Creating a Project

This chapter explains the main steps to create your project.

Step Description
1 To start your project, you have to add a controller, choose which motion engine your application is based on (Pipe Network or PLCopenClosedA vendor -and product- independent worldwide association active in Industrial Control and aiming at standardizing PLC file formats based on XML), and set the properties of the controller
2 Add all AKD drives being part of your EtherCATClosedEtherCAT is an open, high-performance Ethernet-based fieldbus system. The development goal of EtherCAT was to apply Ethernet to automation applications which require short data update times (also called cycle times) with low communication jitter (for synchronization purposes) and low hardware costs network and define all their parameters
3 Add all the IO couplers and slices being part of your EtherCAT network
4 Configure EtherCAT motion bus by mapping all the devices and setting the cycle time
5 Create programs with the five programming languages that comply with the IECClosed"International Electrotechnical Commission" IEC is a not-for-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies 61131-3 standard
6 Create variables, which can also be arrays or complex structures, and monitor them with the Dictionary, or the variable editor
7 Create functions and function blocks that can be called from your programs
8 Use constant definitions to ease the maintenance of your code
9 Use the functions available in the pre-defined libraries
10 Create your custom libraries containing your PLCClosed"Programmable Logic Controller" A Programmable Logic Controller, PLC, or Programmable Controller is a digital computer used for automation of industrial processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines. Used to synchronize the flow of inputs from (physical) sensors and events with the flow of outputs to actuators and events code that you can use afterwards in different projects
11 Map digital or analog inputs and outputs, that are on the EtherCAT motion bus, to PLC variables
12 Design motion with pipe blocks in the pipe network or with PLCopen axis
13 Create Cam Profiles that you can associate to a cam pipe block
14 Define the number of cycles between successive executions of the PLC programs, and configure the programs priority
15 Add an HMIClosed"Human-machine interfaces " Also known as computer-human interfaces (CHI), and formerly known as man-machine interfaces, they are usually employed to communicate with PLCs and other computers, such as entering and monitoring temperatures or pressures for further automated control or emergency response Device, design the KVB Panel, and map the variables

  • Each time you modify your project, you have to recompile and download the new version to save your modifications on the target.