Beckhoff PLC Integration
Motor and actuator control over the TwinCAT ADS protocol. Real-time variable reading, handle management and secure command sending.
We Wrote the Brain of an Industrial Calibration Machine
Windows-based control software we developed for an industrial calibration machine manufactured by a third-party company. It combines Beckhoff PLC integration, camera-based measurement, a test procedure engine and automatic certification in a single interface.
Project Overview
This project was carried out at the request of an industrial calibration machine manufacturer to design and develop the machine's operating software end to end. The mechanical and electronic design of the machine belongs to the manufacturer; our work covered the entire software layer that makes this hardware operable in field conditions.
The software we developed communicates with the Beckhoff TwinCAT PLC over the ADS protocol to control motors and actuators, captures live images from a USB camera to detect the scale, and compares the actual reading with the reference value to calculate the error rate. The operator selects a predefined test procedure; the system moves to the target position step by step, takes the measurement, saves the image and writes the result to the database. When the test is complete, an Excel calibration certificate in the corporate format is generated with a single click.
The project required integrating into a single product independent technical areas such as stable communication between hardware and software, real-time data reading, image processing, data persistence, reporting and field security.
Our scope of work in the project:
- Design of the machine control architecture and software layers
- PLC integration and real-time variable management via Beckhoff TwinCAT ADS
- Development of camera-based automatic ruler and scale detection algorithms
- Design of automatic and manual test modes and the step-based procedure engine
- End-to-end development of the customer, device, certificate and test history modules
- Automatic Excel certificate generation from test results
- Writing a PLC simulator engine to enable development without real hardware
- Hardware-locked licensing, role-based authorization and code protection layers
- Design of the local SQLite database schema and management of the data migration process
- Design of the industrial operator interface
Hardware manufacturing and mechanical design are outside the scope of the project.
Core Capabilities of the Software
Modules that combine the machine's entire workflow, from motor control to certification output, in a single piece of software.
Camera-Based Measurement
Live image capture from a USB camera and ruler/scale detection with OpenCV. Precise readings through pixel-to-millimeter calibration.
Step-Based Test Procedure
A flexible test engine that runs the operator-defined procedure step by step and supports both automatic and manual modes.
Automatic Excel Certificate
Converts test results into an XLSX calibration certificate in the corporate format. One-click export with logo, customer block, table and error rate columns.
PLC Simulator
A built-in engine that simulates PLC variables in memory so development and testing can be done without real hardware.
Test History and Data Archive
All test steps, results and captured images are permanently archived in the SQLite database and the file system, and can be queried instantly.
Hardware-Locked Licensing
HMAC-SHA256-based license verification tied to CPU and disk serial numbers; a field security layer that prevents unauthorized copying.
Role-Based User Management
Auditable use with developer and operator roles, BCrypt password security, and session and activity logs.
Technology Stack
The Technologies That Form the Backbone of the Project
Industrial control software has to solve independent problems such as real-time communication, image processing, data persistence and reporting within the same product. In this project, stable and long-lived technologies proven in field conditions were chosen for each layer.
- C#
- WPF Xaml
- Beckhoff PLC
- OpenCV Image Processing
UI & Application Framework
A high-performance, Material Design-based industrial operator interface on Windows. A framework built on a long-term LTS foundation.
Industrial Communication
The industry standard for real-time communication with the PLC. A stable protocol for motor control, sensor reading and emergency signals.
Image Processing
Live frame capture from a USB camera and ruler/scale detection. Heuristic algorithms that run deterministically in field conditions.
Data & Reporting
A local SQLite data layer that requires no installation; one-click generation of Excel calibration certificates in the corporate format with EPPlus.
Live Test in the Laboratory
Footage of the software running in field conditions. A video recorded from the operator's precision tests.
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