are stand-alone controllers and PC-based control.

PC control for motion typically takes the form of so-called industrial PCs. These feature processors just like a typical PC but a lot of the other components are ruggedized and designed for operation in an industrial environment. Industrial PCs operate in environments with noise and dust and possibility of exposure to harsh chemicals as well as shock and vibration and extremes in temperature and/or humidity.

The SIMOTION P system from Siemens brings together motion control and logic control on one PC platform. The company’s SCOUT software provides motion control functions as well as drive control (both servo and vector) for an entire machine.

Processing power is a key benefit of PC-based controls as they can take advantage of the latest and fastest processors. Another important advantage is that the PC platform is familiar and so there is less of a learning curve for commissioning and programming and setup. A big reason why it’s so familiar is the PC graphical user interface (GUI) which makes it much easier to program and work with the system than other types of controllers that may have GUIs that are not as intuitive or user friendly. PC-based controllers are also easily scalable for expanding and changing motion control requirements.

PC-based controllers have benefitted greatly from the increasing performance of consumer and mobile computing processors. Today’s PCs have far more processing power than earlier generations of PCs and can easily run complex motion programs with standard operating systems managing the hardware resources.

A big advantage of newer generation PC-based controllers is that they have CPUs with multi-core processors. Multiple CPUs on one controller can run parallel tasks, managing I/O and motion with improved determinism and real-time execution in addition to normal PC tasks.

Also, compared with dedicated processor options, PC-based motion control may be the more economical option.

Real-time performance in PC-based control: Technology update

July 25, 2017 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

Eric Reiner, Industrial PC Product Specialist | Beckhoff Automation

System performance hangs heavy on the minds of every machine builder when commissioning new projects — particularly when it comes to the control platform. That’s with good reason, as the controller is arguably the most important facet of a machine … and often the first place people look when fighting bottlenecks and performance issues.

Conventional PLCs have traditionally been the go-to option for engineers, as these devices provide hardened real-time control. But they also come with fairly steep replacement costs, as PLCs often implement proprietary operating systems and software; some also limit flexibility or scalability from platform to platform. So some engineers have begun applying other options for real-time performance in machine control systems. One option is PC-based control — increasingly common thanks in part to its expansive feature set and cost effectiveness.

Most PC-based controllers from Beckhoff include reliable and common Intel processors; some entry-level controllers integrate ARM-based processors. Core isolation in PC-based controls lets users assign specific tasks to each core within the CPU (as a way to optimize processing capabilities).

Two major benefits of modern PC-based systems are multi-core processor architecture and the core isolation that PC-based automation software enables. The latter lets designers assign specific control tasks to each core within the CPU as a way to optimize system processing capabilities while minimizing the times the system runs at maximum capacity. This in turn extends controller life and boosts efficiency, as the processor runs cooler (thanks to a lower CPU burden). What’s more, PC-based control systems leverage the newest and fastest processors. Case in point: Some advanced PC-based controllers incorporate reliable Intel processors; other entry-level controllers integrate ARM-based processors. That ensures consistent industry-leading performance but at the lowest possible cost for the hardware, software, networking, and total cost of ownership.

Other benefits of PC-based control are inherent scalability and flexible migration paths. Should an operation outgrow the performance level or scale of its current control system, migration to a larger system is simple. That’s especially true for PC-based controllers using a Windows OS and automation software to establish real-time control. This lets the PC operate deterministically and in real-time.

PC-based controllers abound, and many include powerhouse multi-core offerings. Case in point: Some from Beckhoff offer up to 36 processor cores and 2 TB of RAM. Complementing this hardware is TwinCAT software that runs as a real-time extension to the Windows kernel. In fact, TwinCAT software regulates how system resources are allocated. Normally the Windows OS has full control of the CPU, but if TwinCAT is installed (and its real-time kernel is running) it assumes control and allocates space within each tick for TwinCAT operations before handing control back to Windows. Kernel level PLC or C++ code deploy to a larger system via standard storage media; new systems can be setup and run in minutes.

Plus processor end-of-life doesn’t make system architecture or software obsolete. By incorporating more functionality into software and running that on a standard Industrial PCs, users can simply replace aging equipment with a new IPC without changing to the balance of the control system — especially the software.

