The winners of the 2021 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) were announced today in a digital ceremony, with products across 12 categories, including Motion Control. Critical to LEAP’s success is the involvement of the engineering community. The Design World editorial team assembled a top-notch independent judging panel, comprised of a cross-section of OEM […]
Beckhoff
TwinCAT/BSD offers alternative operating system for Beckhoff Industrial PCs
TwinCAT/BSD provides an alternative operating system for all of the latest Beckhoff Industrial PC (IPC) platforms. TwinCAT/BSD combines the TwinCAT runtime with FreeBSD, an industrial-proven and reliable open-source operating system. FreeBSD is Unix-compatible and is continually being further developed, improved and optimized as an open-source project by a large group of developers. The FreeBSD system […]
The benefits of integrating vision into machine control
Scalable PC-based automation, robust network solutions and open camera standards allow machine vision to ditch black boxes and increase throughput. Daymon Thompson U.S. Software Product Manager Beckhoff Automation LLC Machine vision has become indispensable for many tasks in quality inspection, track-and-trace and more. As costs decrease and capabilities increase, practically any machine in any industry […]
Podcast: Planar motors and linear transfer systems in action (addressing COVID and more)
In a recent podcast interview, we got the chance to talk with Jeff Johnson of Beckhoff Automation about linear-motor conveyors (also called intelligent transport systems) as well as the planar-motor system from Beckhoff called the XPlanar. Listen in: Design World · Planar motors and linear transfer systems in action! Beckhoff engineer Jeff Johnson explains […]
TwinCAT IoT now supports Siemens’ MindSphere
MindSphere, the Industrial IoT as a service solution from Siemens, is now one of the latest solutions that can integrate with TwinCAT. Beckhoff has offered diverse IoT communication capabilities with its TwinCAT IoT product family since 2015. Transmitting data to the cloud or between networked machines in this way creates enormous potential for increasing production […]
Integrated servo drives in EtherCAT I/O terminal format
The new ELM72xx EtherCAT Terminals from Beckhoff are fully functional servo drives in a robust metal housing that deliver an output current (Irms) of up to 16 A at 48 V dc for the power supply. They expand the company’s portfolio of compact drive technology in I/O terminal format and offer all of the current […]
New integrated servo drives from Beckhoff expand automation beyond control cabinets
The new AMI812x series of integrated servo drives expands the Beckhoff compact drive technology portfolio (up to 48 V dc) with devices for distributed installation in the field. The integration of servomotor, output stage and fieldbus connection in a space-saving design makes the drives suitable for automation outside of control cabinets in the motion power […]
Beckhoff introduces contact-free, flying motion technology with XPlanar
Beckhoff is unlocking entirely new possibilities in machine design with the introduction of XPlanar. In this innovative system for flying motion control, planar movers float freely above planar tiles arranged in customizable layouts and enable extremely flexible, precise and highly dynamic positioning. For machine builders and manufacturers, this results in maximum flexibility and simplification in […]
XTS from Beckoff offers hygienic design with optimal cleanability
XTS Hygienic, the stainless steel version of the eXtended Transport System from Beckhoff, is now available in the U.S. The IP69K-rated linear transport solution opens up a wide spectrum of new applications, primarily in food and pharmaceutical industries and for processing and filling liquids. With optimal cleanability, high chemical resistance and no hidden corners, edges […]
Beckhoff EL51xx EtherCAT Terminals enhance incremental signal analysis
Beckhoff Automation has introduced new EL51xx EtherCAT Terminals with built-in incremental signal analysis functionality. Incremental encoders have become indispensable in many applications due to their compactness and low price points. Beckhoff meets this important need with the comprehensive EL51xx series for analysis of 5 V incremental encoders via RS422 and TTL signals. These four new high-performance […]
