Upgrade for Multi-Axis Stepper Systems: CANopen Multi-Node Drives Fully Free Up PLC Compute
As automation equipment moves quickly toward more axes, higher precision, and tighter coordination, multi-axis stepper control systems are already widely used in packaging, sorting, laser processing, 3C automation, conveyor lines, and other industrial applications. Many manufacturers face the same problem:
👉 PLC compute is maxed out, scan cycles get longer, multi-axis sync jitters, and adding an axis means upgrading to an expensive PLC.
The solution isn’t always more hardware. Often, it’s rebuilding the bus control architecture and pushing motion compute down to the drives.
PUSIROBOT CANopen stepper all-in-one drives come with in/out daisy-chain communication ports. They support daisy-chain networking, so multiple axis nodes connect in series for simple wiring and easy expansion.
Distributed control approach:
- The PLC sends only top-level scheduling commands.
- Each all-in-one drive locally calculates motion profiles, acceleration/deceleration, and synchronization.
Three core benefits that reduce PLC load and improve efficiency:
1. Free up PLC compute and avoid high-end controller premiums
Motion calculations move down to the integrated drives. The PLC only handles process scheduling. After adding axes, PLC CPU load stays low. You don’t need to upgrade to a costly high-end PLC just for multi-axis motion, so overall hardware cost drops significantly.2. Daisy-chain networking makes multi-axis expansion easy
With a CAN bus in/out daisy-chain topology, multiple all-in-one drives connect along the bus. To add an axis later, simply add a node at the end of the bus. No major architecture change. Ideal for medium-to-large multi-axis automation with 10–30 axes.3. Real-time, stable bus and better multi-axis synchronization
CANopen is naturally highly real-time and strongly noise-resistant. Local computation reduces high-frequency data exchange between the PLC and drives, greatly lowering bus packet load. During high-speed multi-axis coordination, synchronization is more stable, and jitter and lag are significantly reduced.Real-world applications: enabling automation upgrades across industries
This new distributed bus architecture is ideal for multi-axis conveyor lines, multi-station packaging equipment, 3C inspection platforms, laser multi-axis motion platforms, material sorting and conveying equipment, and more.