In short, PC-based control systems deliver real-time performance to supplant traditional PLCs. They also enable advanced features and streamline optimization and scalability. One might even reverse the usual question for companies seeking a control solution and ask: Can real-time operating systems on PLC-based controllers deliver the necessary performance to keep your operation competitive? For some, the answer is no.

For more information, visit beckhoff.com/ipc.

More Beckhoff PC-based controllers earn Microsoft Azure certification

July 5, 2017 By Miles Budimir Leave a Comment

To provide plants, factories and machine builders with even more system-integrated solutions for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Beckhoff Automation has announced Microsoft Azure™ certification for the C6015 Industrial PC (IPC) and CX5140 Embedded PC. All certified devices from Beckhoff can be found in the Microsoft “Azure Certified for IoT” device catalog, providing customers with an easy-to-reference guide for Azure-compatible devices. Both the C6015 IPC and CX5140 Embedded PC offer a powerful set of features and can help implement cloud connectivity in a wide range of industries.

The compact C6015 IPC opens up new application areas for PC-based control technology, especially those with pronounced cost or space restraints. Fully suited to industrial applications, the cabinet-mounted IPC with Intel Atom processor options (1-, 2- or 4-cores) is compact, measuring just 82 x 82 x 40 mm. The larger CX5140 Embedded PCs are equipped with 4-core Intel Atom processors and feature a direct backplane connection to the Beckhoff I/O system (EtherCAT Terminals or Bus Terminals).

TwinCAT automation software from Beckhoff establishes the IoT connectivity for these PC-based control devices. When running TwinCAT, the same hardware device used for IoT can handle all aspects of machine automation – from PLC and motion control, to visualization and HMI functionality – all in a compact format for cabinet mounting or DIN rail mounting.

Beckhoff has maintained a long-standing development partnership with Microsoft. This began with the company’s early commitment to deploy standard Windows operating systems for industrial applications across all product lines. With the rise of IoT, IIoT and Industrie 4.0 concepts, Beckhoff continues to work closely with Microsoft to certify PC-based control devices for use with Azure cloud services.

The recent inclusion of these two additional Beckhoff devices in the Azure Certified for IoT device catalog assures Azure cloud connectivity and eliminates the need for compatibility testing on the part of end users. Users will know immediately that their Beckhoff devices will seamlessly connect to Azure cloud systems and deliver the required functionality.

For more information, visit www.beckhoffautomation.com.

Catching up with Beckhoff at ATXEast

June 20, 2017 By Paul Heney Leave a Comment

I had a great chat with Beckhoff’s Daymon Thompson at last week’s ATX East trade show at New York’s Javits Center. The PC-based machine controls company features a range of processors, from an ARM processor all the way up to an industrial server with 36 cores and two terabytes of memory—possibly the biggest PLC on the planet.

“At this show we’re showing EtherCAT P, so it’s basically Power over Ethernet, except on the industrial scale,” Thompson said. “It’s an open standard from the EtherCAT technology group. We’re the first ones to launch a product against it, but many companies are building products for that power over EtherCAT standard.”

Another big theme with the show was IoT—in fact, there was a whole session track dedicated to it at the conference. Thompson said he felt that there was a lot of good content.

“We talked about our solutions for IoT and taking the communicate-to-cloud-based services like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, whatever they might choose for the implementation strategy. We’re able to do that from the PLC, using PLC function blocks with a programmer, and then connect to the cloud without having to be an IT programmer, just a PLC guy,” he said.

“We also talked a lot about our analytics workbench that we’re developing. The idea there is to be able to stream data from a machine, sort things with every scan of a PLC, and then be able to go back in the same environment as the PLC programming and really analyze the data to figure out how to optimize the machine, make it run faster, find any weird anomalies in it.”

During set up, Thompson explained, one mode in this work bench allows you to optimize the system to make it faster and optimize the cell. You drag in tools you need, but beyond that, you may want to continue to monitor things. Maybe the timing on a loading sequence is continually growing. You can put the timing through a timing analysis block, and then put that through a rate of change block and set a threshold. Click the button that says “generate code” and it will actually generate a PLC code so that it continually monitors things.

