40 years of PC-based control
When Beckhoff elevated the industrial computer to the status of a central control system four decades ago, the underdog from East Westphalia broke with the then ironclad rules of proprietary hardware PLCs. With an idea that, even today as a globally established automation provider, remains the foundation of the company's success: harnessing the power of Moore’s Law for machine building. And so, on the 40th anniversary of PC-based control, we look back on an architecture that has not only shaped the history of automation but will also define its future.
In the 1980s, the automation landscape was dominated by hardware-based programmable logic controls, the classic PLC devices. PLC was considered reliable, but on the downside it was inflexible, expensive, and had limited computing capacities. IT standards were then nowhere to be found in manufacturing. This is precisely where Beckhoff initiated a paradigm shift: moving control functionality away from proprietary hardware platforms toward a software-based solution running on standard IT components adapted for industrial use.
Starting signal
It all began in 1986 when Beckhoff delivered the first PC-based machine control system, which gave the target application – a double miter saw – a significant boost in productivity. Even back then, the main advantage was seamless integration. But the road ahead was by no means a sure thing. In a conservative market environment, Beckhoff had to address numerous reservations. A key step in this process was the development of our own real-time extensions to ensure deterministic behavior. An equally important factor was the use of standard IT processors, such as those from Intel®. While traditional PLCs often lagged years behind the latest advances in semiconductor technology, industrial PCs were able to benefit from new developments immediately.
Bringing computing power to the field level, however, required high-performance I/O systems as well. Beckhoff complemented its IPC development with fieldbus terminals – now long established worldwide as standard building blocks of automation – and with new communication standards developed in-house: first Lightbus in 1992, and EtherCAT since 2003. This allowed the computing power of the IPCs to be transmitted to all drives and sensors without delay. On the software side, TwinCAT – which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year – has shaped and continues to shape the Beckhoff product portfolio. Since its introduction in 1996, the tool has evolved into a comprehensive platform that integrates all automation functions.
Status quo
From today’s perspective, the secret to the success of PC-based control is remarkably simple: “A high-performance industrial PC, an equally powerful fieldbus interface with peripheral devices such as sensors and actuators connected to it, and automation 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 architecture provides the capability to consolidate all machine functions – from simple logic to highly complex robotics – into a single controller. This not only saves space, effort, and costs, but also eliminates latency between distributed controllers.
It’s no wonder that, 40 years after Beckhoff's pioneering achievements, virtually the entire automation industry has jumped on the bandwagon of PC-based or at least PC-oriented architecture. Proprietary black boxes have had their day; the industry is now banking on the future viability of open systems. After all, cutting-edge technologies such as data analytics, cloud connectivity, and, above all, AI can be natively integrated into a PC platform.
In the upcoming issue of our customer magazine, PC Control, as part of our anniversary coverage, we’ll take a closer look at the history, technical details, wide range of applications, and the people behind PC-based control who have made this 40-year success story possible.