Mastering Remote Robot Control through PLC

PLCopen is proud to present the latest advancements from its Robotics Workgroup, focused on simplifying complex robotics automation. Our members have been working diligently to streamline Siemens’ Standard Robot Command Interface (SRCI) into a more accessible format, tailored for Coordinated Motion Control.

We are excited to announce the ‘Release for Comments’ of our Motion Control Part 4: Coordinated Motion specification. The PLCopen version retains the key functionalities from SRCI but presents them in the well-known PLCopen look&feel. Retaining less than 10% of the original size, while preserving 80% of the essential features, mainly focused on elaborate kinematics.

Without changing anything with regards to the interface or information model, meaning the 20+ robot suppliers who have collaborated on making the SRCI, can therefore easily implement the user friendly PLCopen specification. The SRCI enables robot control from a Siemens PLC for multiple robot vendors. The PLCopen Motion Control Part 4 update enables robot control from multiple PLC vendors for multiple robot vendors, which unlocks the door to far broader integration possibilities across the automation industry.

The PLCopen Robotics Workgroup’s goal is to make robotics programming accessible for more industries, and with the newly released version for comments, we invite feedback from our members and others. This is a significant step toward standardizing and simplifying robot control for industrial automation.

The PLCopen Motion Control Part 4, version 2.0 – Release for Comments can be downloaded with this link from the PLCopen website. We look forward to receiving your feedback and comments on this document by February 18, 2026 latest. Comments can be made directly in the pdf file and sent to [email protected]. With this feedback PLCopen will create the official release 2.0.

Read more on the integration of the SRCI functionality into the PLCopen Motion Control specification and how this enables robot control from your PLC.

PLCopen and Process Control

As part of our ongoing efforts to drive standardization and interoperability in industrial automation, PLCopen will start a new workgroup exploring the incorporation of the function blocks developed for the O-PAS standard into a new PLCopen specification for process control.

What is O-PAS?

The O-PAS (Open Process Automation Standard) is an open, interoperable, and vendor-neutral standard developed by the Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) to enable flexible and modular process automation systems. It is designed to replace traditional, proprietary DCS’ with a standards-based, plug-and-play architecture, allowing components from different vendors to work seamlessly together. O-PAS is based on existing industry standards, such as (among others) IEC 61131 & IEC 61499.

Part 6.4 of the O-PAS defines a set of standard function blocks to ensure interoperability, consistency, and comparability across different process automation systems. These FBs provide a reference model with standardized inputs, outputs, and behaviors. By establishing a uniform function block framework, part 6.4 supports modular automation, making it easier to adopt open, vendor-independent control solutions.

We are starting a new work group to create a new PLCopen standard for the process automation. There will be a kick-off meeting on January 20-21, 2026 in Wernigerode, Germany. If you are interested in this activity and want to learn more about it please contact [email protected].

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