When Beckhoff elevated the industrial computer to the status of a central control system four decades ago, a paradigm shift occurred. For 40 years, PC-based control has been putting the power of IT standards and Moore’s Law directly into the hands of machine and system engineers. With the bundling of PLC, motion control, and technologies such as measurement technology, robotics, and vision on a single integrated platform, users today benefit from outstanding performance combined with significant cost and space savings.
In the 1980s, industrial production was characterized by the classic, hardware-based PLC. The PLC was considered reliable, but on the downside, it was inflexible and expensive, with limited computing power. In 1986, Beckhoff responded to these limitations by delivering the first PC-based machine control system, which gave the target application – a double miter saw – a significant boost in productivity.
The 10 major advantages of PC-based control
PC-based control technology provides a basis to help mechanical engineering navigate the fundamental change it is experiencing with the implementation of industrial digitalization.
A new level of flexibility and performance is being achieved by seamlessly integrating all automation functions as software modules and relocating them to industrial grade IT hardware.
The following arguments clearly show why a universal PC-based control platform is where the future of automation lies.
The paradigm shift in PC-based control is based on the fact that automation functions no longer run on dedicated hardware. Instead, PC-based hardware combined with TwinCAT software can take over all tasks. Logic control, motion control, and all other functions are implemented as pure software modules. This saves hardware costs, drastically reduces the space required in the control cabinet, and increases flexibility enormously for future system adaptations.
A centerpiece of PC-based control is the ability to make standard operating systems such as Windows real-time capable. The TwinCAT real-time system is integrated at kernel level and guarantees deterministic cycle times down to the low microsecond range. As a result, PC hardware can be used for time-critical tasks, minimizing jitter and ensuring that even incredibly demanding control loops run precisely and reliably.
Instead of using a separate controller for each discipline, PC-based control combines all automation functions on a single computer: PLC, motion control, communication, measurement technology, vision, and robotics share the same hardware and database. This eliminates communication bottlenecks and dead times between systems, simplifies troubleshooting, and significantly reduces hardware, engineering, and maintenance costs. Even the previously separate worlds of control and safety technology can be seamlessly integrated with PC-based control.
With the introduction of TwinCAT 3, the automation software was seamlessly integrated into Microsoft Visual Studio, creating a standardized development environment for automation engineers and IT developers alike. Users benefit from professional software engineering tools, modern source code management, automated testing, and end-to-end debugging functions. The strict division between the traditional IT world and the automation level is eliminated in this way.
The limitations of traditional PLC programming are removed with TwinCAT. Traditional IEC 61131-3 languages (e.g., Structured Text) are still fully supported but can be seamlessly combined with high-level languages such as C and C++. In addition, sophisticated models developed in MATLAB® or Simulink® can be compiled directly and executed in hard real time. This allows the appropriate programming language to be used for each specific automation task.
Modern industrial PCs feature powerful multi-core processors. TwinCAT fully supports this and can, for example, distribute a single application across several cores via multi-thread capability. With TwinCAT Core Boost, the computing performance of individual real-time or user mode cores can also be increased by up to 50% to maximize performance and optimize the system to meet specific requirements.
An extremely fast data bus is required to bring the enormous computing power of modern industrial PCs to the machine. For this very purpose, Beckhoff has developed EtherCAT – an open, standardized industrial Ethernet fieldbus that is now widely used all over the world. EtherCAT processes data “on the fly”, enabling cycle times of less than 100 microseconds as well as highly precise synchronization using distributed clocks. The protocol also supports a highly flexible network topology.
The common PC architecture means that integration with higher-level IT systems is included as standard. With no need for a detour via complex gateways, a PC-based control system can communicate directly with databases or send data to cloud platforms. Standardized protocols such as OPC UA, MQTT, AMQP, or REST APIs are available natively. Last but not least, this also makes PC-based control a suitable and secure basis for industrial AI solutions, edge computing, and predictive maintenance concepts.
