Pipe Network Concept

To introduce the Pipe Network concept, we can use a mechanical analogy.

In this figure, the mechanical system is composed of three-axes and driven by one motor.

All axes are connected to the motor through shafts, gears and cams.
When the motor is in motion, all axes are moving synchronously.
The speed relation between the Master and the Axis is achieved by using a mechanical Gear.
A mechanical cam is used to get linear motion from a rotating wheel.

Figure 5-6: Mechanical System

The Pipe Network in this figure corresponds to the mechanical system described above.
The pipe concept is a one-to-one translation of a mechanical system into the logical world.

Figure 5-7: Pipe Network Structure

In our Pipe Network, the analogy is:

The main motor of the mechanical machine becomes a Virtual Master Pipe Block.
The gear boxes becomes Gear Blocks.
The mechanical cam becomes a Cam Block.
The axes becomes Axis Blocks.

The Pipe Network concept allows motion engineers to define, in a very natural way, the physical relationships between the different axes of their machine.

This modular approach provides a solution for almost any multi-axis requirements. It remains open for new, additional functions that can be required in the future.