Motion controllers are specialized devices that control the operation of electric motors. For example, a motor may be controlled by a travel switch to activate an AC contactor, causing the motor to drag an object upward to a specified position, then move downward. Alternatively, a time relay can be used to control the motor’s forward and reverse rotation, or to make it rotate for a while, stop, then rotate again, and stop again. The application of motion control in fields such as robotics and CNC machines is more complex than in dedicated machines, where the motion patterns are simpler and are often referred to as General Motion Control (GMC).
Now, let’s take a look at the global top ten well-known motion controller brands.
1、American DeltaTau Company
DeltaTau, a leader in innovative high-performance machine control solutions, boasts over three decades of rich experience in motion control. As experts in machine control, they possess an astonishing capability to control over a million axes globally. DeltaTau is adept and committed to serving a wide range of users, from the simplest to the most complex applications, including general automation, robot control, semiconductor production line automation, various machine tool automation, pharmaceutical and packaging production line automation. DeltaTau’s presence is ubiquitous.
DeltaTau takes pride in manufacturing and testing all of their machine control products using state-of-the-art SMT fabrication processes, automated inspection, and automated test equipment, striving to deliver the highest quality products within quick lead times. By producing user-friendly, cost-effective products and committing to ongoing research and development of next-generation technologies, you will benefit from a solution that includes a growing market share and keeps you invincible in competition. The PMAC motion controller is the most powerful and flexible motion controller in the world today.
Additionally, DeltaTau has introduced motion control products for the UMAC and IMAC systems. UMAC is DeltaTau’s system-level controller, which can be configured into a customized UMAC system according to your application and is also a professional controller with built-in I/O and power modules, as well as a complete enclosure. This controller features comprehensive communication methods such as high-speed USB, Ethernet, or MACRO to communicate with the host computer. The IMAC400C, developed by Delta China based on the Clipper design, is a powerful and cost-effective four-axis motion control system. The external input and output signals are isolated and connected to the user via DB terminals to prevent damage to the control motherboard and I/O ports, thereby protecting the motherboard.
2、Israel ACS Company
ACS was established in 1985 with its headquarters in Israel. It has technical support centers in the United States, China, Germany, and South Korea. ACS Motion Control is a global leader in providing high-performance mechanical automation control systems for applications centered around motion control. The company achieves the highest performance, flexibility, cost savings, and user-friendly comprehensive solutions by integrating multi-axis control, power, and precision.
ACS Corporation collaborates with a network of experienced solution providers to offer global clients sales and service support. By optimizing machinery and motion control, ACS continuously invests in the development of new technologies and products, ensuring the provision of the most advanced machinery and motion control solutions tailored to meet customer needs.
Only ACS can offer customers a unique combination of advanced hardware components, flexible control software, and application engineering support, enabling them to obtain machine motion control solutions that precisely meet their needs and achieve the best cost-performance ratio in one place.
ACS can provide a complete and reliable system on its own, accelerating the development cycle and reducing costs. With proven technical and application expertise, ACS enhances machine precision and efficiency through superior motion control and IO control solutions, stable and user-friendly software, and robust application development support, ensuring customers achieve a genuine competitive advantage.
ACS’s products are applied in packaging, printing, robotics, linear platform control, semiconductor manufacturing and testing, electronic assembly and testing, medical imaging, and advanced digital printing industries. ACS Motion Control has become a world-leading manufacturer of advanced control solutions, with current clients including General Electric, Philips, Applied Materials, Samsung, and LG.
3.Parker Hannifin Corporation
Parker, also known as Parker Hannifin, is a world-class industrial enterprise headquartered in the United States. Since its founding by Arthur L. Parker in 1918, Parker Hannifin has grown to become the largest and most comprehensive company in the global motion and control industry. It provides precise solutions for a wide range of drive control, industrial, and aviation markets, and has become the world’s largest professional manufacturer and distributor of various refrigeration and air conditioning components, hydraulic, pneumatic, and fluid control products and components.