“We’ve also developed, with our IoT suite of products, a function block library for a PLC programmer,” he said. “He can decide he would like to send this data or this message to an iPhone or an Android. It’s a free downloadable app, so if you tie all the products together, we can run real-time analytics on the machine—kind of edge computing. Then, if something changes like the loading sequence time, if it has increased over time in a certain rate of change, then we send a notification to say a production manager or a maintenance guy. Then a little alert shows up on his smartphone, that says that machine is having increased loading time.”

“When we want to build the analytics tools, it literally looks like a toolbox on one side that says ‘I want to do trigger analysis,’” Thompson said. “I drag in a trigger analysis and then drag in one of the PLC variables for, say, a Boolean. Now I want to know how many times do I go from high to low, low to high, and then when that happened? So, I drag in some other tools and will be able to correlate all kinds of different events in the machine.”

Thompson said they know that even with the toolbox that they’ve developed, there’s going to be other use cases that come up. Beckhoff wants it to be extensible, and they’ve built a tool with MATLAB Simulink from Mathworks. This resulted in some incredibly powerful tools, such as data analytics tools, and machine learning.

“In there, you can design your extended algorithm, whatever it might be, for your use case, compile it, basically hit a button and it compiles it, puts it in our platform, and then runs it in real time in our environment. We want to build it abstract,” he said. “We wanted to make it not too application specific and make it extensible. So, for a use case you can come up with, we think we’ve built a product that can really solve it. Or at least help, give you the tools.”

Industrial IoT for updating the dated — B&R Orange Box brings intelligence to legacy operations

May 3, 2017 By Ken Korane Leave a Comment

For those looking to bring manufacturing intelligence to legacy production sites, B&R Automation introduced its new Orange Box at the 2017 Hannover Fair. According to company officials, the Orange Box lets machine operators collect and analyze data from previously isolated machines and production lines and upgrade them for IIoT/Industry 4.0 operations—with a minimal effort.

The Orange Box lets manufacturers upgrade standalone machines to give them IIoT capabilities.

An Orange Box consists of a controller and preconfigured software blocks called mapps. The controller collects operating data from any machine via its I/O channels or a fieldbus connection—regardless of who supplied the existing control system. From this data, the mapps generate and display overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) ratings and other KPIs, and can also share the information with higher-level systems via OPC-UA.

Installing the modular Orange Box requires no changes to existing hardware or software, said company officials. Users only need a 25-mm-wide compact PLC and the mapp OEE component to collect and analyze basic operating data. For more advanced features, such as alarm management or energy monitoring, the system can be scaled up with more powerful PLCs and add-on software.

Besides PLC capabilities, a Power Panel or a Panel PC can give the Orange Box an up-to-date user interface. Equipment owners can reportedly see a substantial productivity boost with a relatively small investment in time and cost.

The Orange Box is suitable for transforming brownfield plants into smart factories, said Ralf Hagen, E&A engineering manager at Nestlé Germany. In a smart factory, components need a better way to communicate and interact than in traditional setups, he explained. “There should be an unbroken logical chain for each customer order that can be executed automatically, start to finish. A machine should know when it needs to speed up or slow down—when it should request additional materials or refuse them. Currently, these decisions still require the experience of human operators, but in the future the machines should be able to handle them autonomously,” he said.

“One characteristic of a smart factory is certainly resource efficiency, with reduced consumption and the resulting reduction in operating costs,” added Thomas Rienessl, head of industry-specific business development at B&R. “Virtually all modern equipment is automated by intelligent components that produce enormous amounts of data. Manufacturers are therefore looking for ways to leverage this data to be more competitive. That can mean making production processes more agile and responsive, for example, or increasing availability by preventing unplanned downtime.”

And the reality at Nestlé, explained Hagen, is that the level of intelligence at various plants varies widely around the world.

“Smaller plants have less clout when it comes to innovations, market penetration and investments. Our plants vary greatly with regard to sector and size, so the level of smart manufacturing really runs the gamut,” he added.

Nonetheless, Nestlé has set OEE targets and time frames for achieving them, and there are numerous other related issues, said Hagen.

“If your machine has problems with unplanned downtime, for example, you also tend to have problems with operator safety. The more often they have to intervene, the greater the risk of injury. Another key aspect is energy efficiency. When a line is constantly starting and stopping and starting and stopping, that has a real impact on consumption. At the same time quality suffers, because of the waste that is produced when the machine is starting up or shutting down.”

