Depending on the user’s demands and individual application requirements, the X20 System family makes it possible to combine the exact components necessary. This allows machine options to be easily implemented in different ways. The basis is bus modules - more or less a rack replacement. Depending on the option, only the necessary electronic modules are then inserted in the predefined slots. Address assignment is implicitly made using the slot. Software that has been developed is valid for all versions and must not be changed. This is even possible for later machine expansion. The I/O modules are simply inserted in the defined bus modules and assigned the corresponding potential groups and E-stop groups.

To prevent unwanted expansion, each module can be identified and then freely enabled using the application software.

The implementation of different machine variations using free bus modules is only one of the many features that the X20 System offers. With the support of B&R Automation Studio™, there is one optimized solution using I/O configuration. What does this mean?

Each I/O configuration is created optimally according to the actual needs. However, the application software is already designed for all options. Only the I/O channels that are actually available are configured for the application program. If an expansion is required, then the additional necessary hardware is simply connected, and the configuration of the I/Os is changed. This is done without having to compile the application software.

It doesn’t matter how the I/O configuration list is created:

• Manual creation in B&R Automation Studio™
• Tool supported creation e.g. using a database or a spreadsheet program
• Direct from an ERP system, exactly like with the parts list for the machine
• Automatically in the application software, depending on the hardware used