Parker has a total of 139 branches and 341 manufacturing plants in 49 countries worldwide. Parker’s unparalleled industrial distribution network covers approximately 13,000 locations globally. Through this extensive network of local independent businesses, Parker is able to provide its products and services to customers in 104 countries. This includes the continuously expanding ParkerStore industrial retail network, which currently covers nearly 2,000 locations.
Parker Hannifin Corporation is a world-class manufacturer of motion control products, dedicated to providing top-tier products and customer service. As one of the 500 companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, it has over 1,400 production lines for components and systems, serving more than 1,000 industrial and aerospace sectors in motion control. Parker Hannifin is the only manufacturer to offer hydraulic, pneumatic, and electromechanical motion control solutions to its customers. The company boasts the largest sales network in its field, with over 7,500 distributors serving 400,000 customers worldwide.
Parker Global is composed of eight global groups: the Motion and Control Group, the Filtration Group, the Environmental and Industrial Controls Group, the Aerospace Group, the Hydraulic Products Group, the Instrumentation Tube and Valve Group, the Fluid Connectors Group, and the Sealing Group, each operating within their respective fields.
Parker’s electromechanical and automation products range from human-machine interfaces to controllers, drives, servos, motors, reduction gears, and a wide variety of mechanical actuators, as well as AC and DC inverters. Additionally, they provide comprehensive solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of different levels of customers.
4、UK Trio Company
Trio Motion Technology Ltd, a UK-based company founded in 1987, is a top player in the global motion control industry. Since its inception, the company has been dedicated to the research, development, and production of motion control technologies and products, boasting world-leading technologies and offerings that drive the advancement of motion control technology. In February 2017, Trio was acquired by Dingkong, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Estun Automation, gaining 100% ownership. To date, Trio’s control products have been applied to actuators in various sectors including medical, semiconductor, textile, material handling, food processing, packaging, printing, machine tools, industrial machinery, woodworking machinery, aerospace, testing, measurement, and defense technology.
TRIO Motion Control’s multi-axis digital motion controllers employ 32-bit floating-point arithmetic DSP chips from the TMS320XX series, which utilize proprietary microprocessor technology, integrating the latest control theories and network control techniques. Their product lineup includes the PCI208 control card based on the PCI bus for PC-based systems, as well as standalone multi-axis digital motion controllers featuring communication capabilities such as RS232, RS485, USB, Ethernet, CANBus, and SERCOS, along with communication protocols like HostLink, DeviceNet, and ModBus.
In addition, the company has provided high-quality OEM products or technology to many renowned manufacturers around the world, such as the UK’s CT company, the US’s AMC company, Germany’s Lenze and LUST companies, Switzerland’s INFRANOR company, Japan’s Yaskawa company, Omron, and others. Trio’s main products are high-precision, high-functionality digital motion controllers based on advanced DSP technology, utilizing the latest microprocessor technologies including 64-bit, 400MHz and 32-bit, 120MHz~533MHz, integrating the latest control theories and network technologies.
The TRIO motion controller can control up to 24 axes, with all products capable of both pulse output and analog output (specification required at time of order). It can control AC/DC servo motors, stepper motors, inverters, pneumatic/hydraulic servo cylinders, or any combination of these. It also features programmable input/output and analog inputs, which can be selected based on the needs of the equipment. It uses TrioBASIC Programming (similar to BASIC language) for motion control programming, and provides ActiveX software to support secondary development with high-level languages such as VB, VC, C/C++ tailored to the needs of the equipment. Additionally, it offers CAD conversion of motion program files, allowing conversion of 2D *.dxf drawings of the workpiece into motion control programs for the Trio controller.
5、American GALIL Company
GALIL Motion Control, Inc. is located in the heart of California’s renowned Silicon Valley. Established in 1983, the company specializes in providing microprocessor-based precision motion controllers. Currently, over 250,000 motion controllers are operating reliably worldwide, with applications spanning a wide range of industries including medical, semiconductor, textile, material handling, food processing, machine tools, industrial machinery, aerospace, and test measurement.
