Beckhoff demonstrates improvements to its material transport systems

The automation technology company Beckhoff will be performing hands-on demonstrations of its eXtended Transport System (XTS) and its XPlanar material handling system at ProMat 2023. The XPlanar consists of “flying tiles,” which are propelled electromagnetically and appear to float or levitate over the system’s base. These tiles can be used to sort, “gap,” and accumulate products. In contrast, the XTS transports products on a linear track in a manner similar to a conveyor belt, but with more dynamic capabilities. It can be programmed to go slow on this section, fast on that section, move in different directions, and even switch movers between multiple tracks.

Both of these material handling solutions are now being offered with “no cable technology,” which allows tooling to be added to these systems without requiring a lot of cable connections. As a result, both of these solutions can now be fitted with grippers, vacuums, and sensors for measuring distance or sizes—in other words, just about anything you would see on the end of a robot arm.

Beckhoff will also be displaying its TwinCAT/BSD alternative operating system (OS) for its controls and previewing its soon-to-be-released MX-System, a hardware platform for completely cabinet-free machine design. (Beckhoff, www.beckhoff.com)