MDSI's WinMotion^® V2.0 Open Architecture Control Helps Manufacturers Add Value

Easy integration of vision systems, bar code readers and other third-party applications.

ANN ARBOR—Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc., (MDSI), a subsidiary of Tecumseh Products Company and the developer of OpenCNC^® machine control technology, strengthens its presence in the general motion control market with the release of WinMotion V2.0 general motion control. WinMotion is built on the same unique open-architecture software technology that is the foundation of MDSI's OpenCNC product for the machine tool industry-and it offers the same high performance, high speed, and flexibility to end users, control designers and original equipment manufacturers.

WinMotion V2.0 combines soft motion, soft PLC, and HMI in a single, scaleable software application that provides single or multi-axis control across a full range of general motion applications including: material handling systems, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, printed circuit board manufacturing equipment, gantries, packaging machines, and test & measurement equipment.

As with MDSI's OpenCNC family of products, WinMotion's open architecture design gives customers maximum flexibility in both software and hardware:

• The open-architecture software allows easy integration of 3rd party peripheral devices such as vision systems, scanners, and barcode readers via MDSI's open Application Programming Interface, giving customers the opportunity to add value by integrating their own technologies with the control.

• Machine designers can easily upgrade or interchange machine hardware, software, or peripheral components without having to reengineer their existing machine logic. MDSI offers WinMotion as a software-only solution-or bundled with hardware as a complete turnkey motion control solution.

For equipment manufacturers and control designers in the general motion market, this flexibility means greater choice and the ability to control costs, as well as an opportunity to shorten design cycles and time to market.

"WinMotion 2.0 is another step in MDSI's expansion into a full service solution provider in the industrial automation market," said Michael Mason, managing director, MDSI. "Bundled with hardware and services, or purchased solely as motion software, WinMotion brings high value and performance to manufacturers seeking a competitive edge in the general motion marketplace."

Inside the MDSI Technology: Speed and Innovation Mean High Performance

The servo loop in WinMotion is closed entirely in software with a single processor and a single operating system, without using any DSP-based motion cards. By closing the servo loop in software, MDSI's technology eliminates the bottlenecks and lag times that occur when messaging to a hard motion card. The software architecture is also scaleable across a broad range of machine types, with high-speed, accurate and efficient servo algorithms developed by MDSI. Additional interpolated axes can be added with minimal reduction in performance. These, plus the following features, distinguish MDSI's motion control technology:

• Servo/interpolation rate - 500 µsec or less for 10 axes

• High speed interrupt/probing rate 50 µsec

• Soft motion control, a soft PLC (IEC-61131-3), HMI and data server in a single open-architecture software application

• Open, published Application Programming Interface (API), which allowing users to rapidly integrate third-party technologies such as vision systems, bar code readers, or sensors. The MDSI API also allows users to create their own HMI

• Continuous data from a machine--including maintenance, production, and quality information, in real time, without specialty hardware, via MDSI's patented Significant Events™ technology

• Hard real-time performance on Microsoft^® Windows NT^®/Windows 2000 with Ardence RTX^® running from a single processor on a standard PC.

About MDSI

Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc., (MDSI) is a subsidiary of Tecumseh Products Company, a $1.5 billion-dollar global manufacturer of compressor, gasoline engines, and pumps. MDSI supplies open-architecture factory automation solutions that increase manufacturing flexibility and enable agile manufacturing for the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and General Motion Control (GMC) markets. MDSI's OpenCNC software CNC and WinMotion general motion control products provide high performance, high speed, and increased flexibility to manufacturers and machine tool builders.

The company's customers, spanning many industries, include BAE Systems, Boeing, Briggs & Stratton, Caterpillar, Cessna Aircraft, Dana, Detroit Diesel, Emerson Electric, Flowserve, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, Halliburton, Lockheed-Martin, Tecumseh Products Company, Teledyne, Textron, and Vickers. For more information, visit MDSI's web site at www.mdsi2.com.

MDSI, the MDSI logo, OpenCNC, and WinMotion are registered trademarks of Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc. Significant Events and MDSI Motion are trademarks of Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Visual Basic, and Visual C++ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.