GALIL Company is globally recognized as a pioneer and leader in the field of motion control. Precision, ease of use, affordability, and strong technical support are the distinguishing features of GALIL’s products compared to industry peers. GALIL’s motion control products have evolved to the 4th generation, utilizing the latest 32-bit microprocessor technology, integrating advanced control theories and network technologies. The product range includes PC/104, ISA, PCI, VME bus board-level products, as well as standalone controllers with RS232C, USB, and Ethernet communication functions. Users can choose from 1 to 8 axes, with all products capable of controlling either servo or stepper motors. The unique 2-character command set and WSDK development and debugging tools, along with ActiveX software, make system setup, debugging, and application development simple and efficient.
In the year 2000, as humanity was about to enter the 21st century, GALIL developed the DMC3425 distributed motion controller. Agents worldwide are professionally trained by GALIL and are ready to assist users with any challenges they encounter during use. Dr. Jacob Tal, the company’s president, is a highly respected author, scholar, professor, and engineer with over 30 years of practical experience, solving numerous motion control problems for countless enterprises.
6、American Kollmorgen Corporation
Kollmorgen Corporation has combined over 30 industry-leading brands (such as Kollmorgen, Thomson, Dover, Pacific Scientific, Portescap, Neff, Seidel, and Bautz) to establish a customer-focused motion control manufacturing and service company known as Danaher Motion. Under the Danaher Motion brand, we offer powerful integrated motion control technologies. As a global leader in motion control with annual sales exceeding $1 billion, we bring together decades of application experience and technological innovation, dedicated to helping customers manufacture machines better and faster.
DanaherMotion sets high standards for quality, innovation, and technology. We can enhance machine performance and reliability while controlling costs. Our global manufacturing footprint, rapid customization, and prototyping capabilities drive quick order-to-delivery times. Unparalleled application and design expertise enable users to commission machines more rapidly.
In today’s highly competitive motion control market, as a trusted partner for customers, DanaherMotion’s global team of 6,100 employees, with over 60 years of application experience, combined with a network of over 2,000 distributors, is committed to helping your business succeed. DanaherMotion serves a variety of industries including semiconductor, aerospace and defense, electric vehicle systems, packaging, printing, medical, and robotics. When needed, our extensive global service and technical support infrastructure, along with on-site service engineers and support teams, provide an unparalleled depth and breadth of motion control product solutions.
7.Swiss Infranor Group
the Swiss Infranor Group, was founded by Mr. PerrotDuval in Geneva in 1941 and is a renowned European manufacturer of high-quality industrial automation drive and control products. After more than half a century of continuous innovation and growth, it has become a multinational group listed on the Zurich Stock Exchange. The group’s headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, with production bases in Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, and the United States, as well as branch offices or representatives in more than 30 major industrial countries worldwide, along with a global network of engineering partners.
The ELITE series products are integrated control and display systems that combine robust PLC functionality with a rich array of display features. They offer a variety of CPU options with clock speeds ranging from 400MHz to 1.1GHz, catering to the diverse needs of various equipment. Equipped with an internal CAN bus interface, these systems also provide a PCI interface for expanding various other bus interfaces. Through the bus system, they can easily connect to a range of I/O modules, frequency converters, servo drives, and more, enabling the implementation of various PLC functions and single-axis to multi-axis motion control capabilities. An internal Ethernet interface facilitates network configuration, while two built-in USB ports allow for USB storage, USB printing, and the connection of USB mice and keyboards.
As a renowned supplier of industrial automation drive and control system equipment in Europe, Swiss Infranor Group has provided efficient and precise drive products and automation system solutions to a wide range of industrial enterprises, including clients such as Siemens, Bosch, ABB, Coca-Cola, Rolex, KUKA, and Citroen. Infranor products are widely used in various industries such as printing, packaging, food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, plastics, paper, pharmaceuticals, nuclear technology, and military industries. The company constantly updates and adjusts its technology based on the experience accumulated in various applications to meet the needs of different markets.
