Develop: Software Tools & Features SEE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS General Tools Item Automation1 Legacy Single Application for Configuring, Programming & Data Visualization Yes No Application-Wide User Management Yes No Deploy Custom Applications for Linux Yes No Advanced Controller File System Yes No All Controller Files Zip to Single Machine Controller Definition File Yes No Device Manager (Catalog Manager) Yes Yes Multiple Simultaneous Client Connections to a Controller Yes* No Controller History Tracking Coming Soon No Plug & Play Electrical & Mechanical Device Support Future Limited *note: Multiple simultaneous connections are possible via the Automation1 APIs. Available Add-On Applications and Software Tools Item Automation1 Legacy Motor Sizer (Free) Yes Yes Motion Designer Future Yes HexGen Hexapod Sizer Yes A3200 CADFusion Yes A3200 Galvo CFC (Free) Yes A3200 HMI Tool Yes – MachineApps A3200 – CNC Operator Interface Setup and Configuration Tools Item Automation1 Legacy EasyTune 1-Button Servo Tuning Yes Yes Axis Calibration Yes Yes Sine-Wave Encoder Tuning Yes Yes Loop Transmission/ Frequency Response Tool Yes Yes Advanced Diagnostics & Tuning Yes Yes System & Controller Performance Checking Yes No Drive Firmware Loading from Configuration Tool Yes No Automatically Configure Drive Communication Bus Yes No Machine Setup System Configuration Wizard Yes No Programming and Development Item Automation1 Legacy Programming Language AeroScipt AeroBasic Load, Compile & Run Programs Yes Yes Numeric Data Type Yes Yes String Data Types Yes Yes Global Variables Yes Yes User-Defined Functions Yes Yes Variables & I/O Watch Yes Yes Multi-Dimensional Arrays Yes Ensemble, Soloist Program & Local Variables Yes Ensemble, Soloist Structures Yes Ensemble, Soloist User-Defined Libraries Yes Ensemble, Soloist Intellectual Property Protection of Libraries Yes Ensemble, Soloist Intelligent Autocomplete IDE Yes No Real-Time Build Error Checking Yes No Axis Data Type & Axis Arrays Yes No Switch, Foreach & Break Statements Yes No CNC Functionality/RS-274 Yes* A3200 *note: G-Code was a paid option in the A3200 controller, but comes standard with an Automation1 controller. Data Collection and Visualization Item Automation1 Legacy 1D & 2D Data Visualizer Yes A3200, Ensemble Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) Yes Yes Save System Data Directly to A File Yes Yes View 1D & 2D Data Concurrently Yes No HMI Software Item Automation1 Legacy Dedicated Application for Viewing HMI Yes A3200 Dedicated Workspace for HMI Development Yes No Build Simple Interfaces for Operators Yes No Apply Your Own Branding (Icons, Colors, Etc.) Yes No Design Several HMI Screens per Controller Yes No Execute Immediate Commands Yes (can be hidden) A3200 Abort & Reset Buttons Yes (can be hidden) A3200 Choose Your HMI Layout Yes (user customizable) No Build Several HMI Interfaces for Each Controller Yes (user customizable) No Camera Module (Video Feed) Yes (user customizable) No Data Visualizer Module (Digital Scope) Yes (user customizable) No Jog Pad Module Yes (user customizable) A3200 Message Log Viewer Module Yes (user customizable) A3200 Programming Module (Run & Debug Programs) Yes (user customizable) A3200 Task Status Module Yes (user customizable) A3200 Variables & I/O Module Yes (user customizable) No Axis Dashboard/Manager Module Yes (user customizable) A3200 Run Mode, Retrace Mode & Manual Feedrate Override (MFO) Module** No A3200 Tool Table Module No A3200 Access Control* Yes A3200 View Modal Status Yes A3200 Display Custom Messages Yes A3200 Deploy Several Jog Pads at the same time. Yes No State-Control of Button/Indicator Pages Yes No State Control of Customizable Pushbuttons Yes No Preview Button and Indicators in Design Tool Yes No Keyboard Shortcuts No A3200 Choose a Startup or Shutdown Program** No A3200 * Currently only available for MachineApps deployed to PC-based controllers. ** Currently there is no canned HMI functionality for this feature. This feature can be deployed via custom pushbuttons and/or AeroScript code.
