Reliable and flexible control systems are vital for system integrators, installers, and planners in the entertainment industry. PC-based control from Beckhoff provides them with technology proven in applications worldwide, enabling them to master any creative challenge.
Whether it is a complete theme park or complex theatrical machinery, a series product or a subproject for entertainment functions, PC-based automation technology from Beckhoff is an industry-proven solution. It is reliable and durable, ensuring ultimate guest experiences in 24/7 operation.
Beckhoff, a global system provider, offers expertise in entertainment AV and media technology, as well as building automation and machine control. With a workforce of 5,500 spread across 42 companies, Beckhoff achieved a €1.75 billion turnover in 2023. The company’s presence in over 75 countries, including key markets like China and the US, underscores its global reach and industry leadership.
To find out more about what makes the company’s solutions unique and how they can help make a themed entertainment project reach new heights, blooloop speaks to members of the Beckhoff leadership team.
Meet Beckhoff
Beckhoff was founded in 1980 in Verl, Germany. It quickly became a prominent name in industrial automation, building a reputation for pushing the boundaries of technology. Initially focused on developing automation solutions for traditional industries, Beckhoff has become synonymous with innovation. Its pioneering PC-based control technology has transformed factory automation through software-driven solutions and modular systems.
Based on its TwinCAT software and EtherCAT communication protocol, the company’s open automation platforms have enabled integrators to achieve unparalleled precision and scalability. This versatility soon attracted attention from non-industrial sectors. Particularly the themed entertainment industry, where the demand for high-performance control systems has skyrocketed.
By the late 2000s, Beckhoff began to make inroads into this sector, offering the high-speed, high-reliability systems necessary for immersive attractions. The company’s robust automation solutions found early adopters among theme parks, museums and live events seeking to craft more dynamic guest experiences. Beckhoff’s programmable controllers and modular I/O systems have since powered some of the most complex entertainment installations globally, from animatronic shows to interactive media and kinetic architecture.
PC-based control technology for themed entertainment
“The performance of PC-based control technology and its extensive connectivity to different creative tools places nearly no limits on the control tasks that can be realized in the entertainment industry. The performance of Beckhoff technology has inspired many customer applications”, says Michel Matuschke, entertainment industry manager at Beckhoff Automation.
Today, Beckhoff’s presence in themed entertainment continues to grow as the sector demands increasingly sophisticated controls to power immersive technologies such as augmented reality, multi-sensory environments, and autonomous ride systems. With both a commitment to innovation and support for open interfaces, Beckhoff helps transform creative concepts into operational realities, solidifying its role in the next generation of experiential entertainment.
In addition, as an exhibitor at IAAPA Expo Europe and a participant at IAAPA Orlando, the company maintains constant contact with its customers. Establishing an office in Orlando in 2021, complete with a training room, further solidified Beckhoff’s dedication to the industry and its customers.
Why choosing the right PC-based control solution is key
Creating the ultimate guest experience in theatres, music festivals, unique applications, or attractions requires complex control technology that works reliably in the background. Beckhoff’s PC-based control solutions address these challenges, from the motion control of stage machinery that can change a stage in a matter of seconds through magical lighting effects synchronised with music to the animation of figures in amusement parks and the effects in 4D and 5D cinemas to kinetic installations that interact with the audience.
As an automation specialist, Beckhoff acts as “creativity to technology translators”. It bridges the gap between art and technology by supporting system integrators.
“With PC-based control, system integrators can assemble their control system in a modular way according to the performance and available installation space as well as the budget of the application,” says Matuschke.
This is possible by choosing from Beckhoff’s scalable and modular product portfolio. This consists of Industrial PCs, Control Panels ans I/O components, as well as highly dynamic drive technology and TwinCAT automation software for the automation of entertainment and building technology.
Beckhoff speaks the unique language of the entertainment industry
Thanks to comprehensive connectivity, all technical functions can be linked. Besides integrating DMX, sACN, Art-Net, PosiStageNet, DALI, KNX/EIB, dimmers, and LED for lighting control systems, system integrators also have all typical interfaces at their disposal for connecting AV and multimedia systems.
With support for SMPTE Timecode, PJLink, AES 70 (OCA), OSC, Crestron, and QSC, Beckhoff speaks the unique “languages” of this industry, ensuring that the most varied devices and applications in the entertainment industry can be controlled using standard control components. Comprehensive connectivity means users can link all technical functions. Plus, all system information can be available to the user on one control platform.
The scalability and modularity of the Beckhoff components also empower system integrators to adapt the technology to their specific needs. Whether it’s a small and medium-sized application or a highly complex venue, the company’s products can be assembled in a modular way according to the application’s performance, available installation space, and budget.
This flexibility ensures that functional enhancements and changes to the control system are possible at any time, even during operation, guaranteeing excellent flexibility and control.
Beckhoff’s PC-based control solutions in action
Beckhoff’s technology can control components for 4/5-D cinema effects, animatronics, kinetic objects, AV installations and movable water features, as well as stage machinery, lighting effects and more. The team at Beckhoff has worked on a wide range of projects worldwide using its state-of-the-art technology.
