Product category:
Manufacturing networking systems
News Release from: Hayes Control Systems | Subject: TwinCAT RT Ethernet
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 June 2003
Take full advantage of using Ethernet
Users of fieldbus-based control systems can now take full advantage of the low cost and high performance offered by Ethernet, without having concerns over Ethernet's suitability.
With the introduction of TwinCAT RT Ethernet by Hayes Control Systems, users of fieldbus-based control systems can now take full advantage of the low cost and high performance offered by Ethernet, without having concerns over Ethernet's suitability for use in demanding real-time control applications At the heart of the new system, which is manufactured in Germany by Beckhoff, for whom Hayes Control Systems is the sole UK distributor, is a special Ethernet network driver that appears to the PC just like any other network driver
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 9 Jan 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Latest version of PLC and motion control software
Hayes Control Systems has released the latest version of Beckhoff's TwinCAT PC software system for PLC and NC motion control functions for use with Windows NT Embedded.
Virtual camshaft reduces manufacturing costs
A virtual camshaft facility is included in a new version of the existing Beckhoff TwinCAT PC software system for PLC and NC motion control for machine tools and systems.
This driver provides for an internal prioritisation system and buffer, and is configured so that it always finds a free transmission slot for Ethernet frames containing real-time fieldbus data.
Frames which are not time-critical, such as those containing diagnostic information, are transmitted in the gaps between the real-time information.
Used in conjunction with inexpensive off-the-shelf Ethernet switches, this arrangement ensures that the transmission delays for the fieldbus data are short and unvarying.
Further reading
Open PC system manages door frame manaufacture
A range of Beckhoff automation software and hardware is optimising the performance of a German production line for metal door frame manufacture.
Built-on PC simplifies control package
Hayes Control Systems has released details of the new Beckhoff built-on PC, a self contained industrial PC unit which can be attached to a Beckhoff control panel, so simplifying assembly.
Typical response times for a system using TwinCAT RT Ethernet, with a few tens of nodes, is less than 2ms, with a variation in delay, from cycle to cycle, of around 15:s.
In practice, these times are so short, in comparison with the response time of the control system, that they can be neglected completely.
To complement its new TwinCAT RT Ethernet software and driver, which are fully compatible with standard Ethernet installations and products, Beckhoff has introduced the BK9000 bus coupler, which allows the direct connection of Ethernet networks to the huge Beckhoff Bus Terminal range of input and output devices.
Also available is the Ethernet-compatible AX2000-B900 drive controller.
With these two devices and TwinCAT RT Ethernet, almost all industrial control requirements can now be addressed effectively, economically and reliably with fieldbus systems based on standard, proven Ethernet technology.
Hayes Control Systems is the leading UK expert in the design and supply of complete automation solutions based on open-architecture PC technology.
The company is the exclusive UK distributor for Beckhoff in Germany, whose products include fieldbus-independent input/output systems, industrial PCs, and soft programmable controllers which use standard PC hardware, and which can also provide sophisticated motion control functions.
In all of its product areas, Hayes Control Systems champions an open-systems approach, which avoids the technical limitations, high costs and restricted availability associated with proprietary equipment.
• Hayes Control Systems: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
