Rexroth: Automation ten times faster

November 15, 2018

Performing simple and moderately complex automation tasks as quickly as possible: Rexroth meets this universal requirement of all mechanical engineering sectors with the new drive-based technology function Sequential Motion Control SMC. SMC reduces users’ programming and commissioning outlay by up to 90 percent compared to classic PLC automation.

With SMC, users can program single and multi-axis applications in intelligent IndraDrive drives with no need for an external control system. The individual commands control complete motion sequences and are arranged one after another. They cover the majority of typical functions such as independent positioning axes, axis and master axis couplings, synchronous operation, cam disc applications and sequential movements. Applications range from handling systems and test stands to flying cutters.

Direct comparisons reveal that processes can be carried out up to 90 percent faster. According to machine manufacturers, the PLC-based programming and commissioning of a flying cutter takes on average one man-week. With SMC, four man-hours are enough.

Rexroth provides pre-configured drives for this. This relieves users of time-consuming routine tasks such as defining operating modes, diagnostics and error handling. The new function includes a manual mode, a parameterization mode and an automatic mode for working through the programs.

Related Articles

Editor’s Pick: Featured Article

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s scalable engineering software, u-control 2000, adapts individually to your requirements. And, the u-control is powerful, compact and fully compatible with Weidmüller’s I/O system u-remote. This article looks at what makes u-control the heart of your automation.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are one of the main components of any automated system. A typical control system has inputs, outputs, controllers (i.e., PLCs), and some type of human interaction with the system, a human machine interface (HMI), for example.

Read More

Latest Articles

  • The Rise of AI in Canadian Manufacturing and Solutions from Schneider Electric

    March 25, 2026 By Krystie Johnston Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just a buzzword anymore. It is spreading into almost every corner of the world. Okay, maybe not every corner. We know the world is spherical. But it is proliferating into many facets of our daily lives, and automation is seeing a rise in AI-enabled technologies that is changing the manufacturing landscape in Canada. Hugo Lafontaine, Vice President, Industrial Automation Read More…

  • Teaching Machines to See: Why Sensor Fusion Demands a System-Level Approach

    March 16, 2026 By David Doria, Director of Engineering, Automated Driving, Magna Electronics, March 16, 2026 For years, progress in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) were driven by improving individual sensors. Higher resolution cameras. Longer-range radars. More precise lidars. Each step delivered incremental gains. But optimizing sensors in isolation only goes so far. As ADAS Read More…