Control: Machine & Motion Controller Features SEE MACHINE & MOTION CONTROLLER PRODUCTS Controller Hardware Item Automation1 PC-Based Controller Automation1 Drive-Based Controller Legacy Industrial PCs Automation1 iPC n/a A3200-iPC Customer PCs Yes* n/a A3200* Intelligent Drive-Based Controller n/a Automation1 iXR3 Automation1 iXC6e Automation1 iXC4e Automation1 iXC4 Automation1 iXC2e Automation1 iXC2 Automation1 iXL5e Automation1 iXL2e Automation1 iXI4 Automation1 iXA4 Ensemble, Soloist** *PC must meet Aerotech’s specifications and adhere to all required setup procedures. **See list of drive hardware below. General Features Item Automation1 PC-Based Controller Automation1 Drive-Based Controller Legacy Programmable Coordinated Motion Trajectories Yes, 32 Axes Yes, 12 Axes A3200, Ensemble Programming Tasks 4 User Tasks (Std). 31 User Tasks (Opt.) 1 Reserved task 4 User Tasks (Std). 9 User Tasks (Opt.) 1 Reserved task Varies Connection Latency Local: 1.0 msec Ethernet: 1.0 msec Ethernet: 3.3 msec USB: 4.2 msec Not specified. Connection Bandwidth Local: 87.0 MB/sec Ethernet: 41.0 MB/sec Ethernet: 10.5-11.7 MB/sec USB: 7.3-8.1 MB/sec Not specified. PC-Based / Software Controller Yes n/a A3200 Drive-Based Controller n/a Yes Ensemble, Soloist Expanded IO Available Yes Yes Yes Dual Loop Control Yes Yes Yes Sinusoidal Commutation Yes Yes Yes Fast Position Capture Yes Yes Yes High-Speed Registration Yes Yes Yes On-the-Fly End-Point Modification Yes Yes Yes Data Acquisition Yes Yes Yes Joystick Support Yes Yes Yes Gantry Mode Yes Yes A3200, Ensemble Signal Logging Yes Yes A3200 Coordinate Transformations Yes Yes A3200 Motion Trajectory Scaling Yes Yes A3200 Motion Trajectory Translation Yes Yes A3200 Motion Trajectory Rotation Yes Yes A3200 Motion Trajectory Mirroring Yes Yes A3200 C-Based Kinematics* Yes No No AeroScript (Native Language) Kinematics Yes Yes A3200 3D Error Mapping Yes Yes A3200 Access Control Yes No No *Automation1 has a C programming language kinematic interface that enables both inverse and forward kinematics to be calculated. Please consult the factory about this capability. Calibration Item Automation1 PC-Based Controller Automation1 Drive-Based Controller Legacy 1D Calibration File Yes Yes Yes Accuracy Correction Yes Yes Yes 2D Calibration File Yes Yes A3200, Ensemble Orthogonality Correction Yes Yes A3200, Ensemble Straightness Correction Yes Yes A3200, Ensemble ThermoComp – Thermal Compensation Yes Yes A3200 Galvo Calibration & Power Factor Correction Yes n/a A3200 Advanced Calibration Coming Soon Coming Soon No Motion Features Item Automation1 PC-Based Controller Automation1 