“The challenge is always to figure out how to improve production with the means and equipment you actually have on hand,” said Rienessl. “In practice, greenfield plants are simply far outnumbered by brownfield ones. The real challenge in terms of productivity is therefore to get more out of the assets that are already in place.”

That’s why Nestlé turned to B&R and the Orange Box to upgrade its plant in Osthofen, Germany, he continued. The product is a versatile, open system for collecting, standardizing and evaluating data in real time, and it readily adapts if requirements change. “The Orange Box allows machine operators to check relevant parameters on site and intervene immediately when necessary. When you’re talking about high availability, it’s essential that any deviations are detected early and the right corrective measures are taken right away. That’s exactly what the Orange Box lets you do, which is why it has been so well received.

“The Orange Box can be used in any industry, but it’s particularly well suited for plants where there are large numbers of machines involved in the production process. Basically there are two types of customers that it appeals to: large industrial manufacturers and machine builders,” said Rienessl.

“Installing and configuring the prototype turned out to be even faster and easier than we expected,” noted Hagen. “Now we’re working on improving the analysis results and how they are displayed for daily use such as shift handover meetings. What we want to have is intelligent analysis that identifies the root causes of a problem before the problem ever occurs. Over the next four years, we want to get to a place where the machines warn us of an impending stoppage in advance, rather than having to troubleshoot after the fact the way we do now. Eventually, there should be no more unplanned downtime whatsoever, and the Orange Box will help us increase both machine availability and output.”

B&R Automation • www.br-automation.com

Motion controllers see major shifts in design thanks to IoT, online configuration, and more

April 19, 2017 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

We recently asked several industry experts about trends in the design and application of motion controllers to get an idea of where these precision command centers are changing approaches to design engineering. Then we published a much-abbreviated sampling of the enormous amount of insightful feedback Design World received. Below is the uncut commentary in its entirety. Enjoy — and be sure to give us a shoutout or share on LinkedIn if you liked this piece on motion controllers.

Do you see the same or more demand for controllers offering design simplicity or turnkey operation?

Paul Brenner • Eaton Hydraulics Group: As machines and market requirements become more complex, we’re seeing increased demand for integrated solutions both at product and machine levels. So we work directly with customers to understand wants and needs — and then engineer fully assembled subsystems to address both regulatory and performance challenges.

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We currently have subsystems available for work, propel, steering, and auxiliary applications. Our product designers, application engineers, and systems experts continue to model (and validate through hardware) ways to improve the productivity, efficiency and stability of final machine designs.

Max Wietharn | Managing partner • Koco Motion US LLC: A trend we’ve seen over the last 10 years is design engineers being asked to perform engineering tasks in several areas. In other words, they may have a degree in mechanical engineering, but they must also perform electrical engineering and software development as well. So these design engineers increasingly rely on the technical assistance of suppliers.

Design engineers are also being asked to reduce time to market, which requires products that are easier to use and integrate into product designs. One of the ways we’ve responded to these demands is by designing a motion-control programming architecture that’s simple to understand and quick to implement. We call it SnapTrack. Shown below is the configuration and programming space. Function Blocks are selected from the left and dragged to the build space on the right. Detailed program coding is not required.

The connected blocks in the work space on the right represent the entire motion program. The complete program is shown again below.

John Kowal | Director of business development • B&R Industrial Automation: We’re delivering a combination of simplified software — our modular application (mapp) technology — along with integrated, functional machine modules, as in turnkey integration of SuperTrak industrial transport technology and robotic systems with our motion and machine control solution.

The result is functional hardware-software modules that serve as building blocks for machine builders to deliver more flexible and compact work cells. Instead of conveying to machines to process parts, manufacturing or packaging processes can occur during transport.

By synchronizing robotic axes to SuperTrak platens with the precision of a CNC axis, we can deliver solutions suited to batch-of-one manufacturing and assembly; order fulfillment for online retailers; and automated rainbow packing at the place of manufacture (instead of manual repacking at the distribution center). This level of integration goes far beyond traditional actuators and standalone robots.