PC-based control offers simple and high scalability. The portfolio includes many different form factors, ranging from embedded PCs through numerous control cabinet industrial PCs and panel PCs, and even the IPC modules of the MX-System for control cabinet-free automation or the control cabinet industrial server with up to 32 CPU cores – all of which are of course suitable for industrial use and have long-term availability. The numerous processors that are available to choose from enable the PC hardware spectrum to be adapted to the specific application in even greater detail and with even more accuracy.
Beckhoff relies on open IT standards for PC-based control. As a result, automation specialists benefit directly from the rapid increases in performance that the global PC technology market has been making possible for four decades. The system also supports modular concepts in which parts of a machine act as flexible modules. As a result of its openness to numerous fieldbuses, third-party devices can also be integrated with ease.
The foundation for your competitive edge
The decisive technological step was the abstraction of the PLC function from proprietary hardware to a highly flexible solution based on industrial IT components. Beckhoff ensured deterministic behavior by developing its own real-time extensions for standard operating systems – mainly Windows initially, but also others since then, including TwinCAT/BSD and Linux®. Machine builders were thus able to benefit directly from the rapid innovation cycles in IT and increasing processor performance. In the 1980s, for example, PC-based control brought floppy disk drives directly to the machine. Later, Ethernet communication opened up new possibilities in production and for integrating production into databases, ERP systems, and IoT solutions. Today, PC-based control forms the basis for physical AI in the factory.
Appropriate I/O systems were required in order to use the ever-increasing computing power of industrial PCs up to field level. Beckhoff therefore flanked PC-based control with its own communication systems. Initially, data transmission took place via Lightbus. Introduced in 2003, EtherCAT has since become a global standard that is deployed by users across all industries and markets today. In parallel, the TwinCAT automation environment – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – provided the basis for the software. Since its market launch, TwinCAT has developed into a holistic solution that combines all automation functions in a single integrated software platform. In addition to classic logic and motion control, the spectrum also includes safety and measurement technology, HMI, and IoT connectivity, as well as image processing, robotics, and industrial AI tools. The optimum synchronization of all processes via the PC-based controller gives users huge advantages in terms of dynamics and precision, for example.
From today’s perspective, the concept for success that is PC-based control impresses with its exceptional scalability and significant reduction in interfaces. “A high-performance industrial PC, an equally powerful fieldbus interface with peripheral devices such as sensors and actuators connected to it, and control software with real-time capabilities for motion and logic control – that’s all it takes,” sums up company founder and Managing Director Hans Beckhoff. This approach provides the capability to consolidate all machine functions – from a simple PLC to highly complex robotics – into a single controller. As well as saving space, time, and money, this also eliminates latency between distributed controllers.
In line with the Beckhoff philosophy, Beckhoff has been developing and manufacturing all electronic assemblies and motherboards itself in Westphalia since the 1980s, to the highest quality made in Germany standards. This not only offers users security and long-term availability, but also enables them to continue implementing the latest IT standards and processor generations in machine building.
Four decades after the launch of PC-based control, the industry is increasingly turning away from proprietary black box solutions and focusing on the future viability of open, standardized systems. After all, PC-based control technology provides an ideal basis for the required IT/OT convergence as well as for leading technologies such as machine learning and physical AI.
As it celebrates its 40th anniversary, PC-based control is credibly able to assert itself as providing a future-proof and high-performance foundation for the manufacturing industry.
40 years of PC-based control: A paradigm shift makes history – Faces of innovation
PC-based control celebrates its anniversary. What began as a technological paradigm shift has developed into a genuine success story over the past 40 years. Yet behind this story are not only innovative technology and the courage to do things differently, but also special people who have been passionate about automation for years and even decades. We are speaking to these pioneers of PC-based control to hear how the success story of PC-based control is reflected in the work they do every day.
Relentless increases in performance
I have been familiar with Beckhoff products for more than 30 years and actively involved in the success of our industrial PCs, panels, and Panel PCs for more than 20 years. PC-based control is both a blessing and a curse for us in IPC product management.
