B&R to Present Integrated Machine Control Platform and Advanced Technologies at IMTS 2016
Modular automation solution unifies CNC, PLC, HMI, robotics, safety and more
At this year’s International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), from September 12-17 in Chicago’s McCormick Place, BR Industrial Automation Corp will exhibit its innovative automation solutions at booth E-4115. B&R specializes in standards-based, scalable and modular control systems integrating CNC, logic, general motion, robotics, human-machine interface (HMI), safety, I/O and data acquisition in a unified software development environment. Â
Benefits of integrated control
The efficiency of CNC machine control development and operation can be improved by replacing traditional systems with an integrated, multifunctional control platform. Traditional systems include logic, machine-specific technologies, point-to-point movement, path-based interpolated movement and visualization, each requiring hardware interface and communication software to work together. With B&R’s integrated solutions, a single software development environment, Automation Studio, running under the same hard real-time operating system on a single processor over deterministic industrial Ethernet, unifies all these functionalities.Â
The straightforward, standards-based design approach lets OEMs easily and independently implement machine processes on the controller without need for intervention by the control supplier.  This benefits both machine builders and users by streamlining engineering, hardware, training and service costs while delivering uncompromising performance, flexibility and scalability. As a result, machine builders can respond to customers’ needs more rapidly while maintaining the integrity of their intellectual property.Â
Scalable CNC and robotic control
The solution is completely scalable with all motion control technology, including, but not limited to, hydraulics, steppers, servos, linear and rotary actuators, and pneumatics. It integrates seamlessly into the machine application, allowing it to be customized for the specific task at hand. The flexible design also makes it simple to integrate robotic control with CNC. Kinematics for various types of robotic control -- such as SCARA, delta, articulated, portal and gantry -- are supported. The onboard control also eliminates the need for additional PLCs to perform auxiliary functions such as infeeds, outfeeds, conveyance, stackers and de-stackers.Â
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Technology highlights – mainstream processing power
At IMTS, B&R will introduce an advanced linear track conveyance system that complements B&R's automation competencies. The intelligent transport technology combines optimized productivity and flexibility with industrial-grade reliability to ensure maximum uptime.
IMTS attendees can also discover the world’s first field device for OPC USA. The new X20 I/O system bus controller makes it possible to implement OPC UA communication from the sensor layer to the ERP layer without any interfaces whatsoever.
B&R has further expanded its portfolio of modular mapp software components. IMTS attendees will also be introduced to the new mapp RoboX and mapp Teach that make it faster and easier than ever to get robotic systems configured and ready for operation.
IMTS attendees will also learn about HTML5 based HMI development using the new mapp View. For the first time, automation engineers have all the tools they need to create powerful and intuitive web-based HMI solutions – without the need to learn HTML5, CSS and JavaScript.
IMTS attendees will also learn more about the SafeDESIGNER library for press applications. B&R is one of the first manufacturers to offer a complete set of the function blocks specified in PLCopen part 4. As a result, users working with safety-critical press applications will have a much easier time setting up the necessary safety functions.
About B&R
B&R is a privately owned company with headquarters in Austria and offices all around the world. As a global leader in industrial automation, B&R combines state-of-the-art technology with advanced engineering to provide customers in virtually every industry with complete solutions for machine and process automation, motion control, HMI and integrated safety technology. With industrial fieldbus communication standards like POWERLINK and openSAFETY as well as the powerful Automation Studio software development environment, B&R is constantly redefining the future of automation engineering. The innovative spirit that keeps B&R at the forefront of industrial automation is driven by a commitment to simplifying processes and exceeding customer expectations.
For more information, visit www.br-automation.com
