Quin adds IEC support

Quin Systems used the recent SPS/IPC/Drives show in Germany to preview a new version of its motion control software, which integrates its own PTS (programmable transmission system) technology with support for the IEC 61131-3 programming languages. It says that the combination will provide a distributed, event-driven motion control system for up to 60 drives, within the open structure of the five IEC languages.

Quin`s managing director Mike Webb says that using the IEC languages is not as intuitive as the PTS approach, "but everybody`s doing it". Unlike other PC-based motion control systems, high-level calculations are performed locally in the drives rather than by the PC. The result, according to Webb, is that "you can keep adding drives -- it makes almost no difference to performance".

The new version of Quin`s software will be available in the first quarter of 2004.