At Ligna 2011, Beckhoff presents PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology as well as automation solutions for woodworking machines at Booth A24 in Hall 23. Every step in the woodworking process can be controlled via the open automation platform from Beckhoff. The XA architecture (eXtendend Automation) with the software generation TwinCAT 3 offers new automation possibilities: All editors for PLC and safety programming use Microsoft Visual Studio® as framework.
Due to the modular structure of the extended runtime and the predefined interfaces, TwinCAT 3 offers the possibility to instance the different controllers of the machine units together on the machine’s central control hardware. These can be created independently of one another and in different programming languages.
Open automation solutions for the woodworking industry
Every step in the woodworking process can be controlled using PC-based control technology from Beckhoff. Functions such as “flying saw”, “cam plates” and CNC as well as industry-specific solutions such as “drill optimisation” are either integrated in the TwinCAT control software or available as additional software modules. With the range of products from Beckhoff, consisting of scalable Industrial PCs, I/O systems in IP 20 and IP 67, the real-time Ethernet fieldbus EtherCAT, high performance drive technology and TwinCAT,
a suitable solution can be found for any task.
PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology
TwinCAT 3 is the new PC-based control software, with which the standard automation world is extended considerably. In addition to the object-oriented IEC 61131-3 extensions,
the languages of the IT world are available with C and C++. The integration of Matlab®/
Simulink® enables the application in scientific fields. The modules are executable in the different languages in a common runtime under hard real-time conditions, using multi-core technology and with 32- or 64-bit operating systems.
TwinCAT 3PC Control for woodworking machines
The Beckhoff Industrial PC and Embedded PC series are equipped with the latest processor technology, from the powerful Intel® Celeron®, 2 cores, up to the energy-saving Intel® Atom™ and offer scalable performance for all machine functions.
Servo drive in the EtherCAT Terminal
Beckhoff offers a wide range of EtherCAT I/O products for connecting sensors and actuators. A complete range for all important types of signals is available in
the EtherCAT Terminals in protection class IP 20. The innovative Beckhoff EL7201 servo terminal integrates a complete servo drive in a standard terminal housing.
EL7201
TwinSAFE – the scalable safety solution
TwinSAFE from Beckhoff is a safety solution with scalable software and hardware components. In addition to the familiar safety logic terminals for Beckhoff I/O systems (KL6904 for Bus Terminals and EL6900 for EtherCAT Terminals), the TwinCAT Safety PLC also offers a pure software solution.
EtherCAT Drives
The AX5000 EtherCAT Drive series rounds off the PC-based control system from Beckhoff. This range of products for highly dynamic positioning tasks is designed for rated currents of up to 170 A and is supplemented by a wide range of servo motors. The TwinSAFE Drive Option card enables safety functions such as SOS, SS2, SLS, SDI or SLP to be integrated in the AX5000.
High-precision measuring terminals
For measuring applications, Beckhoff shows highprecision terminals for the EtherCAT I/O system. The low measuring error improves the quality of the signal acquisition. The high resolution improves control quality, particularly if the minutest deviations are to be compensated accurately. New items are high-precision thermocouple and weighing terminals. The energy monitoring range is extended by a new power measurement terminal and the high-voltage oversampling terminal.
PC-Control for the 
Hall 23, Booth A24