The introduction of TwinCAT in 1996 marked a decisive evolutionary step for the model for success that is PC-based control. With the switch from DOS to Windows, programming in accordance with IEC 61131-3, and integrated engineering, Beckhoff created a future-proof solution based on the principle of separating hardware and software. Today, the TwinCAT platform combines all automation functions in a strictly deterministic real-time environment, from PLC and motion control through CNC and measurement technology and beyond to vision, robotics, and pioneering AI tools.
By abstracting the control function from proprietary device hardware, Beckhoff achieved a paradigm shift in automation as early as 1986. Building on this, the market launch of the Windows Control and Automation Technology (TwinCAT for short) 30 years ago completed the basis for the success PC-based control enjoys today. TwinCAT provided a means for transferring IT standards to automation and building them into an integrated, high-performance, and deterministic control platform with real-time extensions, initially with a focus on Windows but, since then, also on operating systems such as TwinCAT/BSD and Linux®. In addition, Beckhoff combined all the engineering in a single software concept and supported globally established PLC programming conforming to IEC 61131-3, as well as IT standards including C, C++, MATLAB®, and Simulink®.
Right from the start, TwinCAT has been characterised by outstanding performance data: PLC cycles were radically shortened to as little as 100 μs and main memory was suddenly available in almost unlimited quantities. TwinCAT also offered extremely powerful motion functions right from the outset, from simple standard axes to electronic gearing and cam plates to 5-axis CNCs. The number of axes that could be controlled grew every year, from 10 to 50 to 100 to over 1,000 axes today, with the cost per axis sinking simultaneously. With the concept of the all-electric machine, more powerful, more precise, and more efficient solutions could be implemented early on. Even back then, this visionary software-centric approach liberated machine builders from the narrow performance limits of conventional control hardware in a way that would stand the test of time.
Openness and functionality
A key way in which the TwinCAT architecture adds value results from its openness, which consolidates the full spectrum of automation in a single software concept. While the focus was initially on PLCs, motion control, and I/Os, the platform now comprises well over 100 highly specialised functions, including functions for high-performance measurement technology, control technology, and communication. All machine functions are thus calculated deterministically on a central industrial PC and transferred to the I/O level with exact clocking via the high-speed EtherCAT fieldbus. This allows processes to be controlled and regulated with top temporal resolution and accuracy. In terms of practicality, the installation work, space required in the control cabinet, and overall costs are all reduced.
The performance capability of advanced industrial PCs also facilitates seamless integration of many other high-end technologies. Machine vision with TwinCAT Vision and the system-integrated robot controller are anchored in the software as native runtime modules. Implementing artificial intelligence is rapidly increasing in importance. The TwinCAT Machine Learning Creator can be used to generate AI models for analysing image data, time series, and process data without any previous experience or prior knowledge, making local monitoring solutions and anomaly detection possible directly in the control environment. The TwinCAT CoAgent assistance tool supports users throughout the entire life cycle, from engineering to live machine operation.
Fit for the future
As the software-centric design of the architecture continues to work on the inherent principle of scalability and convergence with IT, even three decades after its market launch, users are well equipped for future challenges with TwinCAT. PC-based control provides an ideal foundation for deep IT/OT integration and integration into cloud or edge infrastructures. Whether physical AI, new communication standards, or stringent cybersecurity concepts, TwinCAT adapts to all new market requirements as a modular framework. At the same time, machine builders are safeguarding their ability to innovate in the long term thanks to the combination of computing power, availability, and openness.
