A recent webinar from Beckhoff delved into the world of advanced motion, covering the hardware and software tools needed to accelerate machine control development.
Easier equipment selection and configuration? Simplified installation and diagnostics? Or a well-rounded control architecture? It can be a real challenge to get everything you need when selecting the right motion products for your applications.
That’s why I wanted to tackle how Beckhoff simplifies the process. In my recent Advanced Motion webinar, I showcased the comprehensive approach to motion control, addressing both the hardware and software paths you can take to deliver seamless integration and peak performance.
Here are some of the highlights. You can also fill out the form to watch the full on-demand webinar below:
So let’s take a look at the two key paths in a motion application: hardware and software.
The hardware path
Simplifying the hardware side of a motion application comes down to ease of selection and implementation. Fortunately, Beckhoff has a wide range of motion control components for nearly any application. This includes everything from single and dual-channel servo drives up to 120 kW to a variety of servomotor up to IP69K, electric cylinder, and linear motor options.
A key piece of the hardware selection process is Motion Designer, a powerful tool built into TwinCAT 3 automation software. Motion Designer allows users to input mechanical load details, motion profiles, and other real-world parameters to properly size and select the optimal drive, motor, and other components.
The Motion Designer software also analyzes regenerative power in the system, identifying if external braking resistors are required to safely dissipate excess energy. This comprehensive analysis helps ensure the motion system is properly configured for the application before the actual commissioning stage.
The software path
Turning to the software side, I highlighted the full strength of TwinCAT, our end-to-end programming and runtime platform for all areas of automation. For motion control, in particular, TwinCAT offers scalable performance levels to handle everything from basic point-to-point motion up to advanced CNC and robotic applications.
A key benefit of the TwinCAT approach is the abstraction principle, which insulates the PLC programming from changes in the underlying fieldbus or drive technology. This allows users to easily adapt to new hardware without having to rewrite their motion control code.
The presentation also details TwinCAT's built-in diagnostic and tuning capabilities, including the ability to monitor real-time position, velocity, and torque data, as well as apply filters and other adjustments to optimize motion system performance. Additionally, the new TwinCAT MC3 release promises even greater flexibility by leveraging multi-core processors to distribute motion tasks across multiple execution times.
Motion control in action
To bring it all together, I showcased these paths converging with several customer success stories that demonstrated the benefits of its integrated motion control approach:
Cincinnati Inc., the well-known fabrication machine builder, utilized Beckhoff's one-cable automation and safety integration to simplify the machine design. Read the case study.
CMD Corp, which specializes in converting equipment, harnessed modular AX8000 servo drives, EtherCAT and numerous other technologies for a system to produce e-comm mailers. See more here.
Pace Packaging (a ProMach company), a leading provider of bottle descrambling systems, leveraged Beckhoff's compact, cabinet-free servo drives to reduce installation time and costs. Watch the video.
There are countless other examples of our software and hardware solutions coming together to transform motion control capabilities.
Driving in the right direction
Looking ahead, Beckhoff has some exciting new products and features. I highlighted just a few of these upcoming product introductions, including the new universal regenerative energy unit and water-cooled servo motors, which will further expand the capabilities of our motion control portfolio.
The webinar provided a comprehensive overview of Beckhoff's motion control solutions and several pro tips on how to best apply them. We’re able to address a wide range of application requirements through versatile hardware, intuitive software, and seamless integration capabilities. By combining these elements, the Beckhoff team empowers our customers to develop increasingly sophisticated and efficient motion-based machines and systems, even in the most demanding applications.
Follow up from our motion control Q&A
We received some great questions during the webinar. Here are a few that we wanted to address in writing for anyone to see.
Q: Will MC3 work with older drives, like the AX5000 series, and previous TwinCAT builds?
A: Let me add some background. During the webinar, I discussed how Beckhoff is upgrading its motion control software from NC2, which was limited to 255 axes and one processor core, to MC3. This new option has no fixed number of axes, offers multi-core support, and enables axis-specific execution and preparation tasks.
Generally speaking, the Beckhoff philosophy is to make our products as backward-compatible as possible to avoid rip-and-replace scenarios. So, we’ve designed MC3 to support any Beckhoff servo drive, no matter when it was sold or what the firmware version is.
That said, the software package will only be included in TwinCAT 3 Build 4026. You can continue to use NC2 in previous versions of TwinCAT. None of that is going away. You just will need to upgrade your software for this more powerful option.
Q: Can you use the new tuning software for compact motion terminals or AX5000 drives in a 48 V DC configuration?
A: The new Auto-Tuning functionality will soon support all Beckhoff motion control products. Our compact motion offerings, from the EL7062 to the dual-channel ELM terminals, will support Auto-Tuning in 2025.
While there were challenges using our previous Advanced Tuning software with 48 V DC drives in the AX5000 series, that won’t be a problem with Auto-Tuning. However, you may not see the same dramatic performance gains in the results that you would with other Beckhoff drives. Please work with your local application engineer to assist in the tuning effort with products like the AX5206.
Q: Even a basic PTP motion control application publishes a crazy number of status variables! How can a novice in motion control know which of these to monitor and which are less important?
A: You might want to check out the FB_Component_BasicAxis component from these libraries created by our Special Projects Team (SPT). Here is one specifically for motion control components.
Q: What's the theoretical maximum inertia mismatch for Beckhoff motors?
A: The answer really depends on the application. We have some applications that have exceeded 100:1 – or even 200:1. However, we typically recommend staying within that 10:1 for most applications. Here is a useful reference link for the information covered in the webinar.
Q: How vibration-tolerant is the slide and click connection between AX8000 axis modules? Have you seen any connection issues in vibratory equipment/facilities?
A: The AX8000 series is rated for vibration resistance up to 1g and 150 Hz, according to EN 61800-5-1. The connection slide feature on the AX8000 includes a lock that provides a solid connection. We are not aware of vibration-related field issues.
If this is a major concern, it could also be a good idea to see if the AMP8000 distributed servo drive series would also be a good option for the application. This integrates the servo drive into the back of the servomotor for a totally cabinet-free solution that’s designed for tough environments.
Have more questions on how you can fully harness Beckhoff motion control solutions? Contact your local Beckhoff sales engineer today.
Oh, and check out our upcoming webinars and register for more exciting topics!
Matt Prellwitz is the Drive Technology Product Manager for Beckhoff Automation LLC.
Commenti