Beckhoff Programming: TwinCAT and EtherCAT
TwinCAT 3 PLC and motion, EtherCAT I/O and drives, programmed and brought up on the floor.
PC-based control on Beckhoff Industrial PCs and Embedded PCs, scoped at the machine and commissioned on-site by the team that also programs the Siemens and Allen-Bradley PLCs and the robots around it.
Send an RFQ · Office: (877) 524-6674 · Line down? (877) 790-4697, 24/7, subject to personnel availability
- Software
- TwinCAT 3
- Fieldbus
- EtherCAT
- Coverage
- On-site nationwide
Scope
What a Beckhoff engagement can include
Changes to a TwinCAT project you already run, a new machine written from a blank project, or a Beckhoff machine tied into an existing line. Each engagement is scoped to what the plant needs.
TwinCAT 3 PLC programming
IEC 61131-3 in Structured Text, ladder, and function block diagram, with object-oriented extensions where they make the code easier to maintain. Edits to the project you have, or a new one from scratch.
EtherCAT I/O and topology
EtherCAT couplers, terminals, and EtherCAT Box modules configured from the I/O list, the topology checked against the cabinet drawings, and I/O checkout on the floor.
Motion and drives
Servo and stepper axes under TwinCAT NC, on Beckhoff drives or other EtherCAT drives: axis setup, homing, tuning, and the PLC logic that moves them.
Safety
TwinSAFE safety logic and safety I/O, built to the machine’s risk assessment and validated on the floor before production.
HMI and plant data
TwinCAT HMI screens, or Ignition and other SCADA reading the controller over OPC UA.
Mixed-platform cells
A Beckhoff machine talking to Siemens and Allen-Bradley PLCs and to KUKA, FANUC, and ABB robots, through PROFINET or EtherNet/IP gateway terminals, EtherCAT, or OPC UA. One team owns the handshake.
On Beckhoff
- TwinCAT 3
- Structured Text
- EtherCAT
- TwinCAT NC
- TwinSAFE
- TwinCAT HMI
- ADS
- OPC UA
Beckhoff, TwinCAT, TwinSAFE, and EtherCAT are trademarks of Beckhoff Automation GmbH. Other product names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to identify the systems we work on.
Connections
What a Beckhoff system connects to
TwinCAT runs the controller and EtherCAT carries the I/O and motion. This is where it meets the rest of the plant.
| Controllers | Beckhoff Industrial PCs and Embedded PCs running TwinCAT 3 |
|---|---|
| I/O | EtherCAT couplers and terminals, and EtherCAT Box modules on the machine |
| Motion | Servo and stepper axes under TwinCAT NC, on Beckhoff or other EtherCAT drives |
| Siemens and Allen-Bradley | S7-1200, S7-1500, ControlLogix, and CompactLogix, through PROFINET or EtherNet/IP gateway terminals, or OPC UA |
| HMI and SCADA | TwinCAT HMI on the controller; Ignition and other SCADA over OPC UA |
| Robot cells | KUKA, FANUC, and ABB robots, through the cell’s fieldbus handshake |
Which gateway or protocol a link needs depends on both controllers and their firmware. We check each one at the assessment. Network details: industrial networks reference.
How a job runs
How a Beckhoff project runs
- 01
Assessment at the machine
The controller, the TwinCAT version, the EtherCAT topology, the drives, and everything the machine talks to. Evaluations happen at the machine, so the first trip is not a guessing trip.
- 02
Design
Program structure, I/O map, axis list, safety functions, and the interfaces to other controllers go on one document you approve before the build.
- 03
Build
The TwinCAT project is written and tested on a development PC, away from production, with simulated I/O where the machine is not available yet.
- 04
Test: FAT and SAT
The factory acceptance test runs before the outage. The site acceptance test runs on the machine: I/O, axes, safety functions, and the handshakes with the rest of the line.
- 05
Commissioning and handoff
We stay on-site through startup: cycle, safety, and operator acceptance before we leave. You get the documented project, a backup, and a walkthrough for maintenance.
Changes, additions, and troubleshooting after startup, and production support through launch. Line down? Call (877) 790-4697, 24/7, subject to personnel availability. We aim to be on site within 4 hours locally and 24 hours stateside, subject to personnel availability.
Why TS Controls
Why TS Controls
One team across platforms
We also program Siemens and Allen-Bradley PLCs and KUKA, FANUC, and ABB robots, so the Beckhoff machine and the line around it answer to one team.
On-site before we write code
Evaluations happen at the machine, so the first trip is not a guessing trip.
Work fits your outage window
Field work follows the outage window the plant needs, including nights and weekends.
Code the next person can read
Structured, commented TwinCAT projects, documented at handoff, so your maintenance team is not locked out of its own machine.
We don’t inflate scope
You get a written scope sized to the job, not a padded day rate.
Based in Anderson, SC
On-site across the Upstate and nationwide.
From the floor
Answered on The Floor.
Send the TwinCAT project, the I/O list, and your outage window.
Upload the packet with the form below or email sales@ts-controls.com. Office: (877) 524-6674. Line down right now? Call (877) 790-4697, 24/7, subject to personnel availability.
Questions
Beckhoff programming, answered.
Do you program Beckhoff TwinCAT?
Yes. TwinCAT 3 PLC programming in Structured Text, ladder, and function block diagram; EtherCAT I/O; and motion under TwinCAT NC, on Beckhoff Industrial PCs and Embedded PCs. Changes to a project you already run, or a new machine from scratch.
Can a Beckhoff machine talk to our Siemens or Allen-Bradley PLCs?
Yes. Beckhoff makes PROFINET and EtherNet/IP gateway terminals, and TwinCAT controllers can exchange data over OPC UA. We program both ends, so the handshake is one team’s job, and we check which link fits at the assessment.
Can you troubleshoot EtherCAT faults?
Yes. We read the EtherCAT diagnostics in TwinCAT to find the terminal, cable, or device dropping off the network, then fix it on the floor.
Do you set up motion on Beckhoff?
Yes. Servo and stepper axes under TwinCAT NC: axis configuration, homing, tuning, and the PLC logic that commands them, on Beckhoff drives or other EtherCAT drives.
What should we send with an RFQ?
The TwinCAT solution archive (.tnzip) or project archive (.tszip), or the solution folder, the I/O list or drawings, the controller model and TwinCAT version, the symptom or what done looks like, and your outage window. Zip the files and upload them with the form on this page (up to 10 MB), or email sales@ts-controls.com.
Request a quote
Running Beckhoff? Start with the TwinCAT project.
Send the TwinCAT archive, the I/O list, and what the machine needs to do, and we’ll come back with a plan, not a brochure. Line down? Call the 24/7 line, subject to personnel availability.
Office: (877) 524-6674 · 24/7 line-down (subject to personnel availability): (877) 790-4697 · sales@ts-controls.com