Convey parts to machines to process? No more! Manufacturing + packaging during transport #MotionController #AutomationTrends @BR_Automation Click To Tweet

From a control perspective, everything is developed in a unified software development environment, in a single program running on a single processor over a single industrial Ethernet network for motion, logic, I/O, HMI, robotics, safety, condition monitoring, data acquisition, and transport — independent of the hardware form factor … and so totally scalable. (More after the jump.)

High-speed pick-and-place applications require precise kinematic robot control for multiple robots with vision system guidance and conveyor speed control. Omron’s Sysmac platform lets engineers perform comprehensive multi-axis (full-motion) simulation and tuning to simplify setup and testing of complex machines.

Darrell Paul • Omron Automation Americas: Omron continues to deliver value on two fronts — with easy-to-use products and application specific system solutions. For example, our new 1S series servo features realtime adaptive control and a new feature that optimizes the move profile — both resulting in top performance with plug-and-play simplicity. If the 1S servo is connected to the Omron Sysmac platform, the drive can auto-configure itself. Omron offers application solutions within Sysmac with a comprehensive Function Block Library that offers application support beyond the standard IEC 61131-3 library, including vision integration with motion.

For robots, Omron provides application solutions through ACE software, through which the customer can select an application and then train the robot through a series of simple steps that often include vision functionality as well. These robotics applications include pick and place, dispensing, product sorting and orientation, among others. What really separates Omron from other automation suppliers are time-saving features in the Sysmac Studio software platform that even has a multi-axis full-motion simulation and tuning capabilities to make complex machine setup easier. Most importantly, the integrated programming environment provides a large reduction in risk, engineering, installation commissioning, and run-off testing.

A single centralized Machine Automation Controller and one integrated programming environment support the whole system, including the kinematic robotics, motion control, vision, safety and sequence control. Image courtesy Omron Automation

Have you added or expanded services to provide more in-house engineering support and upfront customization?

Kowal • B&R: Our mapp Technology allows significant software integration to let design engineers program less and configure more. Mapp components are IEC 61131-3-compatible software objects that are as straightforward to use as Function Blocks … but incorporate unprecedented functionality and communications.

OEMs and integrators still retain control over their intellectual property using a combination of map components and their own software development to solve the application.

We don’t think it’s a good idea to do integration for our customers. It’s important that OEMs own their software rather than depending on their automation supplier to develop customized solutions (that OEMs may find difficult to support down the road). We are reducing the learning curve, but the OEM needs to both understand their machinery’s software and differentiate their machinery based on their application knowhow.

Brenner • Eaton Hydraulics Group: We have a global team of application engineers (our ACE team) that’s knowledgeable and skilled at providing solutions at system and machine levels. In addition to upfront and after-sale support that these application experts provide, we recently formed a new team of controls and machine specialists. This team develops and solves problems associated with deep machine integration, not just at the hydraulic level but across all the whole machine, because let’s face it — the only way we’ll satisfy the long-term goals of customers is to take a holistic view in terms of power generators and power consumers … and how we apply cross-system data share techniques to enable true power optimization at the machine level. This group is called our Dynamic Machine Control team, and they work very closely with our ACE team on new opportunities.

We also work to understand machines’ duty cycles and operating conditions to help build solutions that help address their problems. For example, we’re currently working with a European OEM on a new steering solution. To drive efficient machine operation, the operator needed both front and rear-mounted steering inputs, making the cab ergonomics complex and a bit of a tight squeeze. Our engineers worked closely with the customer to develop a custom Steer by Wire solution — the ASV60 — that allows the operator to control the machine from a 180° rotating seat. In addition to improving operator comfort, this let the customer move all the hydraulics out of the cab to boost overall machine-design flexibility — and significantly reduce in-cab noise for better overall sound quality in the operator space.

Wietharn • Koco Motion: We believe that providing technical support to prospective customers (with accurate and timely feedback) is essential. So we provide quick-turn product prototypes with standard and custom products; services from an in-house machine shop to support quick prototype customization; a website that lets engineers configure their own products; and customization of products for quicker component assembly into automated systems.

What industries are most changing motion-component design?

Wietharn • Koco Motion: Medical and biomedical industries need smaller and more capable components to support the proliferation of unique processes on automated platforms.

