OMRON Advances Modular Machine Configuration at Runtime

Custom machine building increasingly requires manufacturers to deliver application-specific functionality without extending engineering timelines or multiplying software variants. In this context, OMRON is positioning its Sysmac automation platform as a framework for modular machine development and runtime reconfiguration across industrial automation environments.

Customisation pressure is reshaping machine engineering
Machine builders increasingly face a mismatch between demand for customised equipment and the engineering effort required to deliver it.

Variations in machine layout, operating speed, handled materials, product flow, safety requirements, and operator interfaces often translate into duplicated engineering work, longer commissioning phases between Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and increased after-sales support complexity.

This challenge is compounded by shortages in qualified automation engineering resources, increasing pressure to standardise development workflows while preserving design flexibility.

Modularity beyond the machine frame
Many OEMs have already adopted modular machine architectures using configurable mechanical assemblies and pre-engineered electrical systems.

However, hardware modularity alone does not eliminate configuration complexity. To reduce engineering overhead meaningfully, modularity must also extend into control software and industrial communication layers, allowing machine functions to be reused, adapted, and reconfigured without repeated redevelopment.

This is the architectural model OMRON is targeting with its integrated automation environment.

One engineering environment across automation domains
OMRON’s Sysmac platform and Sysmac Studio integrated development environment consolidate multiple automation disciplines into a single engineering framework.

Within the same software environment, users can configure PLC logic, motion control, robotics, HMI, and machinery safety functions instead of managing separate engineering tools and programming environments.

The platform also supports 3D simulation for pre-deployment validation, enabling machine builders to model axis movement, operational sequencing, and robotic kinematics before physical commissioning.

This approach can reduce integration risk and shorten machine commissioning timelines, particularly in projects where custom functionality introduces interaction complexity between automation subsystems.

The architecture also supports scalable deployment, allowing machine builders to begin with a base machine configuration and expand or simplify functionality according to application requirements.

EtherCAT as a modular reconfiguration layer
At the industrial networking level, OMRON extends this modularity through EtherCAT Extended Functions (EEF v3).

The system supports automatic detection and mapping of EtherCAT-connected I/O and motion devices while also assisting with diagnostics and hardware integrity management.

For machine builders, this creates a plug-and-play approach to automation network expansion, simplifying reconfiguration of machine sections without redesigning the broader control structure.

The ability to activate configuration options during runtime while preserving a consistent engineering model is particularly relevant in modular production equipment where functional variation is expected across deployments.

From repeated programming to configurable machine architectures
The broader shift reflected here is away from project-by-project machine programming toward configurable automation platforms.

As industrial OEMs face shorter delivery expectations and higher product variability, the commercial advantage increasingly lies in machine architectures that can be configured rather than extensively re-engineered.

With Sysmac Studio, integrated simulation, and EtherCAT-based modular networking, OMRON’s approach is aimed at reducing the engineering cost of machine customisation across the full equipment lifecycle.

Edited by Aishwarya Mambet, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.

www.omron.com