Beckhoff used the recent SPS/IPC/Drives show to preview a new generation of its TwinCat PC-based control technology, prior to its launch later in 2010. The company promises that TwinCat 3 “will expand the world of automation” with many powerful new functions and support for the C and C++ languages.

The new version integrates the IEC 61131-3 programming standard with Microsoft’s Visual Studio environment, along with configuration tools for motion and I/O. The single, flexible environment will allow software modules to run in different languages with a common runtime. A modular structure will allow software to be re-used after it has been written and tested.

The new software will support multicore processor technologies and 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems. A technology called eXtended Automation Runtime (XAR) will process modules with a minimum cycle time of 50µs and tiny amounts of jitter.

Beckhoff expects that TwinCat 3 will open up new applications in areas such as advanced control engineering and scientific automation.