What do engineers think about the C60xx series IPCs used in their applications? Beckhoff USA compiled feedback from the field on these machine controllers.
What are engineers saying about the C60xx ultra-compact Industrial PC (IPC) series? For starters, it offers several scalable solutions in terms of form factor, processor options and mounting – not to mention the ability to customize the housing with your company’s branding. These features have proven advantageous for customers large and small, and they’re part of the reason the BMW Group is standardizing on C6030 IPCs.
We could go on and on about these IPCs. Instead, we thought it would make more sense to let you hear directly from several engineers across industries. The comments below (and linked case studies) offer a look at how the C60xx IPCs are helping them take on new and exciting applications.
Glidewell Dental
“Our IT department wanted a gateway device to implement AWS IoT Greengrass, so we selected the C6015 IPC from Beckhoff for two reasons. First, it is a robust, industrial controller. Second, it doesn’t require a cabinet but can still withstand a dusty, harsh environment.” – Kunal Patil of Glidewell Dental
Pensar Otra Vez
“Our customer was reluctant to switch to the C6030 even though their sister plants in Europe had standardized on the Beckhoff platform. In the final analysis, the speed of implementation, the supportability, and the total cost swayed them to the C6030. Recently, they asked for a quote for two more machines…with the C6030. I think they have been converted to Beckhoff.” – Mike Edwards of Pensar Otra Vez
“In the C6030, we found a compact PC that was scalable to meet the various application requirements. Specifically, a processor-intensive application that used multiple instances of the same PLC was required. We were able to use the same C6030 only with an optional Intel® Core™ i3 upgrade. Also, the C6030 has a more powerful GPU than the CX51xx units, which provided improved performance with respect to the TC3 HMI application.” – Dan Distefano of D2 Engineering LLC
Optima Packaging
“The ultra-compact C6030 Industrial PC is ideally suited to data management tasks. … It has the variety of ports required as well as the computing power, with multiple cores, each clocking at up to 3.6 GHz. Another application is to monitor specific machine stations by video so that we can optimize their individual processes. With the C6015, it’s the exceptionally compact format that’s important for us. We use it as an easy-to-integrate interface gateway – for hand-held scanners, for example. Other advantages are their comprehensive array of ports as well as the scalable performance offered by the breadth of CPUs available. The PCs’ build quality, too, is exceptional, and we can have them custom-branded with the Optima logo. Their long-term component availability is hugely important for the pharmaceuticals sector as well.” – Heiko Ellwanger of Optima Packaging
Simtec Group
“The ultra-compact design of the C6015, which measures only 82 x 82 x 40 millimeters, is ideal for the small amount of space we have in the rotating shapes [on our kinetic entertainment displays].” – Christian Spoer of Simtec Group
EMAG
“We have been using this space-saving [C6030] Industrial PC from Beckhoff since 2018 because it is a highly compact IPC which even fits into the control cabinet if it is retrofitted at a later date. The ability to connect any common fieldbus system via the real-time kernel and EtherCAT provides additional benefits. The fact that we can design the factory-fitted basic image to match our requirements is another important aspect as this ensures seamless integration into our CI/CD pipeline. In practice, the C6030 has proven to be extremely robust and reliable.” – Rainer Seitz of EMAG
Texpa Maschinenbau
“The C6030 delivers great computing power in an extremely compact format. It takes up much less space than the C6640 and C6650 cabinet IPCs we previously used. Another advantage is the fact that it can fit into existing spaces with great flexibility, for example in extremely flat cabinets. Despite its small size, it still features sufficient interfaces for applications such as providing end users with operating data in connection with Industrie 4.0 concepts.” – Heiko Hillenbrand of Texpa Maschinenbau
Interested in implementing scalable, future-proof machine control with the C60xx IPC series? Contact your local Beckhoff sales engineer today.
Eric Reiner is the IPC Product Manager for Beckhoff Automation LLC.