Why? One component of the success of PC-based control is the continuously increasing performance of CPUs. Driven by global use, tech giants such as Intel® and AMD are developing more powerful processors at reasonable price points year on year.
What a blessing it is when the key component of your own solution is being improved, optimized, and made more powerful at a seemingly unstoppable rate. At the same time, however, it is also a curse, because turning globally available CPUs into reliable PC-based control hardware requires a great deal of know-how and extensive integration work. External environmental conditions, external electromagnetic interference, the support of special interfaces that were often developed many years ago, 24/7 continuous operation, the highest demands on the real-time behavior of the CPUs, and the availability of a CPU over many years are just some of the tasks that need to be solved.
However, if you systematically overcome these and other challenges time and time again, you can enjoy uninterrupted technological progress and increased performance. This is how the outstanding capabilities of PC-based control have become the catalyst for a successful global hardware business.
What a blessing that we invented PC-based control 40 years ago and have been offering unique, high-performance automation software in the form of TwinCAT for 30 years. A real win-win situation not only for us, but also for our customers!
Long-term availability as a key strength
Embedded PCs are an important pillar of the PC-based control philosophy by Beckhoff. The basic idea of moving the industrial PC to the DIN rail was born in the early 2000s and was first implemented as a series product in 2003. The aim was to create a PC-based controller with the smallest possible dimensions, direct connection of bus terminals, and a flexible embedded Windows operating system. This concept has given rise to a broad portfolio of embedded PCs that still stand out today due to their special properties: compact design, flash memory, embedded operating systems, scalable CPU portfolio, direct I/O integration, modular expandability, fanless design whenever possible, and a wide range of optional interfaces.
Long-term availability of at least ten years – followed by a 10-year service period – is one of the key strengths of the CX series from Beckhoff. The very first device, the CX1000, serves as the best example of this: It was not discontinued until 2024 and was therefore available on the market unchanged for as long as 21 years. This exceptionally long availability is only possible because Beckhoff develops and manufactures all the electronics for the embedded PCs, including motherboards, in-house.
The CX series Embedded PCs have continuously and significantly promoted the spread of PC-based control: Their compact, PLC-based form factor appeals to traditional control engineers, while their fully-fledged PC capabilities combined with TwinCAT automation software tick all the right boxes.
Mapping machines completely in software
TwinCAT is the central element of PC-based control. Alongside IPC, I/O, and drives, it is the software that connects all components and allows them to work in perfect synchronization.
TwinCAT transforms a PC – regardless of the underlying operating system – into a powerful control system that combines PLC, motion control, safety, measurement technology, vision, and AI functions. All of this is built on the real-time capability that TwinCAT has been providing for different operating systems for the last 40 years.
While PC-based control technology was ridiculed in its early days many years ago, it is now an established standard. With TwinCAT, we have significantly shaped and continuously developed this standard. Today, TwinCAT is the most widely used tool in the field of PC-based control technology in the world.
With PC-based control and TwinCAT, the machine or system can be completely mapped in software – the entire expertise of the machine builder is contained in the application software. This means that the machine builder remains independent of hardware device and operating system. TwinCAT users have been enjoying this benefit for three decades already.
New dimensions for high-end automation
The change from conventional PLC to PC-based control technology marked a quantum leap in automation. PC-based control is scalable, flexible, and offers virtually unlimited computing capacity. Its power supports sophisticated control algorithms, multi-axis control, image processing, and sophisticated application programs in a single control system. And all this while achieving cycle times of less than a millisecond.
In comparison, traditional PLC architectures – as well as conventional fieldbuses and almost all industrial Ethernet systems – require several milliseconds. This may be sufficient for very simple control tasks, but for highly dynamic machines, precise motion control applications, or synchronized multi-axis systems, every additional millisecond means a measurable loss of quality and performance. Shorter cycle times ensure faster reactions, higher throughput, greater accuracy, more stable control, and ultimately increased productivity – an advantage that PC-based control makes significant use of.
