Open control — an experimental work-out on your machine
The machine datasheet becomes a twin; the open CNC core configuration is printed from it. EtherCAT drives are commissioned in the browser.
The open CNC core runs the machine, and the twin knows about the machine
The R&D stage works out open control on your machine: an open CNC core, servo drives on an EtherCAT bus, commissioning in the browser. Everything that describes the machine — travel, limits, speeds, backlash, scale, zeros, spindle datasheet — lives in the twin.
The control configuration is not written by hand: it is generated from the twin at every start and sent to the box at the machine. Importing from a real machine seeds the twin but does not create a second truth.
A program describes the part, not the machine. That is why the same program runs on any machine able to cut — from a general mill to yours.
Stage input data
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Kinematics and axes | The machine type is set by choosing a breed — 3 axes, 5 axes with a table or head, lathe — not by code |
| Travel, velocities, accelerations | Axis limits in the twin; the axis profile on the test bench adds its own limit — the smaller one applies |
| Lead screw pitch, gearbox, encoder | The axis scale is derived from them; “pulses per millimetre” is never typed by hand |
| Drives and I/O | EtherCAT bus, CiA 402 profile; compatibility is checked at the start of the implementation |
| Spindle and tooling | The spindle datasheet limits speed the same way in simulation and on drives |
| Tool table | Slots with diameter, profile and stick-out — part of the twin |
Machine numbers live in the twin
- The configuration is printed, not written by handChange a field in the twin and the next start goes out with it.
- Axis scale — from mechanicsLead screw pitch, gearbox, encoder resolution; pulses per millimetre are calculated.
- The axis is bound to a specific driveSwap the drives and the system will not run the axis, and will say why.
- Every number has a sourceDatasheet or measurement on this hardware — shown next to the value.
- Commissioning in the browserDrive oscilloscope over the bus: command vs actual.
How the work-out goes
- Machine twinType by kinematics, axes, limits, drives, tooling.
- Drives on the busUnit compatibility is checked at the start of the implementation.
- A run without motionVirtual axes, then drives — by an explicit choice of mode.
- TestsR&D report, experimental control configuration, test protocol.
Where each number lives in the twin
| Tab | What it contains |
|---|---|
| General | Machine type by kinematics, mechanism from the gallery, maturity |
| Axes | Travel and limits, velocities and accelerations, following tolerance, backlash, direction, scale and its origin |
| Bus | Drives and I/O on EtherCAT, axis binding to a specific drive |
| Tooling | Tooling and tool table: slots with diameter, profile and stick-out |
| Setup | Blank size, material, part zero by touch |
| Operation | Start mode, “Start” button, monitor, run log |
Mechanism and instance
Editing the mechanism changes all machines of this kind; a number concerning one machine is edited on the instance.
A part on the machine — four links
Mechanism → setup → blank → program zero. Moving the blank changes the setup zeros, not the program code.
Drive parameters
Commissioning writes them to the drive’s RAM; to permanent memory — only with the “Save profile to drive” button.
One button — a chain with an answer at every step
- ConfigurationGenerated from the twin; the start itself makes axis profiles current, no profile — a refusal in words.
- Test bench and coreThe configuration goes to the box, the open CNC core comes up.
- Link and busDrives reach the operational state; mode — virtual axes or drives.
- Power and homingZeros from absolute encoders — no search; without homing automatic mode does not start.
- SendingThe program is loaded into the controller; a slot without a stick-out of named origin blocks sending.
The mode is taken from the fact, not from the button’s reply: until the test bench confirms the transition, the button waits. Changing the mode on a running machine asks for confirmation — control restarts from the twin.
Every machine type has its own example program
An example program is not a showcase but the input of an acceptance scenario: create the machine → pre-start checks → start → homing → sending. The expectation is written as numbers before the run and compared with the hardware’s answer.
The reference must pass clean: checks without warnings, sending without remarks. A complaint on the reference means the machine type is not set up, not “a minor thing on screen”.
| Type | Axes | Maturity |
|---|---|---|
| 3-axis mill | X Y Z | production — runs on hardware every day |
| 5-axis mill with a table | X Y Z B C | beta — 3+2 machining |
| 5-axis mill with a head | X Y Z A C | beta — the same example program |
| Laser plotter | X Y | beta — the beam as a spindle |
| Lathe | X Z | experimental — in simulation |
| Wire EDM | X Y U V + Z | experimental — in simulation |
The type matrix is a triangle: a machine with greater capabilities must run the examples of less demanding ones. Your machine goes through the same scenario in the implementation.
Axes are tuned in the browser, the facts come from the drive
Axis profile
Gear ratio, conversion of speed, torque and resolution, limits with units, motor datasheet. Set up once and serves any machine it is assigned to.
Oscilloscope
1 kHz over the bus: position, velocity, torque, following error; the “command vs actual” mode shows where the drive cannot keep up.
Origin of a number
“Test bench default” or “twin commissioning” — named in words. An axis the commissioning engineer has not reached is marked as default, even if the numbers are right.
Operator and commissioning engineer on site
Panel without the cloud
A local web panel on the box: start-up steps, axis positions, speed, program and current line, emergency stop.
Machine monitor
Coordinates, state, spindle, feed, the twin’s live track; “online”, “up”, “twin diverged” tags.
Protection
Hardware emergency stop and software interlock; torque to drives — only inside a motion step.
What stays with you
- Machine twinAxes, limits, drives, tooling, tools — with the origin of every number.
- Experimental control configurationGenerated from the twin; axis profiles for your drives.
- Test protocolRuns of the reference and your programs, axis charts, target figures from the specification.
- R&D reportWhat was researched and worked out on your machine.
Discuss an implementation
Send the machine datasheet and the drive set — we will check compatibility and propose an R&D stage with price and timeline.
Request accessDiscuss an implementation
Describe the unit or line — we will tell you what we will verify and in what time. Target indicators are fixed in the implementation specification.
Request access