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. An […]
PC-Based Controllers
Motion controllers see major shifts in design thanks to IoT, online configuration, and more
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 […]
FAQ: How do proprietary and open-source PC control software programs compare?
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 […]
Choosing between automation technologies based on industrial PC control
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 […]
Leading the trend toward integration in 2016: Motion controllers
Motion controllers are more integrated and programmable than ever, thanks to increasing capabilities on both ASICs and FPGAs to process inputs and outputs for motion control. Some electronics even let end users customize feedback for closed-loop control. Industries spurring controller innovation for all hardware types are packaging, paper and pump processing, and medical. The former demands […]
FAQ: How do PC-based controls differ from traditional motion controls?
Recently, our regular contributor Steve Meyer spoke to us about the history of motion control and how PC-based controls came about. Here’s what he said. Traditional motion controllers are the result of decades of slowly evolving electronics hardware and custom software libraries … dedicated to performing motion-control tasks. PC-based control systems are relatively recent, and […]
3 Omron engineers answer 7 FAQs on controllers and PC-based motion control FAQs
In a recent exchange with Omron Automation and Safety, we got the chance to speak with three industry experts in the field of motion controllers and industrial PC-based motion control: S.R. Ramadurai — product marketing manager, Controls for Automation Greg Dieck — product manager, Motion Control and Drives Clark Kromenaker — product manager, HMIs, IPCs, […]
Steve Meyer on the history of motion control and PC-based control
Recently, our regular contributor Steve Meyer spoke to us about the history of motion control and how PC-based control came to be. Here’s what he said. In the Industrial Revolution, machinery was mechanical. Production looms for weaving fabrics and floor coverings were programmed with mechanical memory in the form of hard stops and pins to make sizes […]
The hardware and software of a PC-based motion controller
Physically, a PC-based controller is made up the same kinds of hardware components as most personal computers — a processor, some memory and an interface bus. The interface bus is a high-speed dedicated bus that provides all types of information to and from the processor. In personal computing, the hardware I/O consists of a keyboard […]
Lenze’s Recent Release of Two PC-Based Controllers
Lenze Americas recently expanded its successful PC-based controller series with the recent release of the cabinet controller c300 and panel controller p300. Lenze will have the new c300 and p300 on display at PACK EXPO (booth S-6033), September 23-25, Las Vegas, NV. Delivering uniform engineering and superior system availability, our integrated controller portfolio makes motion […]
