Cross-technology connectivity

At the EMO, Bosch Rexroth will be demonstrating just how easy connecting CNC control systems with umati and OPC UA can be in practice the help of several machining modules and a machine tool. The company consistently relies on open standards, decentralized intelligence and IoT-ready solutions in the CNC systems, hydraulics and Linear Motion Technology. 

Rexroth is driving the networking of all machines and processes in the factory of the future with extended software functionalities for the MTX CNC system. As the top-performing system solution on the market, it supports up to 250 CNC axes in 60 channels on control hardware and simultaneously interpolates up to eight axes per channel. The digital twin, which is integrated into the MTX and features a virtual control core, is able to unlock a world of virtually endless simulation opportunities for drives, PLC and CNC right through to virtual machine tools. The Tizian Cut 5.4 machine tool, which will be showcased at the Rexroth stand, is the first machine for the dental industry to have been commissioned and tested with the help of the MTX’s digital twin. 

umati already integrated

The Tizian Cut 5.4 and the laser-cutting demonstrator, which will also be on show, can be integrated into connected environments with the MTX without the need for any additional effort. The CNC system has been supporting OPC UA Client/Server for many years now and, with the latest software version (15), has also implemented umati. This OPC UA-based cross-manufacturer standard enables users to read the data of connected machines with various generations of control systems from different providers and process them in a standardized data format. This makes it significantly easier to connect all machines in practice and enables users to achieve fully connected production lines. 

Smart CytroBox: less space, more software

Rexroth is also driving the digitalization of all automation technology inside machine tools. The modular CytroBox power unit combines the benefits of hydraulics with considerably lower power consumption and software-based functions. Designed for the performance range from 7.5 kW to 30 kW, it requires only 0.5 m² footprint and reduces energy consumption by up to 80%. Thanks to a new tank geometry, only a quarter of the oil quantity that would normally be used is required. The drive controller pre-processes the operating states, recorded by various sensors in the CytroBox, and, depending on the topology, sends the information via open interfaces to the CNC control system or to any required end devices or IT systems. The pre-integrated IoT service CytroConnect helps users to increase the availability of their machine tools with the support of data.

Digitalization of Linear Motion Technology increases availability 

Rexroth is also driving the digitalization of Linear Motion Technology at high speed. The smartBASA screw assemblies, which feature a smart sensor, detect wear and can report it to the control system or higher-level systems. This, in turn, enables predictive maintenance to be carried out based on requirements.

Linear guides with the IMS Integrated Measuring System can carry out positioning as accurately as a glass scale but are not affected by contamination, vibrations, impacts or magnetic interference fields. Electronic name plates automatically transmit all the necessary parameters and simplify the commissioning. Rexroth also boasts a continuous chain of consecutive, successive engineering tools – from the selection and design of linear motion components and systems as well as their configuration right through to online ordering in the e-shop.