Scott Evans • Director of product planning • Kollmorgen: We see no change by industry per se, but we do see more customers increasing their savvy around motion … and realizing that they can get greater precision and performance, lower scrap, better throughput, and increased OEE by investing in the right automation. For example, engineers who thought they could get by with induction motors or dc brush motors are realizing the benefits of servo and stepper far exceed the higher acquisition cost.

Kowal • B&R: We’re involved in industrial machinery and mobile equipment. Machinery customers include those for CNC, assembly, semiconductor and electronics, food and beverage, finishing, inspection, and more. Mobile-equipment customers include those in construction, natural resources, emergency, and utility and municipal equipment. We see a trend overall toward more network-centric and modular design; proprietary motion components are yielding to off-the-shelf and standards-based solutions.

Wietharn of Koco Motion: We’re seeing more demand for custom components having more precision and at lower cost. Well over 75% of our OEM customers use custom components specified and tested over many months (and sometimes years) to confirm optimization in their product design. We support them all along the way with prototype iterations. In fact, the semiconductor continues to provide the motion-control industry with components that are smaller, more powerful, and at lower cost. We leverage these advances in the designs of our control electronics. In addition, encoder resolutions continue to increase for given or ever-more compact packages — which are also allowing smaller designs at lower cost.

Tell us about a new application where engineers used motion controls in a way that would’ve been impossible 10 years ago.

Paul • Omron Automation Americas: Omron recently provided a system package that controlled six delta robots, six servo axes, four VFD axes, one ultra-high speed camera, and a safety light curtain and controller. Ten years ago, this application would’ve needed separate robot controllers, a separate coordinated motion controller, a separate machine PLC, a separate safety controller, and a separate vision system — all requiring individual programming with no capability to simulate the complete system for confirmation of manufacturing-line performance. More specifically, our Omron Sysmac NX7 MAC (Machine Automation Controller) controls this application with one central controller and one integrated programming environment for all the system — including the kinematic robotics motion control. System performance for this packaging application increased production by 23% over that under the previous control-system setup.

Kowal • B&R: Safe motion is revolutionary. Instead of shutting the machinery down, lines with the right motion controllers can go into safe mode when needed — with safe torque, safe speed, safe directions of motion, and within safe motion envelopes — so the line continues to produce while service or replenishment takes place. This was impossible until just a few years ago … and it has greatly improved OEE.

In fact, affordable scalability for entry-level equipment is another trend made possible by Moore’s Law. We can now provide automated control solutions for traditionally cost-sensitive machines (such as tray formers and pallet stretch wrappers) with high-resolution color touch-panels and motion scaled to the application requirement — and using the same software components for servo, stepper or VFD operation. In short, we live by Moore’s Law, which (following mainstream computing technology) has made higher performance in motion applications more affordable.

Wietharn • Koco Motion: Over the last decade, motion controllers and motor-drive technology has improved to deliver higher performance at lower cost. Simpler programming interfaces have also boosted efficiency of prototyping and machine commissioning. Improvements in power-transmission materials have also boosted performance and product life. But even with all these advances, we still must operate within the boundaries of Newton’s laws of motion. Software will never change that.

Where do you see IIoT, additive manufacturing, and new materials changing motion design?

Travis Schneider | Product manager — high precision mechanics • Parker Hannifin Electromechanical and Drives Division: IoT has gotten a lot of interest as of late, but we like to think we have helped to pioneered the space. More specifically, for some time we’ve been supplying designs that extract system-level data from encoders and limit sensors to publish that the plant floor. Tools including our Parker Remote Manager application facilitate access to that information. The tool lets users pull information from anywhere in the world from their internet-connected device … and in fact, we’ve offered that functionality since the early 2000s (through the web-publishing functionality of Xpress) and the remote app since 2013.

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FAQ: How do proprietary and open-source PC control software programs compare?

December 24, 2016 By Steve Meyer Leave a Comment

The central issue with anything that is programmable is the programming itself. Regardless of whether the system is open source or proprietary, the key to successful control applications is to correctly program the design intent. Capturing the full intent at the start of a project is impossible, especially if the project has not been done before. There is always some degree of ‘discovery’ along the way.