Examples can be found across the attractions industry, from an Alterface 4/5D interactive cinema in Belgium and a flying theatre project in partnership with Simtec Systems in Germany to a 3D dark ride at Fantawild Wuhu in China.
Beckhoff played a pivotal role in developing the kinetic sculpture known as the Kinetic Rain at Singapore’s Changi Airport, a project that showcases the power of EtherCAT in synchronising complex motion. This iconic installation in Terminal 1 uses an impressive 1,216 servo axes to animate 1,216 raindrop-shaped elements, creating fluid, mesmerising patterns in real time.
Each raindrop element attaches to a servo motor that enables precise control over its vertical movement. By leveraging Beckhoff’s EtherCAT communication protocol, the control system can then synchronise all 1,216 servos to millisecond precision. This level of synchronisation is essential to achieve the seamless, wave-like motions that define the installation’s beauty and rhythm as it transitions between various pre-programmed sequences.
EtherCAT’s high-speed data transfer enables the system to handle the enormous processing load and adjust movements for thousands of servo axes simultaneously, allowing the sculpture to flow in perfect harmony. Beckhoff’s TwinCAT software provides the necessary platform for programming and orchestrating the movement sequences. This allowed the designers to create intricate animations that are both visually captivating and mechanically flawless.
A range of applications
This installation enhances Changi Airport’s ambience and has also become an iconic attraction in its own right, captivating millions of travellers annually.
Elsewhere, Beckhoff’s PC-based control system also powers a stunning installation at Hangzhou’s national pavilion in partnership with Zhejiang Dafeng Industry. Here, 251 massive celadon-tiled walls open and close to form a panoramic landscape inspired by ancient Chinese art.
Using both EtherCAT and TwinCAT technologies, Beckhoff synchronises these four-ton walls’ precise, safe movement, maintaining gaps under 1 cm for seamless alignment. This advanced system merges cultural heritage with modern automation. It creates an immersive, dynamic space that connects high-tech engineering with traditional aesthetics.
Scalable control technology from Beckhoff has even helped to breathe life into some iconic stage and show productions. For example, the Broadway hit musical Hamilton.
Beckhoff facility in Orlando: a focus on theme park and entertainment applications
Beckhoff is a regular exhibitor at IAAPA Expo Europe and connects directly with customers at IAAPA Expo in Florida. Since 2021, Beckhoff has additionally maintained a sales and support office in Orlando. The Orlando facility and its local staff support a wide range of new and existing customers – including machine builder OEMs, manufacturers and systems integrators – while putting a particular emphasis on the area’s numerous entertainment applications:
“Florida contains an impressive number of automation innovators, so we are excited to cement our presence with the Orlando office,” says Jason Toon, entertainment industry specialist USA at Beckhoff Automation LLC. “Companies across the state and nearby theme park and entertainment applications are pushing the limits of automation technology so it is critical for us to have a location that offers more training, seminars and support.”
“Our established local sales and application engineering teams are thrilled about how this footprint expansion will strengthen existing business relationships and begin many more.”
In addition to the facility in Orlando, Beckhoff USA maintains 12 regional offices in prominent metropolitan areas across the country. The subsidiary’s headquarters are in the Minneapolis area.
Meet the team at IAAPA Expo 2024
In the quest to craft the ultimate guest experience, operators in the themed entertainment industry are discovering the transformative potential of Beckhoff’s PC-based control systems. By uniting precision control with open, scalable architecture, Beckhoff allows operators to unlock new levels of interactivity as well as real-time responsiveness and operational efficiency. This is all critical to meeting the evolving expectations of today’s guests.
With the flexibility to seamlessly integrate multimedia, complex motion, and environmental effects, Beckhoff’s technology allows designers to push creative boundaries while its reliability ensures consistent, high-quality performance.
“In the various entertainment projects that our customers have successfully implemented around the world in recent years, it has become clear that PC-based control is the perfect automation solution for an industry that constantly needs to outperform itself – or the competition – to offer new attractions,” says Matuschke.
“Beckhoff is an economically sound, family-owned global player that has been growing harmoniously and organically for over 40 years. Our customers can count on future-oriented concepts and components with long-term availability. This gives them that all-important step ahead of their competitors.”
Ultimately, Beckhoff’s commitment to open automation enables a truly integrated approach, empowering operators to blend multiple technologies into cohesive, immersive worlds. As the industry continues to innovate, Beckhoff’s solutions provide a robust foundation, helping operators deliver unforgettable guest experiences that set new standards in themed entertainment.
Attendees at IAAPA Expo 2024 can arrange a meeting with Matuschke via email. Learn more about creating ultimate guest experiences with PC-based control technology from Beckhoff here.
Top image: Simtec Group, Germany, HEXaFLITE Flying Theater
The post Creating the ultimate guest experience with PC-based control appeared first on Blooloop.