This is where EtherCAT comes into play: As the only fieldbus system that fully supports the performance of PC-based control, it does not create a bottleneck. On the contrary, EtherCAT delivers the ultra-fast communication that this technology demands. The special functional principle of EtherCAT means that it places hardly any load on the PC and requires no additional hardware: It is implemented entirely in software via the existing Ethernet interface.
The result is a perfect symbiosis of maximum computing power and highest communication speed – PC-based control and EtherCAT drive each other to peak performance and open up new dimensions for high-end automation.
Innovative capability without proprietary boundaries
Whenever I talk to customers and partners in international markets today, the extent to which PC-based control has influenced Beckhoff’s worldwide success is made clear time and time again. From the very beginning, the principle of PC-based control was more than just a change in technology – it was a real paradigm shift in automation.
Today, around two thirds of the Beckhoff sales are generated outside Germany. The underlying reason is the openness and flexibility of PC-based control. Beckhoff connects “Made & Manufacturing in Germany” with powerful standard hardware and intelligent software, enabling the company to take a flexible approach to delivering solutions to a wide range of requirements in various locations all over the world – from semiconductor production in Asia to packaging machines in North America and highly automated production systems in Europe.
The strength of open standards such as Windows, Linux®, and EtherCAT is particularly evident in exports. They facilitate integration into existing IT and production landscapes and create trust among globally operating customers. For many partners, the ability to innovate without proprietary boundaries represents decisive added value.
The customers who have benefited the most are those who recognized the potential of PC-based control early on and consciously took this step – their willingness to break new ground has often paid off quickly. It is precisely this combination of openness, scalability, and innovative strength that has formed the basis for Beckhoff’s international success for 40 years.
A single architecture for all applications
The semiconductor industry places the highest demands on precision, real-time capability, reliability, and flexibility. Processes in the nanometer range require precisely synchronized movements, fast processing of large volumes of sensor data, and seamless integration of motion control, image processing, temperature control, and vacuum control.
PC-based control combines open-loop and closed-loop control along with visualization and communication on an open industrial PC platform, with EtherCAT providing support for deterministic and extremely fast data transmission.
The modularity and scalability of PC-based control technology means that all applications – from laboratory systems to large plants – can be mapped using an identical architecture. The flexible adaptability of the control system means that it can also respond quickly and efficiently to future requirements. This was something that the semiconductor industry recognized many years ago.
In combination with our TwinCAT software, special functions such as vision, safety controller, and AI-based process analysis are already integrated today. The long-term availability of our components and their compact design make Beckhoff PC-based control ideal for use in the semiconductor industry.
More flexibility and more protection
In intralogistics, many of the world’s largest end customers, including Walmart, Amazon, UPS, and FedEx, are headquartered in the USA. While Europe adopted PC-based control at an early stage, the US intralogistics industry preferred proprietary PLC solutions in the past. This trend is now changing rapidly.
The resilience of the supply chain is a key driver. The global supply chain crisis has exposed the weaknesses of closed PLC platforms. If components were not available, projects came to a standstill, and critical warehouse processes were disrupted. Open PC-based control platforms offer more flexibility and more protection for the supply chain.
The second major change is AI. Unlike previous technology trends that lacked immediate practical applicability, AI is already delivering measurable benefits in warehouse optimization and order processing. Companies are now realizing that AI-driven forecasting, predictive maintenance, and operational intelligence are becoming key competitive advantages.
The markets for e-commerce and parcel services are highly competitive. The pressure for faster deliveries, reliability, lower costs, simpler returns, and reduced product damage is constantly increasing – while profit margins are shrinking all the time. In response, companies are investing heavily in automation and AI. They are increasingly realizing that traditional proprietary PLC systems neither protect against future supply chain disruptions nor support full AI integration. Open PC-based control platforms have established themselves as the basis for intelligent, adaptable, and highly optimized warehouse processes.
