TwinCAT Development Environment

The TwinCAT (The Windows Control and Automation Technology) automation software is divided into:

• TwinCAT 2: System Manager (configuration) and PLC Control (programming)
• TwinCAT 3: further development of TwinCAT 2 (programming and configuration via a common development environment)

Details:

• TwinCAT 2:
• Provides variable-oriented linkage of I/O devices and tasks
• Provides variable-oriented linkage of tasks to other tasks
• Supports units at bit level
• Supports both synchronous and asynchronous relationships
• Consistent exchange of data areas and process images
• Data connection to NT programs using open Microsoft standards (OLE, OCX, ActiveX, DCOM+, etc.).
• Embedding of IEC 61131-3 software PLC, software NC and software CNC in Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista, Windows 7, NT/XP Embedded, CE
• Connection to all common fieldbuses
• More…

Additionally offers:

• TwinCAT 3 (eXtended Automation):
• Visual Studio® integration
• Choice of programming language
• Support for the object-oriented extension of IEC 61131-3
• Use of C/C++ as a programming language for real-time applications
• Link to Matlab®/Simulink®
• Open interfaces for extensibility
• Flexible runtime environment
• Active support for multi-core and 64-bit operating systems
• Automatic code generation and project creation with the TwinCAT Automation Interface
• More…

The following chapters explain the commissioning of the TwinCAT development environment on a PC system of the control system and the most important functions of individual control elements.

Please see further information on TwinCAT 2 and TwinCAT 3 at http://infosys.beckhoff.de/.