In this endeavour, a company developing a compact 3-axis pipetting machine partnered with Technosoft to implement a motion architecture based on distributed intelligence using iPOS3602 intelligent drives.

Application Overview

The pipetting system consisted of three motion axes:

• X-axis – horizontal positioning
• Y-axis – tray displacement
• Z-axis – vertical pipetting movement

The system used stepper motors, in both open-loop and closed-loop configurations, depending on axis requirements for cost, performance and feedback precision.

Key challenges included:

• High positioning repeatability
• Smooth motion profiles to avoid fluid disturbance
• Reliable homing procedures
• Reduced central controller workload
• Fast development and commissioning

To meet these requirements, the customer selected iPOS3602 intelligent drives, each controlling one axis independently.

Distributed Intelligence at Drive Level

Instead of centralizing all motion logic in the main controller, the pipetting system was built around Technosoft’s embedded motion control concept using intelligent iPOS3602 drives.

Each drive independently:

• Closed its control loops
• Stored and executed custom homing routines
• Stored and ran complex motion sequences
• Reported high-level status to the master

Using Technosoft Motion Language (TML), multi-step positioning cycles and coordinated acceleration/deceleration profiles were programmed directly at the drive level. The master controller simply triggered these predefined motion blocks based on the human operator input.

This distributed intelligence approach delivered:

• Deterministic execution independent of communication delays
• Reduced real-time load on the master
• Lower communication bandwidth
• Simplified system architecture

Each axis operated as an autonomous, intelligent motion node while remaining synchronized within the overall machine.

Control from PC Using TML_LIB Motion Libraries

For system integration, the customer used our TML_LIB Motion Libraries for PC.

TML_LIB provides high-level functions that allow a PC or PLC to control Technosoft intelligent drives without handling low-level communication protocols.

Through TML_LIB, the application could:

• Send motion commands
• Trigger pre-programmed sequences
• Monitor drive status
• Access inputs/outputs and parameters

Available as a DLL for Windows or shared object for Linux, the library integrates easily into applications developed in C/C++, C#, Visual Basic, Delphi or LabVIEW.

By using TML_LIB, the development team avoided implementing communication stacks or motion algorithms, focusing instead on application logic while simply calling library functions and receiving execution feedback from the drives.

Driving the Future of Intelligent Medical Automation

The distributed intelligence architecture implemented in this project extends far beyond pipetting systems. The same approach is highly effective in deep screening molecular biology equipment, automated sample preparation systems, DNA/RNA analysis platforms, diagnostic analyzers and other high-precision medical devices.

This project highlights more than a successful 3-axis implementation — it reflects a fundamental shift in motion system design.

By embedding intelligence directly at drive level, Technosoft enables machine builders to rethink system architecture: reducing central complexity and creating modular, scalable platforms ready for future expansion.

In advanced life science and medical automation, performance is no longer defined only by precision, but by architectural intelligence.