Motion Control Native Library V9

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I am migrating a project originally developed in TIA Portal to AX.  I've gotten everything working other than control of a speed axis technology object.  I followed the "getting started" instructions with no issues.  I created the speed axis TO object as a simulated axis in Portal and downloaded to PLCSIM Advanced.  I started very simply by just trying to confirm that my TO was a speed axis by using the provided example code. FUNCTION IsSpeedAxis : BOOL    VAR_INPUT             axisDB : DB_ANY;    END_VAR     IsSpeedAxis := GetType(axisDB) = TO_Type#SpeedAxis; END_FUNCTION   I call this function passing in the DB number of my TO.  However, the GetType function always returns a NULL.  After some digging, I finally noticed this message at the top of the library documentation "Currently, motion control is NOT supported in SIMATIC AX IT-Like Engineering (standalone) workflow".  However, I'm not sure if that just means that the TO has to be created in Portal and downloaded but the AX software functionality will still work or if that means that motion control is not support AT ALL in AX?  Has anyone successfully interfaced with a TO using AX Direct Loading workflow?
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Hi Ron,

there are different workflows in SIMATIC AX, and Motion Control is handled differently in these workflows.

 

1. TIAX Library Workflow

Here, you write (part of) your PLC code in SIMATIC AX, and then create a TIA Portal library based on that. From this library you integrate the desired blocks in your TIA Portal project and connect the Technology Objects (via their DB number) as necessary.

(Example: https://docs.industrial-operations-x.siemens.cloud/r/en-us/ax/simatic-1500-motioncontrol-native-docs/9.0.1/examples/mc-example-for-tiax-library-workflow/create-a-motion-control-library-with-simatic-ax)

 

2. TIAX Direct Loading Workflow

In this workflow, you describe the hardware configuration and the Technology Objects in the TIA Portal project. All the cyclic user program is programmed in SIMATIC AX. You can use Motion Control in this workflow, and you can attach your axes in SIMATIC AX via the "As<TO>AxisRef" functions. This function converts a DB_ANY to a REF_TO TO_<Type>, e.g. a REF_TO TO_PositioningAxis.

 

3. IT-like PLC engineering

There is no more TIA Portal in this, everything is handled in SIMATIC AX. For a motion control use case, this also includes the declaration and parameterization of Technology Objects. As of today, this is not yet available in SIMATIC AX.

 

 

In you specific case, I assume that you might have not used the "--non-overwriting" option for the Software Loader (sld).This option ensures, that the SIMATIC AX software loader does not remove the Technology Objects which have been defined in your TIA Portal project. Without the "--non-overwriting", the TOs will be wiped by the SLD and then the GetType function will return NULL.

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