Integrated motion control programming software

B&R’s Automation Studio software programming environment integrates motion programming within the B&R Generic Motion Control platform.

Robert Muehlfellner

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One automation software can integrate movement and path control, connect drives, and provide functions such as visualization, I/O processing, and communications. Even anthropomorphic robots, complex CNC 3D processing, and multiple linked axis movements down to single-axis positioning can be modified in real time—and each of these tasks can be accomplished using the B&R’s Automation Studio software programming environment.

B&R combined all components into one system. B&R's Generic Motion Control (GMC) includes drives, movement and path control, visualization, and I/O handling. In particular, path control with CNC functionality works as an integral part of the complete automation system, which can be configured with B&R Automation Studio.

Integrated features such as Smart Edit and user-defined code snippets within the editors improve ease of operation and help increase engineering productivity. All motion control functions, such as point-to-point movements, coordinated axis movements, or complex robotics paths, are executed using uniform function blocks. Based on the PLCopen standard, GMC combines the worlds of single-axis positioning, linked-axis movements, CNC, and robotics into one homogenous software system. From a hardware view, using B&R’s GMC, the user does not have to worry about differences in drive technologies in dc motors, linear motors, stepper motors, servo motors, and ac motors.

- Robert Muehlfellner is B&R director of automation technology. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media, Control Engineering, mhoske(at)cfemedia.com.