Foundation for forward-looking drive solutions
PC-based control is what makes electric drive technology truly powerful. Forty years ago, synchronizing multiple axes was cumbersome and complex, which meant that only a small number of controlled drives was used in machines.
With PC-based control, however, controlling servomotors in real time is no problem – even when large numbers of servomotors are integrated into a machine. As electric drives are very easy to configure and integrate, the number used in machines continues to grow. One particularly striking example is a Beckhoff application in show and stage technology, where 1,216 servomotors are controlled synchronously to create a kinetic sculpture.
Drive systems are also becoming increasingly intelligent. Status data from the actuators is transmitted to the central control unit via EtherCAT. PC-based control technology allows this data to be used in ways tailored to each customer: users can easily monitor machine status as well as determine and centrally manage power and consumption data. PC-based control therefore forms the foundation of any forward-looking drive solution.
Complete transparency throughout the entire process
Our customers in the plastics industry have specific requirements for automation technology. Applications such as injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, and thermoforming require precise and deterministic control of temperature, pressure, speed, and position. Even the smallest deviations have a direct impact on the process and, consequently, on component quality.
At the same time, demand is growing for modular machine concepts that enable integration of image processing, machine learning, and generative AI, among other technologies. Standardized interfaces such as OPC UA and Euromap are equally essential for seamlessly connecting entire production cells.
PC-based control offers the ideal solution for precisely these requirements. The open control concept combines powerful, scalable industrial PCs with TwinCAT and EtherCAT for maximum performance and flexibility. All functions, including PLC, motion control, safety, HMI, vision, and other tools, can be combined on a single platform. This significantly reduces system complexity and ensures complete transparency throughout the entire process.
With PC-based control, plastics machinery manufacturers create the technological foundation for innovative, energy-efficient, and future-proof machines.
Determinism and synchronicity are key
Measurement and testing technology has always been one of the most demanding elements of automation. Analog chart recorders, individual specialist devices, and complex point-to-point cabling were once the norm, but today highly networked real-time systems are required. Modern test benches must synchronously acquire data from thousands of channels, control highly dynamic drives, integrate safety, and analyze measurement data in real time.
The range of applications is enormous: from testing highly integrated electronics to test stands for large components, our customers develop and operate state-of-the-art measurement and testing systems. The PC-based control approach, combined with software and system-oriented engineering, goes far beyond conventional automation by integrating machine learning capabilities and complex controllers.
Determinism and synchronicity are particularly important in measurement and testing technology. With EtherCAT, distributed clocks, and oversampling, measurement data can be acquired with high precision in real time – ideal for vibration analysis, power measurement, or battery testing. For users in this field, PC-based control means fewer one-off solutions, higher performance, and a platform that seamlessly integrates automation and measurement technology – from sensors through to AI-assisted analysis.
Creative ideas, unleashed by technology
The entertainment industry places specific demands on automation. Technical functionality matters, but achieving perfect harmony between creativity, safety, flexibility, and availability is truly paramount here. Whether in a theme park, stage show, concert, media installation, or immersive experience, lighting, audio, video, stage, and motion technology must communicate with each another in real time and be precisely synchronized. Creative requirements often change at very short notice, so control systems must be open, modular, and flexibly expandable without this necessitating a compromise on other elements.
PC-based control from Beckhoff combines traditional automation with advanced IT, making it an excellent fit for the industry. Its open, software-based architecture enables integration of virtually all relevant interfaces and protocols used in the entertainment industry, including DMX, Art-Net™, sACN, QSC®, Riedel, SMPTE timecode, PSN, and many others. This allows a wide variety of systems and technical disciplines to be united on a single platform and controlled centrally.
High performance, scalability, and openness are particularly important to users. With our powerful industrial PCs, TwinCAT, and EtherCAT, complex show sequences can be executed with high precision and determinism. The modular design of PC-based control also allows systems to be flexibly adapted and expanded at any time – even during operation. For entertainment facility operators, this results in investment protection, maximum availability, and the freedom to bring creative ideas to life without technical limits, true to our motto: create ultimate guest experiences!
