TECHNOLOGY n 23 www.drivesncontrols.com October 2025 TRIO MOTION TECHNOLOGY HAS launched the first controllers in its new Motion-PLC range, offering advanced motion control, with the functions and simplicity of a PLC. The new class of controller – first previewed at the SPS exhibition in Germany last November – combines highperformance motion control over EtherCat, plus logic and I/O expansion, enabling faster, simpler machine development. The first models, now available to order, are the MCS 30, 40 and 50 Flexible Machine Controllers, aimed at stand-alone machines and sub-machines for applications such as pick-and-place, gantries, glue-laying and flying shears. They provide machine and motion control of up to eight axes over high-speed EtherCat. The controllers have up to two Ethernet ports with fieldbus support for HMI and upstream devices, including Modbus TCP, Profinet I/O and Ethernet I/P, as well as extensive I/O integration to expand machine connections. The MCS 40 and 50 offer a multi-tasking operating system that performs motion and logic control in parallel. The motion control capability is based on Trio’s Motion-iX motion engine, which has more than 30 years of development behind it. The engine includes a variety of preprogrammed functions that simplify development, from point-to-point moves, through to complex motion. The Motion-PLCs can be programmed in PLC languages complying with the IEC 61131-3 standard. They also include a PLCopen motion library. With the MCS 40 and 50 controllers, developers also have access to TrioBasic, Trio’s licencefree high-level, English-based motion programming language. Free access to Trio’s Motion Perfect programming software and commissioning cuts the cost of machine development “significantly”, according to Trio. The Motion-PLC controllers can add “click in” I/O slices via the MSBus interface – Trio’s local communication protocol that provides high data throughput and efficiency. The controllers support up to 16 of Trio’s new MS I/O slices, including any combination of digital or analogue inputs or outputs. The I/O can optionally be increased to achieve 1,024 digital ports and 128 analogue ports via Trio’s new MS EC I/O coupler that provides a bridge between EtherCat and the MS-Bus system. The first Motion-PLC controllers are 100mm high by 75mm deep and 23mm wide, ensuring a compact footprint, whether they are machine- or cabinetmounted. The MCS 30, 40 and 50 will be joined by more models that will extend the scale of control to larger stand-alone machines. Designated All-in-One Controllers, the ultimate devices in the Motion-PLC range will add a serial port, a flexible axis port, plus NPN or PNP on-board I/O. “Motion-PLC simplifies machine development,” says Trio president, Tom Alexander. “This makes machines faster to design, install, and commission, while for endusers, it makes machines easier to use, and it also increases reliability. Crucially, these advantages are supported by Trio’s motion control specialisation, and highly capable logic control.” www.triomotion.com Controllers combine motion and PLC functions to simplify machine designs UK in-wheel motor developer claims it is the first to match twin-axle prices THE UK IN-WHEEL MOTOR (IWM) developer Protean Electric claims that its latest motors, due to enter production in 2026, will cost the same as twin-axle drive systems, offering the potential to cut EV costs and deliver other advantages. It says that its new ProteanDrive Pm18 2500 is the first inwheel motor that can displace twin e-axle set-ups due to its lower costs and improved functionality. Protean also claims that it is the first IWM supplier able to deliver production-ready, highperformance IWMs for passenger car applications. The new drive, which delivers more than 2.5kNm of torque and 220kW of power per wheel, will accelerate EVs to 100km/h in around 3 seconds. Renault is planning to use two of the wheelmotors in its Renault 5 Turbo 5E electric sportscars, which will accelerate from 0–100km/h in less than 3.5s, and hit a top speed of 167 mph (269km/h). Trio’s Motion-PLC range includes a choice of combined motion controllers and PLCs, an I/O coupler, and various I/O slice modules
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