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Compatible and open EtherCAT communication proven in practice for two decades
It has now been over 20 years since the EtherCAT story first began, and it is still just as successful as ever. Indeed, the communication system developed by Beckhoff and presented for the first time at Hannover Messe 2003 has certainly been established as a high-performance real-time Ethernet solution in a wide range of applications, firmly establishing its place on the market through continuity and technical development, and even becoming an open IEC standard. Here, Hans Beckhoff and Martin Rostan describe the stand-out aspects of this exciting period in the company’s history, while Johannes Beckhoff represents the next generation of management by focusing on requirements for the future.
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Standardization promotes user safety and opens up new markets
The Beckhoff portfolio of hybrid connectors, and thus One Cable Automation (OCA), has already been proven in thousands of field installations. In this interview, Florian Vogel from I/O Product Management discusses the technical advantages associated with these connectors and the significance of their definition within an IEC standard for decentralized automation.
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Modularity for maximum flexible robotics
The new ATRO (automation technology for robotics) system from Beckhoff is a modular industrial robot system that can be used to custom-build the ideal robot structure for any application, thus offering great flexibility. Dr. Guido Beckmann, Senior Product Manager for ATRO, explains how this was achieved and the user benefits that it provides in this interview.