A tangible contribution to sustainable building automation
PC-based control from Beckhoff is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The first major projects in building automation that used this technology were implemented in 2000. These included Microsoft’s German headquarters in Unterschleißheim near Munich and the Eurotheum, a former location of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. Beckhoff IPCs were installed in both projects.
At Microsoft, C6140 control cabinet Industrial PCs were used as building computers. After over 20 years, they were replaced with new C69xx compact Industrial PCs. The I/O level remained unchanged, making all the latest functions available with minimal work on the software. This example vividly demonstrates the investment protection offered by PC-based control: more than 20 years of operation while retaining the I/O level and seamlessly modernizing the computer level – a tangible contribution to sustainable building automation. Rather than relying on proprietary black-box solutions, PC-based control consistently uses open standards – from BACnet, Modbus, and KNX through to OPC UA and MQTT – giving operators full control over their systems.
As established operating systems are used, third-party software for a wide range of applications can run efficiently alongside TwinCAT, while integration into IT networks and security infrastructures is equally straightforward. This openness is precisely what makes PC-based control the ideal foundation for IT/OT convergence in modern buildings, where automation, data analysis, and IT security are becoming increasingly intertwined.
High computing power for precise motion control
The machine tool industry places highest demands on automation technology: precision in the µm range, short cycle times, and high dynamic performance and flexibility are just as critical as the integration of a wide range of automation functions – from CNC and robotics through measurement technology to image processing and process monitoring. Control systems for this industry must also be reliable, durable, and open to networking.
PC-based control from Beckhoff is ideally suited to these requirements, as it is based on powerful industrial PC hardware, ultra-fast EtherCAT communication, and the modular TwinCAT software platform. CNC, PLC, motion control, safety, measurement technology, and image processing can all be integrated into a single control system, reducing hardware requirements and simplifying maintenance. The system’s openness enables standardized interfaces such as OPC UA and MQTT to be used and makes it easy to adapt the system to different machine sizes and types.
Users benefit from high computing power for precise motion control, deterministic communication for exact synchronization, and the ability to directly integrate modern functions such as condition monitoring and machine learning. PC-based control therefore provides a future-proof, scalable, and robust solution that delivers lasting increases in the productivity and competitiveness of machine tool manufacturers.
Vision as an integral part of machine control
TwinCAT Vision provides a particularly clear illustration of the 40-year success story of PC-based control. Here, the strengths of a fully software-based automation platform running on standard industrial PCs truly come into their own. Rather than adding on image processing functionality as an external black box, it becomes an integral part of the machine control system and is seamlessly integrated into a common engineering and runtime environment for PLC, motion control, and robotics. This reduces the number of interfaces, avoids breaks between systems, and simplifies commissioning, diagnostics, and service throughout the entire machine lifecycle.
A key advantage of PC-based control is its deterministic real-time capability and the precise synchronization of image acquisition, analysis, and the machine process – an essential prerequisite for demanding applications with stringent quality requirements and short cycle times. The rapid pace of innovation and scalability of the modern industrial PCs are also key benefits: from compact embedded PCs to powerful multi-core industrial PCs, computing power can be precisely tailored to the application, from simple inspection tasks and demanding vision applications through to AI-based applications.
TwinCAT Vision is therefore a very good example of what has distinguished PC-based control for 40 years: openness, ease of integration, high performance, and the ability to put innovations into practice quickly.
A revolution on the shop floor: 40 years of PC-based control
Four decades ago, bringing PC-based control technology to the shop floor was a pioneering idea. When Hans Beckhoff began championing this vision in the early 1980s, many traditional machine builders reacted with disbelief. An office PC on the rough, dirty factory floor? At the time, the idea seemed highly unlikely. Today, 40 years later, PC-based control lays the perfect foundation for Industry 4.0 and smart factory concepts.
To understand the significance of this anniversary, we need to look back at the automation landscape of the 1980s: the era of traditional programmable logic controllers (PLCs), with factory environments dominated by proprietary hardware systems and large control cabinets filled with expensive black box systems from individual manufacturers. These systems were considered robust and reliable, but they had a rigid design and were costly, and limited in computing power.