Drive-Based Controller Legacy Servo Motor Trajectory Calculation Rate 20 kHz 20 kHz 8 kHz – A3200 1 kHZ – Ensemble, Soloist Galvo Scan Head Trajectory Calculation Rate 100 kHz n/a 48 kHz – A3200 Point-to-Point Motion Yes Yes Yes Contoured Motion Yes Yes A3200, Ensemble Arbitrary Path Generation (PVT Motion Commands) Yes Yes Yes Multiple Axis Homing Routines Yes Yes Yes Velocity Blending Yes Yes Yes Velocity Profiling Yes Yes Yes Electronic Gearing Yes Yes Yes Electronic Cam Profiling Yes Yes Yes Safe Zones Yes Yes A3200 Bezier Motion Commands Coming Soon Coming Soon A3200 Cutter Radius Compensation Yes Yes A3200 Lookahead Yes Yes A3200 Acceleration Limiting Yes Yes A3200 Corner Rounding Yes Yes A3200 Parts Rotation Yes Yes A3200 Retrace (Block-by-Block) Yes Yes A3200 Tool Normalcy Control Yes Yes A3200 SLICE Raster and Step Command* Future Future A3200 Ellipses (G-Code)* Future Future A3200 Work Offsets* Yes Yes A3200 Cutter Offset Compensation* Coming Soon Coming Soon A3200 Tool Tables Coming Soon Coming Soon A3200 *Automation1 includes the ability to write custom libraries. Several application-specific motion commands once handled natively by our controllers can now be accomplished via custom libraries. Our own libraries will be further developed over time. Advanced Motion Features Item Automation1 PC-Based Controller Automation1 Drive-Based Controller Legacy Enhanced Tracking Control Yes Yes Yes Friction Compensation Yes Yes Yes Command Shaping Yes* Yes* Ensemble, Soloist Cross-Axis Feedforward Yes* Yes* A3200, Ensemble Harmonic Cancellation Yes* Yes* Yes Enhanced Throughput Module Support Yes Yes Yes Gain Scheduling Coming Soon Coming Soon Ensemble, Soloist * Requires the Dynamic Controls Toolbox configuration option to be added to the Automation1-iSMC at the time of order. Process Tool Control Features Item Automation1 PC-Based Controller Automation1 Drive-Based Controller Legacy Integrated Digital & Analog I/O Control with Motion Programming Yes Yes Yes Position Synchronized Output (PSO) Yes Yes Yes Part-Speed Position Synchronized Output (Part-Speed PSO) Yes Yes A3200 Analog Power Control Yes Yes A3200 Distance Logging Coming Soon Coming Soon A3200 Galvo Scan Head Controller Features Item Automation1 PC-Based Controller Automation1 Drive-Based Controller Legacy Servo Control Rate 200 kHz n/a 192 kHz – A3200 Galvo Scan Head & Voice Coil Motor Support Yes n/a A3200 Infinite Field of View (IFOV) Yes n/a A3200 Drive Array for Process Control & Data Acquisition Yes n/a A3200 Barcode Datamatrix* Coming Soon n/a A3200 *Barcode generation is supported via Windows fonts in CADFusion application.
