A new world of automation

Unlimited freedom: Bosch Rexroth's ctrlX AUTOMATION platform features open software architecture, free choice of programming language and app technology. (Photo: Bosch Rexroth AG)

Nowadays, mechanical engineering is software development. The new ctrlX AUTOMATION platform is Bosch Rexroth's answer to this market requirement. It encompasses the latest engineering software technologies and all PLC and motion tasks. Software functions are combinable in any number of ways with ready-made, customized and customizable apps. These apps can be created in a variety of programming languages such as C++, script languages such as Python, or new graphical languages such as Blockly. This gives machine manufacturers new-found freedom.

ctrlX AUTOMATION offers users a choice: they decide whether to program in IEC 61131, PLCopen or G-Code, or in conventional high-level or Internet languages. This liberates machine manufacturers from dependency on the availability of PLC specialists and proprietary systems.

Configuration and commissioning of the automation components is completely web-based, eliminating the need to install software. Within minutes of switching the system on, the software is programmed. A completely virtual ctrlX AUTOMATION system environment is available, enabling programming without hardware. System functionalities can be extended at any time via the user’s own process functions, apps, and open source software. In total, ctrlX AUTOMATION cuts the engineering time and effort by 30 to 50%, which significantly reduces time to market for new machines.

More than 30 direct connection options and communication standards offer maximum networking flexibility for economical end-to-end connectivity from field level up to the cloud. ctrlX AUTOMATION is also equipped for future communication standards such as TSN and 5G, making it the best system on the market in terms of networking capability.

ctrlX AUTOMATION is based on a new generation of multicore processors which provide sufficient processing power for almost all automation tasks. These high-performance CPUs can be integrated into embedded PCs and industrial PCs or directly into drives. The all-new hardware and software module will cover all automation tasks – from simple control applications and IoT solutions to high-performance motion control.

Bosch Rexroth is presenting its new automation platform, ctrlX AUTOMATION, at the SPS trade fair (Hall 7, Booth 450) in Nuremberg.

As one of the world’s leading suppliers of drive and control technologies, Bosch Rexroth ensures efficient, powerful and safe movement in machines and systems of any size. The company bundles global application experience in the market segments of Mobile Applications, Machinery Applications and Engineering, and Factory Automation. With its intelligent components, customized system solutions and services, Bosch Rexroth is creating the necessary environment for fully connected applications. Bosch Rexroth offers its customers hydraulics, electric drive and control technology, gear technology and linear motion and assembly technology, including software and interfaces to the Internet of Things. With locations in over 80 countries, more than 32,300 associates generated sales revenue of roughly 6.2 billion euros in 2018.
To learn more, please visit www.boschrexroth.com

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 410,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2018). The company generated sales of 78.5 billion euros in 2018. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT company, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected mobility, and connected manufacturing. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to deliver innovations for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 460 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At nearly 130 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 68,700 associates in research and development.
Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, www.twitter.com/BoschPresse.