A Bright Future for Ethernet in Motion Control

After all the network discussions are said and done, it appears that Ethernet will be the choice for future motion control systems. It has already been adapted for factory automation applications, but the technology stalled when it came to motion control, because it wasn't fast enough to meet the real-time demands or complex trajectories that need to be executed. But over the past seven years, engineers have adapted Ethernet with a number of clever devices that more than make up for its deficiencies. This article surveys the four most promising Ethernet adaptations for motion control: Profinet IRT, EtherCAT, SERCOS III, and Ethernet Powerlink.

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