In this environment, Beckhoff Automation – then a young company based in Verl, East Westphalia – took the view that standard PCs could provide a more powerful and cost-effective hardware solution for all automation processes.
The philosophy was simple: why should the machine building industry invest heavily in developing custom microchips and expensive specialized hardware when the global computer industry – led by Intel® and later AMD – was already doing this work with budgets many times larger?
In 1986, theory became reality when Beckhoff delivered its first PC-based machine control system. It was implemented in a double miter saw and delivered a significant increase in productivity. The technological revolution consisted of decoupling the PLC functionality from proprietary hardware and implementing it as a highly flexible, software-based solution.
This was the milestone that laid the foundation for the modern automation philosophy introduced by Beckhoff, but the road to get there was rocky. The industry had considerable reservations, and the PC was regarded as error-prone at the time. The specter of the Windows blue screen loomed large in the debate. Addressing this legitimate concern ultimately led to the real breakthrough in PC-based automation: the complete separation of hardware and software.
To make the PC suitable for industrial use, it needed more than just a rugged housing – above all, it needed real-time capabilities. Machines do not tolerate latency; commands must be executed in precisely defined microsecond cycles.
The introduction of TwinCAT automation software (The Windows Control and Automation Technology) in 1996 marked another technological breakthrough for Beckhoff. TwinCAT enabled standard Microsoft operating systems to operate in real time, creating an environment in which traditional control hardware could be translated into software code. The hardware PLC became a software PLC.
Suddenly, all the core functions of machine automation – logic, control technology, axis positioning, and the human-machine interface (HMI) – could be combined on a single PC CPU, eliminating the bottleneck created by complex hardware interconnections.
The shift to PC-based control technology also meant that machine and system engineering could suddenly benefit from a principle that had previously applied only in the IT context: Moore’s Law. The computing power of standard processors roughly doubled every 18 to 24 months while costs fell. While proprietary chips increasingly restricted the ongoing development of traditional PLC systems, PC-based control was able to capitalize on the rapid pace of innovation in the global IT industry on both fronts.
When multi-core processors became the norm in the 2010s, they opened up entirely new possibilities. TwinCAT 3 allowed dedicated processor cores to be assigned to individual machine functions. One core could handle the operating system and visualization, another performs machine control in hard real time, and a third executes complex path calculations for robot kinematics. Once again, the limits of performance seemed to have been lifted.
In the early 2000s, conventional fieldbuses became a bottleneck, forcing PC processors to sit idle while they waited for slow networks to deliver their data.
Once again, Beckhoff solved the problem with an in-house development that is now used as a standard worldwide. Launched in 2003, EtherCAT revolutionized industrial communication. The ultra-fast real-time Ethernet system transformed data communication by combining Ethernet with the principle of processing data on the fly, first introduced with Lightbus in 1989. Unlike conventional networks, where data packets had to be stopped, read, and repackaged at every node – a time-consuming process – EtherCAT processes the data as it passes through: each packet travels through all the network nodes in a machine, with each node reading or inserting the relevant information with virtually no delay.
EtherCAT massively sped up communication and struck a chord with the industry. Beckhoff decided to release the technology as an open standard. Today, EtherCAT is firmly established as an open, global standard for real-time Ethernet communication, supported by thousands of manufacturers and forming the basis for dynamic processes throughout the automation world.
In recent years, the high computing power of industrial PCs has driven a fundamental shift in machine design, with software increasingly replacing mechanical components.
In the past, complex movements were implemented using gears, mechanical cam plates, belts, and shafts. Wear was high, and machines offered no flexibility when switching between products. PC-based control made rigid mechanical engineering flexible. Notable examples from Beckhoff include the XTS linear transport system (2012) and the XPlanar planar motor system (2018). With XPlanar, magnetic movers float freely over tiles, transporting products along production paths without wear and without mechanical components or guide rails. The XTS linear transport system, meanwhile, provides a proven drive solution in which magnetically driven movers travel along a track made up of fully integrated motor modules.
