Yaskawa, a manufacturer of motion control systems, robotics and variable speed drives, and Phoenix Contact, a manufacturer of automation solutions, have entered into a partnership agreement to develop a new programmable logic controller platform.
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Common goal
The companies say they will use Phoenix Contact's PLCnext Technology in the development of a "next-generation machine controller and PLC platform", following Yaskawa's i3-Mechatronics concept.
The common goal of both companies is to offer an open and future-proof industrial automation ecosystem. In this context, Phoenix Contact has licensed its PLCnext runtime to Yaskawa and agrees to further joint development work.
Yaskawa sees PLCnext as the most open industrial automation software platform currently available, combining IEC61131-3 programming, modern programming languages, safety hardware, and control system software and security. It will use PLCnext technology to further improve and expand its machine control product offering.
An open ecosystem
PLCnext Technology is an open industrial automation ecosystem from Phoenix Contact. By combining open control technology, modular engineering software and an online community, this solution enables easy adaptation to changing requirements and the efficient use of existing and future software services. Together with the digital software market and systematic integration with the cloud, PLCnext Technology is able to meet the challenges of the IoT world.
This new platform will combine control for logic, motion and robotics control with solutions for Industrie 4.0 applications. It will also enrich Yaskawa's control product offering with network security and control systems solutions
Source: roboticsandautomationnews