At the level of creating a programming language, there is a dichotomy at work. It is possible to create languages that are narrowly defined to solve a category of problems. This is the case in programming ladder logic. Alternatively it is possible to create a language sufficiently broad to solve all problems, regardless of complexity. With complexity comes a bigger learning curve and ambiguity. Thus, a given control system solution can be programmed in a variety of ways.

Some of the larger control vendors have created integrated software environments where several program languages co-exist in the same shell. A Basic or C-code subroutine can exist as a module within a ladder or state machine program. Time will tell if this is the wave of the future or a transitional step to something else.

Tools such as flowcharting are important to the success of new software efforts. By documenting with flowcharts at the beginning of a project, it is possible to capture more of the design intent and anticipate programming issues instead of constantly running into surprises as the project unfolds.

One benefit of proprietary solutions is that mature suppliers have expert programmers who can help users to work out the details of a control solution. Open-source programming may have a community of users who are part of the ecosystem …

… so they can offer advice, but there is no obligation for support.

Robust operating systems and ever-declining hardware cost make control system hardware relatively transparent. Many vendors support Linux platforms making it feasible to run control software on almost any processor. There are CNC programs running on Linux with Raspberry Pi processor boards, so anything is possible. This new range of options often makes an open source solution more economical.

A common concern in proprietary software is the updating of software products in order to add new features. Revision control is a major concern in manufacturing environments. New revision rollouts don’t automatically constitute a basis for upgrade. Users must do a lot of testing to validate new versions before implementing them in existing systems.

All of that said, proprietary software is generally easier to use where there is a specific class of problems that are addressed, such as ladder logic. As long as the control problem falls within the boundaries of that software, things should be pretty smooth. If the application requires a lot of custom algorithms that cannot be programmed in known languages, an open-source solution is probably more suitable.

FAQ: How do I pick between automation technologies that use PC controllers?

December 24, 2016 By Steve Meyer Leave a Comment

Today’s state-of-the-art PC-based controls deliver performance that exceeds most industrial machine-control requirements. Processor power and memory continue to expand — following Moore’s Law and doubling in capability every couple years. What’s more, cost per processor continually declines as performance increases. Whenever control manufacturers update their electronics, it makes more power available to end users.

Here’s how PC-based control selection works: First list all the inputs and outputs the application needs. Then make a list of all functions and interconnections the application needs. Don’t overlook smart devices and interconnects. When using a passive display with an HDMI, ensure the latter is available, or get a converter to make all system connections work. Here, a system-hardware architecture diagram is a helpful tool that facilitates BOM writing for quoting control-system components. In addition, go through the subsystems and consider the following.

PC-control software language support and compatibility

The application software should be compatible with the PC controller’s operating system. Linux or Windows CE operating systems are the two most common. Consider if there’s an installed base of other software in the manufacturing operation … and what compatibility issues may arise. If the system uses ladder logic, check to see that the Ladder Editor works with the OS and ensure the version has all features the control application needs.

PC-control communications capability

Modern controls are increasingly connected to an IT network. So whether it’s Ethernet or a proprietary network protocol, ensure the PC supports this aspect of the controls. Intelligent subsystems such as vision or specialty motion systems need local network support within the controller.

I/O constraints in controls

Setup of inputs and outputs is sometimes complex. For example, when using a linear motor with high-resolution linear scales and moving at a high rate of speed, quadrature encoder data may exceed the megahertz range. Stable high-bandwidth encoder input module may be difficult to find and expensive.

Most I/O product lines come using Ethernet as the backplane. Using PC-based controllers can be a way to leverage I/O from multiple vendors to get the best of each device for a given control requirement. Explosion-proof I/O and other specialty devices come for use with PC based controls, too. All of which makes a strong case for the superiority of PC based control.

PC-control environmental constraints

Special operating conditions are a major factor for industrial control. Installations needing explosion-proof setups (as where flammable materials are present) or washdown conditions (for food industry applications) or setups that must withstand extreme cold (in outdoor equipment for use in Canada) all present unique challenges to control design.

PC-control hardware support

In the consumer market, processors and motherboards change quickly and expected product life is only two to three years. In contrast, controls in industrial environments must operate for 10 years or more — and suppliers have made great strides support these expectancies.