Whether tooling, plastics or packaging machines, production cells or assembly lines: Cartesian systems and other robots have a decisive influence on productivity. They reduce unproductive non-productive times for loading and unloading machines or transferring between individual stations. On the other hand, handling systems either require their own control cabinets or space in existing ones. However, the trend among end customers is clearly towards smaller control cabinets and more compact machines in order to make optimum use of factory space.

Automation down to 100 millimeters
With the new ctrlX Automation platform, Bosch Rexroth is significantly reducing the space required for the automation of Cartesian systems and simplifying mechanical integration. In addition to the reduced form factor, the new ctrlX Drive drives save on previously required additional components thanks to a high level of functional integration. The drives can be expanded as required in a 50-millimeter grid with single and double-axis controllers. ctrlX Drive increases energy efficiency via the shared DC bus. This means that the mains supply does not have to be designed for the peak current for each individual axis. The intelligent Smart Energy Mode function regulates the energy exchange between the axes in such a way that the connected load for the peak current can be reduced by up to 70 percent. Less installation space and weight are also particularly important in handling because the drives often move along with the axles. The lower the mass to be moved, the less power is required.

The ctrlX DRIVE drive with integrated control opens up new degrees of freedom for innovative solutions. © Bosch Rexroth

Designers save up to 50 percent space in the control cabinet with the new drive generation compared to previous models and standard drives from other manufacturers. The fact that the new ctrlX Core controller generation can be fully integrated into the drive without requiring additional installation space also contributes to this. In practice, for example, a three-axis handling system with controllers and control unit requires a width of 100 millimetres in the control cabinet. Depending on the application, however, the CPU can also be integrated into embedded or industrial PCs.

Engineering effort halved
Just as important as the small space requirement is the up to 50 percent reduction in engineering effort. Commissioning takes place without installing programs on the PC. Engineering is web-based and is stored directly on the controller's web server. Machine manufacturers can program the motion sequences as usual in the PLC languages according to IEC 61131. However, they also have the option of working with C/C++ or using the Blockly graphical programming environment and text languages such as Python. Commissioning engineers can also switch between these options during programming and parameterization. The software accepts their entries regardless of the selected programming language. This means that any technician, even without PLC programming knowledge, is able to carry out the initial commissioning - even virtually, before the first axis has been installed.

ctrlX Automation uses a modern software architecture with the stable Linux real-time operating system, in which functions are installed as apps. The ctrlX Data Layer collects and distributes all real-time and non-real-time information between the installed apps. All typical handling movements are already predefined in the ctrlX Motion app from Bosch Rexroth. The commissioning engineer can select electronic gantry, point-to-point, linear or circular movements, grind the movements and define safety zones. Integrated collision avoidance protects handling during programming. Other smart apps such as vibration avoidance also ensure greater dynamics and productivity. Machine manufacturers and integrators can create their own functions in almost any programming language or use apps from development platforms.

30 ways directly into the IoT
A third, increasingly important requirement is simple integration into different machine concepts and IT environments. Programming communication interfaces is particularly time-consuming with PLC code. These time wasters are largely eliminated with ctrlX Automation.

Bosch Rexroth uses Ethercat for field communication, opening up the new automation platform to what is probably the largest ecosystem for peripheral devices. In addition, crtlX Automation supports other common Ethernet real-time systems. It provides more than 30 direct connection options, including OPC UA and MQTT, for communication with machines and other stations as well as higher-level IT and Internet of Things (IoT) systems.

Conclusion: ctrlX Automation meets the demand for more compact automation solutions for handling systems with less engineering effort. With their universal openness, the solutions can be integrated into networked environments without additional effort. The modern software architecture of ctrlX Automation opens up new possibilities for using IT languages in addition to PLC programming and thus creating your own functions. as