These trends are driving motion and I/O vendors to increase the breadth and
depth of their product offerings-and suppliers have recently introduced new
support for open standard networking technologies including CANOpen and
Ethernet.
CANOpen Master Interface
"Our customers told us very
clearly they wanted to reduce cost and complexity with a single controller to
handle all motion control and input/output functions," says Phil Strong, CEO of
Motion Engineering Inc. (MEI). "We are offering our OEM customers more choices
in their motion architecture, and expanding our product line to include machine
I/O as a key part of that strategy."
MEI (http://www.motioneng.com/hardware.html
) recently announced new networked I/O products for its XMP motion controllers
equipped with the CANOpen master interface. The SLICE I/O products include over
60 different digital and analog I/O configurations, and provide machine builders
with a single controller solution for I/O and motion control requirements. MEI
says that, with the move to digital networks for motion control, customers are
looking to pull cost out of a machine while increasing performance and
throughput. Ross McMillan of MEI claims that, by consolidating the system I/O
onto the SynqNet motion network, users can eliminate the need for additional
interface hardware and the application programming interface (API) that goes
along with it. He notes this can provide low latency I/O on a shared network
with motion control. Networked I/O opens up performance solutions such as
latching multiple I/O bits anywhere on the network, and then using time-based
techniques to modify motion based on those latched values.
MEI's SLICE I/O products work with any XMP motion platform equipped with
CANOpen master interface DS401 version 2.0 node support or better. Each CANOpen
node can handle up to 64 digital inputs and 64 digital outputs, as well as 8
analog inputs and 8 outputs. All programming is under a single API.
|
The recently introduced CANopen master
interface from Motion Engineering increases I/O connectivity options for
highly centralized PC-based
controls.
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New I/O controller from Opto22 provides a
solution for remote locations where an Ethernet network is not available
or practical.
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Expanded Support for Ethernet
Opto22
(www.opto22.com) has also expanded its support of Ethernet I/O with a compact,
standalone package that can network with multiple I/O units over standard
Ethernet networks.
The SNAP-LCE unit provides a built-in 10/100-Mbps Fast Ethernet port for
attaching the controller to Ethernet networks, to computers on the network
running industrial automation software, and to Ethernet-based I/O systems
without requiring additional network interface cards.
Communication with the controller can also be established through a modem
connection using Point-to-Point (PPP) protocol over one of the two included
serial ports-ideal for remote locations where an Ethernet network is not
available or practical.
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