"Feel free to change the game" – this is the motto of the ctrlX AUTOMATION magazine 2022/2023. Learn more about the new freedom in industrial automation enabled by the Linux operating system ctrlX OS and the planar system ctrlX FLOW6D. You can also expect exciting customer projects, partner statements and much more.
ctrlX OS: Simply open for everything
The automation of the future is not a closed space, but overcomes boundaries. This is also demonstrated by ctrlX OS. The Linux-based operating system for industry is another milestone in the ctrlX AUTOMATION world in terms of freedom and openness. Until now, ctrlX OS has been used exclusively on the universal and open ctrlX CORE control system. Now Bosch Rexroth has opened up the operating system to third-party suppliers and makes it available as a separate solution for real-time use in the industrial environment. This is unique in the market. The first technology partners are waiting in the wings. And ctrlX developR are already developing the next ideas.
ctrlX AUTOMATION connects the conventional automation world with the modern and agile IT world. The operating system ctrlX OS is a new evolutionary stage, which additionally potentiates the possibilities in automation. It has a modular structure, is designed to be secure and is suitable for industrial use. ctrlX OS offers a solution at almost every level, because it can be operated from the field level via the edge to the server and cloud level. This creates new scope for action. Installing ctrlX OS also opens up a whole new world: users gain access to the entire ctrlX AUTOMATION ecosystem. An immense range of apps is available for download in the ctrlX Store.
Hardware independence: New scope for all
Thanks to ctrlX AUTOMATION, the freedom in automation is practically limitless. With ctrlX OS, Bosch Rexroth has detached the software from its own hardware and made it available for the industrial environment.
Competitors can also use the operating system for their own purposes and, for example, act as technology partners. Bosch Rexroth is already taking the first decisive steps in this regard with various providers. This opens up opportunities for collaboration that have not previously existed on the market.
The incentive for partners results, for example, from the fact that they are often faced with the classic make-or-buy decision. Most of them have to or want to port their software to the current standards. But this can cost a lot of resources in terms of security, maintenance and remote device management. The request for such features is getting louder and louder. And this is where ctrlX OS comes in. Users can benefit from the operating system with its advantages and still use their hardware. So completely new scope opens up for everyone.
The basis for the software-driven factory
The hardware independence of ctrlX OS allows even more automation components to be seamlessly connected to the entire ctrlX AUTOMATION portfolio and partner solutions from ctrlX World. Software-based functions can also be developed, installed, updated and operated more easily and flexibly than ever before - across all levels of automation topology.
With ctrlX OS, Bosch Rexroth maps the requirements for the software-driven factory and enables modern software practices such as virtual testing and DevOps in automation. The operating system supports app technology, web-based engineering, secure user management and powerful data exchange via the ctrlX Data Layer. It is therefore ideally equipped for the requirements of the future, such as AI, TSN and 5G. The security factor is also given high priority. A hardened software stack ensures a high level of cyber security.
ctrlX OS continues to evolve
Planning at Bosch Rexroth is progressing rapidly. As a ctrlX developR, I am currently focusing on the ctrlX OS variant for technology partners. For this purpose, an internal and external infrastructure is being created. ctrlX OS for servers and cloud will enrich the ctrlX AUTOMATION portfolio in the medium term. This will raise the operating system to an even higher level and open up a new business field - also for partners.
If you have any questions or require further information regarding ctrlX AUTOMATION, please contact us:
Johannes Albrecht
ctrlX developR
Apps, ctrlX OS, SDK
