With TwinCAT Vision, Beckhoff has incorporated comprehensive image processing capabilities into its PC-based control system.
TwinCAT software unites a comprehensive range of machine functionality – PLC, motion control, robotics, high-end measurement technology, IoT, HMI and now machine vision – all in an end-to-end engineering and control platform. With this level of integration, TwinCAT Vision eliminates the need for separate vision solutions, often developed by third parties. The software opens up vast innovation potential in machine building – for instance, through consistent real-time synchronisation with other automation tasks or support of advanced track-and-trace solutions.
Machine vision is rapidly becoming a key quality enabler for manufacturing machinery. This applies particularly to Industrie 4.0 concepts, quality optimisation and track-and-trace applications. Now, TwinCAT Vision provides the required image processing capabilities in the form of PLC functionality on a universal, end-to-end software platform, complete with a specially developed library of image processing functions and function blocks that can be called up directly from the TwinCAT PLC. The flexible runtime system in TwinCAT is capable of executing these functions and function blocks in real-time. Integration at this level simplifies engineering significantly, so that PLC programmers can now create machine vision applications themselves without support from outside experts.
