What kind of bus is RTEX?
RTEX is short for RealTimeExpress, a high-end bus technology independently developed by Panasonic to meet the high-speed, real-time requirements of motion control. Panasonic first proposed this technology standard in 2004, initially using it primarily for internal Panasonic equipment. In recent years, with the upgrading of automation products and the demand for industrial upgrading in my country, RTEX technology has been implemented in high-speed, high-precision applications by numerous users in the country. Furthermore, in June 2017, RTEXCLUB was established at Panasonic's Jinqiao Laboratory in Shanghai, serving as a base to promote the application of RTEX bus technology nationwide. Many manufacturers of RTEX bus products, including servo motors, stepper motors, remote I/O devices, frequency converters, and motion controllers, provide high-performance, cost-effective motion control bus solutions for automation equipment and production lines, as well as general and non-standard automation systems.
Among various buses, RTEX is considered "robust." Using this stable and reliable bus standard as the central hub for motion control, Panasonic's industrial automation (FA) equipment fully leverages its stability, high speed, and high precision, enabling the implementation of various unique algorithms. It surpasses competitors in equipment stability (low maintenance), high speed (high efficiency), and added value (customized functions such as drag teaching, high-speed position capture, high-speed position comparison, etc.). Panasonic FA equipment demonstrates exceptional performance advantages in electronic component packaging, surface mount, and assembly equipment. Consequently, RTEX has found widespread application in semiconductor, LCD manufacturing, and electronic component mounting equipment.
"Noise immunity" is a basic requirement for industrial buses.
In scenarios requiring 24/7 production, such as semiconductor and LCD panel manufacturing, even occasional downtime is unacceptable. Communication interference can easily cause equipment shutdowns, but RTEX exhibits excellent noise immunity, with its noise immunity technology far surpassing other motion control buses.
With these four key features, the noise immunity of the communication network is fully guaranteed, thereby ensuring the stability of the equipment. This is also the foundation for the RTEX bus to achieve robust communication through a multi-layered protection mechanism in the face of interference problems.
From the perspective of equipment manufacturers, "stability" is the core value. In many situations, the requirement for stability is even higher than that for high performance, because the losses caused by downtime for maintenance are unacceptable, and downtime caused by noise interference is unacceptable. Therefore, in terms of noise immunity, seemingly repetitive multi-layered protection measures are not superfluous. High noise immunity is also an important manifestation of the value that RTEX brings to users.
Conclusion
Bus standards have been around for a long time, and motion control bus standards are not a new thing. More than a decade ago, several motion control product giants had already proposed their own standards. So why is it that bus solutions are only now gradually coming into our view? The bus era seems to have arrived late, but it has come with great momentum. Under the overwhelming offensive of bus applications, why does pulse control still have a dominant position in the market?
Cost advantage is undoubtedly the biggest advantage of pulse mode, and it is also the primary reason why automation manufacturers are not in a hurry to join the bus mode.
But just as digital calls replaced analog calls in the past, the future will undoubtedly belong to digital communications.
In 2018, we will see a large-scale adoption of bus-controlled equipment on automated production lines, and in the near future, pulse-based motion control commands will become extremely rare.
Based on the current development of smart factories, IIoT interconnection, and industrial Ethernet; rising labor costs; increased equipment informatization leading to reduced staffing; and the price of bus products gradually approaching that of pulse control methods;
A series of signs indicate that the era of the bus has arrived!
High speed, high precision, high noise resistance, and cost-effectiveness are undoubtedly the basic requirements for adopting industrial motion control buses in 2018 and beyond!