Drive: Servo Motor, Galvo Scan Head & Other Drive Features SEE DRIVE HARDWARE Drive-Based Controller Hardware Item Automation1 Legacy Servo Drives with PWM Amplifiers and Motion Controller PWM Drive-Based Controllers PWM Drives Servo Drives with Linear Amplifiers and Motion Controller Linear Drive-Based Controllers Linear Drives Drive Racks Drive Racks with Motion Controller Drive Racks Servo Controllers with Motion Controller Automation1 iXI4 n/a Drive Hardware Item Automation1 Legacy Servo Drives with PWM Amplifiers PWM Drives PWM Drives Servo Drives with Linear Amplifiers Linear Drives Linear Drives Drive Racks Drive Racks Drive Racks Stepper Drives & Controls Stepper Drives & Controllers Stepper Drives & Controllers Galvo Scan Head Drives Galvo Laser Scan Head Drives Galvo Laser Scan Head Drives Dedicated Hexapod Controllers Future HEX RC Servo Controllers Automation1 XI4 Nservo Nservo-OEM Galvo Scan Head XY2-100 Interface Automation1 GI4 Nmark-SSaM Servo Motor Drive Features Item Automation1 Legacy Servo Control Rate 20 kHz 8 kHz – A3200 20 kHZ – Ensemble, Soloist PWM & Linear Amplifier Options Yes Yes AC Brushless, DC Brush, Voice Coil & Stepper Motor Support Yes Yes Hexapod Support Yes A3200 Backlash Compensation Yes Yes Rollover Mode Yes Yes Brake (Enable/Output/DisableDelay/EnableDelay) Yes Yes Analog & Digital I/O Yes Yes Drive Array for Process Control & Data Acquisition Yes Yes Safe Torque Off Yes No** Autofocus Yes Yes Analog Input to Servo Loop Yes Yes Fiber Optic Alignment Routines Yes*** A3200 Tool Center Point Programming Control Yes*** A3200 Touch Probe Routines Yes A3200 Velocity Mode Yes Soloist Torque Mode Yes Soloist Barcode Datamatrix No**** A3200 *The Automation1 servo controller operates off of a 20kHz trajectory from the controller. Ensemble and Soloist have servo controllers that interpolate up to 20 kHz of servo control points from a 1 kHz trajectory. **These drives include an E-stop Sense input that alarms the drive of an external e-stop condition. *** Requires the AeroScript Plus configuration option to be added to the Automation1-iSMC at the time of order and for the desired routines to be purchased via the AeroScriptPlus product configurator. ****Barcode generation is supported via Windows fonts in CADFusion application. Supported Feedback Devices Item Automation1 Legacy None (Open-Loop) Yes Yes Square-Wave Encoder Yes Yes Single-Wave Encoder Yes Yes Analog Input Yes Yes Half-Effect Switches Yes Yes EnDat Encoder Yes Yes Biss Encoder Yes Yes Resolver Yes Yes SSI Encoder Yes No Dual Loop Yes Yes Dual-Loop with Sine-Wave Encoders Yes No
Connect: Motion Control Bus SEE HYPERWIRE BUS General Specifications Item Automation1 Legacy Motion Control Bus HyperWire® FireWire – A3200 AeroNet – Ensemble Physical Layer Glass Optical Fiber IEEE-1394 – A3200 Ethernet – Ensemble Communication Rate 2 Gbps 400 Mbps – A3200 12.5 Mbps – Ensemble Jitter* <1 nsec 60 – 680 nsec – A3200 20 – 180 nsec – Ensemble Master Clock Stability +/- 5ppm +/- 100 ppm – A3200 +/- 50 ppm – Ensemble Maximum Network Rate 100 kHz 8 kHz – A3200 1 kHz – Ensemble MIMO Communication Support Gantry Control over HyperWire No – A3200 No – Ensemble *Patented jitter reduction technology nearly eliminates drive-to-drive jitter and maintains constant low jitter for variable numbers of hardware devices on the communication bus.
Connect: Controller Interface SEE MOTION CONTROLLERS Library Support Item Automation1 Legacy .NET Yes Yes C Yes Yes C++ Yes Yes LabVIEW VIs Yes Yes MATLAB API Coming Soon Yes EPICS Yes Yes TANGO* Yes Ensemble, Soloist Python Yes No REST API Future A3200, Ensemble *note: please consult the factory for TANGO support. Industrial Bus Support Item Automation1 Legacy EtherCAT Yes* A3200** Modbus TCP Yes*** Yes EtherNet/IP Coming Soon Ensemble, Soloist Web Server Future A3200 Ethernet TCP/IP Future Yes PROFINET Future A3200 RS-232 No Yes *EtherCAT slave on drive-based controllers only. **EtherCAT I/O master on PC-based controllers only. ***Fully supported for PC-Based controllers. Supported for drive-based controllers as a beta feature.
