The best of both worlds.
In planar motor systems, performance is no longer defined by motion alone. The real challenge is how quickly a system can be engineered, adapted and scaled. With B&R’s ACOPOS 6D, this challenge is addressed at its core – through software.
“Software is what turns a flexible hardware platform into a productive, scalable machine concept,” says Hans‑Peter Kraft, Global Product Manager ACOPOS 6D at B&R.
From the concept phase onward, engineers can design layouts, validate flows and assess system behavior, even before hardware is installed. This reduces engineering effort, accelerates decision-making and shortens time-to-market.
ACOPOS 6D replaces fragmented engineering steps with a consistent configuration approach. System data is created once and reused across development, commissioning and operation. This eliminates redundancies and reduces errors, especially in complex machines with multiple variants and high throughput.
“The software platform pays for itself by reducing engineering time, commissioning risk and by protecting flexibility after start-up,” Hans-Peter Kraft adds.
The result is not just faster commissioning, but a transport system that remains adaptable when requirements change.
Hybrid Transport: Apply flexibility where it matters
ACOPOS 6D Hybrid combines planar motor technology with conventional transport systems into one coordinated solution. Flexible, process-critical steps are handled by ACOPOS 6D, while standard transport tasks remain with conveyors or robotics.
The software ensures seamless coordination by tracking and synchronizing shuttles across system boundaries. This allows existing machine concepts to be extended rather than replaced, introducing flexibility exactly where it creates value.
Over the next decade, the biggest leaps in transport systems will come less from ‘moving from A to B’ and more from how smart and efficiently that motion is engineered and used. Future-ready systems will optimize transport performance, and also respond flexibly to change – whether it’s a product switch, a shift in demand, or new production requirements. The real innovation lies in enabling the right transport technology to be used exactly where it adds the most value – for example through hybrid concepts that seamlessly combine different approaches into one adaptive, high-performance system.
