Home >> Motion Composer Development Environment for All Aerotech Controllers

The Digital Scope is a system analysis and tuning application that allows the user to optimize system performance using a collection of advanced tuning tools and features. System analysis tools allow plotting and graphical analysis of system data, while tuning tools provide automatic calculation of servo loop and feedback device parameters.

The Digital Scope application includes a variety of utilities that allow the user to perform analysis and tuning operations including:

• Collecting and plotting various signals including position, velocity, and position error on multiple axes
• Viewing multiple overlapped one-dimensional and two-dimensional plots
• Graphically examining collected data using cursor and zooming tools
• Executing motion commands while collecting data
• Computing the discrete Fourier transform of any of the collected signals to identify system characteristics
• Automatically tuning the servo loop to achieve the desired system performance using the Autotune feature
• Calculating and enabling multiple digital filters to improve system performance
• Performing loop transmissions on each axis that allow advanced analysis and optimization of servo-loop tuning and performance
• Automatically tune an amplified sine encoder feedback device and view the results
• Conditional plotting to configure plots collected in the Digital Scope to display data differently based on input from the controller
• Data collected from an axis can be set to display as a different color, or not display at all, based on the state of the controller’s digital outputs and inputs. This is very useful when plotting tooltip trajectories during cutting or machining times.
• Data collected during run can be plotted and each line segment is linked to the program line generating the command. This makes increasing the throughput of the machine very easy on a line-by-line basis rather than just slowing down the entire process.




The Operator Interface provides a traditional CNC look and feel for operating a machine running G code. The interface provides a multi-axis readout with position, velocity shown in user units, immediate command, MFO, program scan during execution, modal status, and a multi-axis jog screen. Typical cycle start, stop, feedhold, and system stop buttons are included. The operator can open and load a new program, watch status, and manually control the machine. All buttons are designed for use with a touchscreen or a mouse.











The Status Utility is a debugging tool that graphically displays the status of all 32 axes and all controller tasks. Use this for initial machine setup and testing. It displays the state of drive signals including the axes’ hardware limits, drive enables, drive faults, probe input, Hall effect, and encoder feedback signals.

Help files are separated into the Motion Composer Suite programming Help file and the .NET and C library Help files. This limits the amount of unnecessary information to read when developing in one environment. Only licensed software modules are shown in the Help file to provide clarity for the user.

They Dynamic Controls Toolbox provides control algorithms that increase system performance such as settle time, accuracy, in-position stability, and/or velocity stability. These include Harmonic Cancellation, Threshold and Dynamic Gain Scheduling. Harmonic Cancellation includes a set of controller-level algorithms that are designed to improve performance by reducing the tracking error due to sinusoidal reference commands, motor force ripple (or other position-dependent disturbances), and cross-axis disturbances such as those created in a linear axis by an unbalanced rotational axis.

Threshold Gain Scheduling is a controller-level algorithm that adjusts the servo-loop gains based on a specific input: current or velocity either commanded or feedback. Two threshold zones are available.

The Dynamic Gain Scheduling algorithm can improve position performance and reduce cycle times. The algorithm changes the PID gains based on the servo error vector.

The ETM improves machine throughput by compensating for the effect of frame vibration on the tooltip. It provides for prefiltering input signals where necessary, and is available for single- or multi-axis operations.

Motion Designer is used to graphically generate and edit motion profiles that execute on the controller, providing the ability to import, run, and evaluate motion profiles (trajectories). Motion Designer complements the Digital Scope tuning and data analysis application. Motion Designer features include:

• Importing an existing trajectory consisting of position, velocity, and/or acceleration state vectors from an external file
• Plotting trajectories and using analysis tools such as cursors and frequency domain estimation
• Creating and modifying trajectories using predefined building blocks
• Running a trajectory and plotting collected data
• Overlapping multiple runs of a trajectory
• Creating and exporting an AeroBasic program from an existing trajectory
• Reducing position error between runs by using learning algorithms
• Creating and running multi-axis trajectories

Learning Control
Learning Control can be applied to the trajectory in Motion Designer to minimize the position error based on successive runs of the same move.