8、American Baldor
American Baldor Company was established in 1920, with its headquarters located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It owns three major brands: Baldor, Reliance Electric, and Dodge, and is the largest industrial motor supplier in North America and the second largest globally. American Baldor Motor Company also provides a full range of servo products and motion control products, linear motors and their controls, drive products, etc. The company’s product line also includes mobile power stations and small diesel generator sets.
Currently, Baldor’s business has been integrated with ABB Group’s existing operations and merged into the ABB Discrete Automation and Motion Control business unit. The BALDOR motion control card can operate independently or exchange information with a host computer via a serial port or USB port. The Mint language, similar to Basic in structure, is easy to understand and powerful; you can complete a complex set of movements in just a few minutes. The BALDOR motion control card is highly praised by users for its simplicity and robust functionality and is now widely used in areas such as laser engraving, CNC machines, packaging machinery, and semiconductor manufacturing.
NextMoveES – A 6-axis standalone motion control card, BaldorES offers high cost-performance with its 6-axis configuration (2 axes servo and 4 axes stepper, digital servo or 6 axes stepper, digital servo) standalone motion control card. It can operate independently or exchange information with a host computer via USB or serial ports. The Mint language, similar to Basic in structure, is easy to understand and powerful, allowing you to complete complex motion sequences in just a few minutes.
9、American AEROTECH
Aerotech is a motion controller supplier from the United States with its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since 1970, Aerotech has been designing and manufacturing the highest performance motion control and positioning systems for users across various industries, government agencies, and scientific and research institutions worldwide.
From the award-winning Automation320032-axis motion, vision, PLC, robotics, and I/O networking to a series of single-axis and multi-axis PC-based and standalone motion controllers, Aerotech offers a comprehensive suite of control solutions tailored to application requirements. Aerotech manufactures a wide selection of high-performance brushless linear and rotary motors as well as linear actuators.
Aerotech’s positioning platforms range from economical ball screw and gear-driven linear and rotary platforms to high-performance direct drive linear and rotary platforms, linear motor-based Cartesian coordinate gantry systems, single and multi-axis air bearing systems, FiberMax, FiberAlign, and the full range of nano positioning platforms.
If you cannot find a suitable standard product, AEROTECH can customize motion components and systems for you, with unique expertise and capabilities in the industry. With a long history of providing products in vacuum and clean environments, this enhances the customization capabilities even further.
10、National Instruments Corporation
National Instruments Corporation (English: National Instruments, abbreviation NI, NASDAQ: NATI) is an American company engaged in the development of engineering software related to testing, control, and design fields, including virtual instruments and electronic test equipment.
NI motion control is utilized across platforms for testing, measurement, and control applications. NI offers PCI and PXI plug-in motion controllers, as well as NIC series drivers and driver interface modules for NI CompactRIO. Engineers leverage NILabVIEW, fully-featured controllers, comprehensive instrument drivers, and motors to create advanced motion control programs, enabling faster development at a lower cost.
NI offers two distinctly different motion control architectures (see the “Architecture” section), with each architecture utilizing different controllers and software. Applications using NI plug-in motion controllers are programmed with NI-Motion drivers and NIMotion Assistant; applications using NI real-time controllers and NIFPGA terminals are programmed with LabVIEW NI SoftMotion module.
NI7330, 7340, 7350, 7390 series PCI and PXI cards are motion controllers based on digital signal processing, programmed using LabVIEW through the NI-Motion driver. These plug-in motion controllers from NI are suitable for controlling stepper and servo motors across 2-8 axes. They can be used on Windows or LabVIEW Real-Time systems, and can be integrated with NIDAQ devices to create high-speed automated test systems. These cards are also compatible with the MotionAssistant, a reconfigurable interactive motion prototyping tool.