In today’s digital age, the visionary decision made in the 1980s is paying off more than ever. Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and the smart factory require seamless communication between the shop floor (OT) and cloud infrastructure (IT).
Today’s IPC does far more than control machines. Modern systems integrate complex motion control, high-end measurement technology, high-resolution image processing systems, and safety on a single platform. Even artificial intelligence and machine learning are no longer technologies of the future. AI algorithms now run in real time directly on the machine control system, detecting anomalies in the production process, optimizing energy consumption, and using cameras to inspect the quality of finished workpieces.
The bulky PC towers of the 1980s have evolved into a broad, highly scalable family of industrial computers – from embedded PCs and ultra-compact industrial PCs to control cabinet industrial servers. The continuous integration of new, industrial-grade processors from the IT world also continues to deliver significant leaps in performance.
Forty years of PC-based control from Beckhoff therefore represent not only a major technological advancement but also a transformation in machine building. Hans Beckhoff’s conviction that standard PC technology would prevail over proprietary hardware was once considered bold. Today, the technology that originated in East Westphalia 40 years ago is firmly established in modern machine building worldwide, is increasingly becoming the standard, and will remain a driver of innovation in the future.
1986: PC-based control
- Beckhoff delivers its first PC-based machine controller, with a modified standard PC taking over the control functions. The radical break with the traditional, hardware-dependent PLC world initially meets with considerable skepticism.
1989: Lightbus
- The PC is fast, but data transmission to the machine is too slow. Beckhoff responds by developing Lightbus, a fieldbus with a fiber-optic implementation that processes data on the fly and brings PC computing power to the machine’s I/Os at high speed.
1995: Bus terminal
- Beckhoff introduces its modular bus terminal system, combining the established terminal block principle with fieldbus technology for the first time. The result is an open, modular I/O system that enables space-saving, individual, and highly flexible configurations.
1996: TwinCAT
- Another breakthrough follows with the launch of TwinCAT automation software (The Windows Control and Automation Technology). Beckhoff makes the standard Microsoft Windows operating system suitable for real-time use in demanding industrial environments.
2003: EtherCAT
- EtherCAT combines on-the-fly data processing with Ethernet technology, eliminating the industry’s previous communication bottleneck. In the years that follow, EtherCAT establishes itself as an open, global standard for real-time Ethernet communication.
2012: XTS
- Beckhoff introduces the XTS linear transport system, in which magnetically driven movers travel along a track made up of fully integrated motor modules.
2018: XPlanar
- The XPlanar planar motor system enables floating, individual, and wear-free product transport. The freely moving XPlanar movers can travel in any direction across the XPlanar tiles in two dimensions and with up to six degrees of freedom.
2021: MX-System
- Beckhoff introduces the MX-System. The complete PC-based control technology is integrated in compact, robust function modules that can be mounted directly on the machine as a pluggable system, eliminating the need for a control cabinet.
Today: Artificial intelligence and vision
The IPC combines all automation functions on a single CPU:
- standard controller
- motion control
- CNC
- measurement technology
- robotics
- image processing (TwinCAT Vision)
- artificial intelligence (TwinCAT Machine Learning)
The PC has evolved into a central, indispensable control hub for the smart factory.
Our products and technologies for your industry
The PC and EtherCAT-based control technology from Beckhoff offers open and flexible automation solutions for your industry. On our industry pages we present the advantages of PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology, tailored to your industry. We supply you with further information around the typical areas of use and properties of our products, and we provide you with an overview of our reference reports.
PC Control customer magazine – The New Automation Technology Magazine
PC Control is Beckhoff Automation's international customer magazine, published four times a year and supplemented by additional special issues. It covers the full spectrum of New Automation Technology topics, primarily with expert interviews and technical articles on new products and technologies as well as inspiring reports on customer applications across the globe.