Production processes are getting faster and faster. There are many examples: Injection moulding machines for plastic products, automatic packaging and cutting machines, labelling systems, filling devices for the food industry and many more.

As a result, high demands are put on the control system. Here, the challenge is not the absolute reaction time, but rather ensuring exactly reproducible switching points at different machine speeds.

Because of varying cycle times, it is often very difficult for conventional PLC controllers to meet these demands. ZANDER high-speed PLC controller use programmable logic instead of a micro-controller. An FPGA chip takes over all the functions in absolute real-time. The cycle time is 0.000 s!

Because of this no cyclic program is executed - all programs take place in a parallel manner in real-time and that too, several times faster than in a PLC.

And it must be emphasized that there are no deviations in the reaction time.

The controllers operate in a fault-tolerant manner. During a spaceflight experiment, the SPEEDY technology in research satellites has been used successfully and the operational reliability has been confirmed.

ZX-Controller

Please find the following features of our ZX-Controller:

Digital In- and Outputs:

Connections:

ZX09 Series

For all ZX09 the programming is done via the Ethernet interface; network applications are easily and quickly realized. Of course, you can programm the ZX09 as easily as you are used to in a PLC - with Structured Text (ST) according to IEC 61131-3.

• ZX09 is very fast and cost efficient and offers 10 digital inputs and 4 digital outputs as well as a high speed analog output.
• ZX09A has additionally RS485 / SSI interfaces.
• Analog variants with 6 analog high speed inputs as well as 2 digital inputs and 4 digital outputs are also available (ZX09D, ZX09E).

ZanderLink connects up to three cycle-time free controllers of the ZX09A / ZX09D / ZX09E series in an ultra-fast network.

• Process and network analog and digital sensor signals super-fast
• Guaranteed cycle time in the entire network below 10 µs
• Maximum jitter between controllers below 100 ns
• Simple configuration via predefined function blocks

ZX20 Series

Also for all ZX20 the programming is done via the Ethernet interface; network applications are easily and quickly realized. Of course, you can programm the ZX20 as easily as you are used to in a PLC - with Structured Text (ST) according to IEC 61131-3.

• ZX20T offers more than 20 digital inputs and 16 digital outputs and therefore has more I/Os than the ZX09-series.
• Special bus variants with integrated PROFINET and EtherCAT are also available.
• ZX21TP has a higher chip capacity / processing power for complex, multi networked applications.
• Application examples

Some basic developments in the field of high-speed control systems were funded within the framework of research grants from the German government: