This blog is Part 3 of a multi-part series. Make sure to check out the other blogs on this topic:

1. Beckhoff Setup Basics: IPC Configuration Steps
2. Beckhoff Setup Basics: Getting Started with a Beckhoff PLC
3. Beckhoff Setup Basics: HMI Configuration Steps

Term Definitions

Throughout this blog series, I refer to two devices repeatedly. For clarity, those devices are as follows:

1. “Beckhoff IPC” – The industrial PC that will run the PLC and HMI server. Device configuration will occur on this device. Beckhoff sells these directly. Third-party IPCs can also be used, but licensing is more expensive.
2. “Programming Computer” – A computer, such as an engineer’s laptop, where the TwinCAT XAE development environment is installed. Programming happens on this device, as well as some of the configuration of the Beckhoff IPC.

Configure HMI Server

First, we’ll need to configure the HMI server so we can publish to it. On the Beckhoff IPC, find the HMI server tray icon, and click on it.

Note: If you do not see this icon, double-check that TE2000 HMI Server is installed on the Beckhoff IPC following the instructions in Part 1 of this blog series.

Select “Service Configuration.”

The webpage http://127.0.0.1:19800/ should open in the default browser.

On that page, add a new Server Instance by entering the information in the form and creating an HMI administrator password.

In the menu that appears, select the HMI Instance we created and select “Config.” (If there are issues, you may need to restart the HMI server through the same menu).

The default startup page will open.

If you get a “License Expired” error page, then double-check that you have a valid or trial license for TE2000.

In XAE Shell, ensure that TF2000 is selected and there is an active trial license.

If you have created a new trial license but still experience this error, then restart the HMI Server Instance.

Once the HMI Server has a valid or trial license, the Config page will show this. Enter the HMI administrator password created on the “Server Configuration” page.

The configuration will open. Navigate to TcHmiSrv > Webserver.

Expand the Endpoints menu and select “Add.”

Add the IP address of the HMI Server where it will be accessed externally (an external browser or HMI) and use your HTTPS port.

For this guide, we will assume the HMI server is on the Beckhoff IPC and use the URL: https://192.168.42.42:1021/.

An “Add successful” message will appear at the top of the page if it is successful. If not, make sure the URL is correct and you’ve used https:// as a prefix to the IP address.

Publish HMI Program

Now that the HMI server is configured, we can create the HMI Project in XAE Shell on the Programming PC.

Once the HMI project is complete, we can publish it to the HMI server.

To do this, select the HMI program in the project tree.

At the top of XAE Shell, change the platform dropdown to “TwinCAT HMI.”

At the top of XAE Shell, select TwinCAT HMI > Publish to TwinCAT HMI Server.

If you have not created any profiles, TwinCAT will prompt you to enter a profile name. Different profiles can be used for different environments (ex: development, release, etc)

Enter the IP address of the HMI endpoint created earlier, the appropriate port (1020), and the administrator password for the HMI Server set up earlier in this guide.

You can also click the “…” button to open a pop-up of available HMI servers to connect to.

It’s a good idea to click “Validate Connection” to ensure all information is correct and a connection is successful. If an error occurs during validation, you will not be able to publish until you correct it.

Then click “Publish” in the top-right corner to publish the HMI project to the Server.

It may take a long time for the project to publish. You can track progress in the bottom bar of XAE Shell.

Full-Screen HMI Start in Chrome/Firefox

When our Beckhoff IPC is booted, we usually want it to immediately open the HMI screen instead of requiring an operator to start the HMI manually. This can be accomplished with a very simple batch script.

Open Notepad on your Beckhoff IPC and paste in the following code:

@echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk -fullscreen --incognito http://127.0.0.1:1010/
exit

@echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk -fullscreen --incognito http://127.0.0.1:1010/
exit

Save this file as “StartHMI.bat” in your startup folder. For convenience, if the HMI screen ever does need to be started manually, create a shortcut for this batch script and place it on the desktop.

This will automatically open Chrome in full screen on startup. You may want to do this step after you’ve finished other setup steps, as it can be a bit of a nuisance after restarts.

Make sure the path for Chrome in the batch file is correct. The above is the default location, but it may not be correct.

Note: Similar instructions are available for Firefox.

Once the HMI is published on the server and starts in kiosk mode on startup, you are now complete with your Beckhoff PLC and HMI.

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Detroit’s Legacy of Innovation

Detroit earned its reputation as the Motor City through decades of automotive innovation and manufacturing leadership. By the mid-20th century, the region was producing roughly half of all cars made in the United States, establishing itself as one of the country’s most important industrial centers. Today, that industrious spirit extends far beyond automotive manufacturing. From a vibrant art scene and a growing technology campus, Detroit is investing in its future like never before.

Finding the Right Office Location

That’s why when Andy Femminineo first got the idea for a Detroit-based DMC office, the city’s rich manufacturing past and emerging technology sector felt like a natural fit. Andy immediately started looking for spaces in the Detroit area and landed on Green Garage, an industrial coworking building in Midtown. “I wanted a space that we could just get started in with two, three, or four of us and then find a full-time lease.”

DMC has long been committed to creating workspaces where people want to be, and for Andy, that meant finding a location with plenty of natural light, architectural character, and, of course, in-office perks.

Green Garage Coworking Space in Midtown, Detroit

“I looked at about four or five places, and I knew right away that Green Garage would be perfect. The building itself was built using a lot of the reclaimed materials from the businesses that had been there before: an old manufacturing building, an automotive shop and garage.”

In addition to its sustainability focus, Green Garage is also deeply invested in the surrounding community, offering coworking residents a pantry stocked with locally sourced snacks and food. “The little market sells locally produced, Michigan-made goods. It’s very community-driven,” Andy shared.

While the team may eventually move into a larger, dedicated office of its own, Green Garage is currently providing an ideal place for the Detroit team to work in person while enjoying everything Midtown has to offer.

Establishing Office Culture

Creating a workplace people enjoy starts with culture. Through after-work activities, mentorship programs, and team lunches, every DMC office is encouraged to build relationships and connect beyond day-to-day project work. Although the Detroit team is small, they regularly explore the city’s attractions and bond outside of the office.

“Spencer was one of our first new hires, and he has been the driving force behind many of our team outings,” Andy remarked. This past summer, for example, the team spent an evening at Full Throttle, driving go-karts and playing VR games together. The team also regularly takes in Detroit sports, visiting Comerica Park for baseball games and Little Caesars Arena to watch the Red Wings (RIP, The Joe). Thanks to the office’s location, almost all of these attractions are little more than a short walk or bike ride away.

DMC’s Detroit team members at sports games, go-karting, and an archery range

“My favorite event so far has been our first Tigers game as a team,” Spencer explained. “There was a fan who wore ten jerseys to the game and took them off as different players came to bat. Then afterward we all rented scooters and zipped through the city back to the office. It was so fun getting to know the Detroit office outside of work.”

As for future events, Spencer has a few fun and very Michigan-themed ideas. “I think it would be fun to go to the Michigan/Michigan State game—preferably football, but basketball would be fun, too! There’s so much history behind that rivalry, every game is electric, and now we have University of Michigan alums and Michigan State alums on the team.”

When it’s time to collaborate on client projects, Detroit’s diverse industrial landscape provides no shortage of engineering challenges. As Andy explained, “Detroit is the Motor City, of course, but our office does a lot more high-tech work, SCADA projects, and general manufacturing because there are so many industries here, including aerospace and pharmaceuticals throughout Michigan.”

What’s Next for DMC Detroit?

Detroit’s history and momentum make it an exciting place to work, but it’s the people who have made the office feel truly special. From finding a workspace that meets the team’s growing needs to building connections through after-work events, Midtown has proven to be an excellent place for DMC to lay down roots in Michigan and continue delivering the engineering expertise and partnerships DMC is known for around the country.

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This year, DMC’s David Berno, Nikhil Holay, Brandon Tanner, John Williams, and Elizabeth Reed will attend the conference to participate in technical discussions, connect with our partners, and, on September 22nd, Elizabeth will even sit on a panel to discuss common problems in integration projects.

Being connected to a strong community of experts is just one of the many benefits of being designated an Ignition Premier Integrator. It also allows us to continuously learn about new technologies, solutions, and how to solve our clients’ biggest engineering challenges. We can’t wait to connect once again with the Ignition community this September.

Panel: Avoiding Million-Dollar Mistakes in Automation Projects

On September 22nd, Director of SCADA and MES, Elizabeth Hill Reed, will sit on a panel to discuss the most common failure points seen in control system projects with other automation experts. Here’s what panel attendees can expect to hear:

• Real-world examples and lessons learned from failed and high-risk control system integration projects.
• A discussion of the most common reasons automation projects exceed budgets or fail to meet performance expectations.
• How system integrators drive project success through disciplined requirements development and cross-functional coordination.
• Strategies for identifying and mitigating technical, organizational, and implementation risks early in the project lifecycle.

The session will be a good chance for conference attendees to reflect on important lessons learned from high-risk integrations and walk away with strategies to mitigate these kinds of challenges on their next project.

What to Expect This Year: Panels, Demos, Table Talks and More

ICC 2026 will have many more discussions and sessions over the three days, featuring leaders and experts in the industry. From software demonstrations to larger industry discussions, the schedule this year includes a variety of topics designed to spread ideas and spark conversations among Ignition users.

In addition to panels, workshops, and demonstrations, ICC will also feature table talk sessions again this year, allowing conferencegoers to explore topics that pique their interests. Be sure to look out for our automation experts at different table talk sessions over the three days of the conference!

Check out the full schedule for ICC 2026.

2026 Conference Information

• When: September 22-24, 2026
• Where: SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, Sacramento, CA
• How to Attend: Register for Tickets Here

ICC is a great opportunity to continue to grow connections and relationships within the Ignition community.

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A client is currently using an overhead track of MagneMover Lite (MML) motors and vehicles to store and transport their product. When the product is ready for operations at the ground level, the MagneMotion vehicles carrying the product are sent to elevators that bring them in groups of three to the factory floor, where operators can unload from two racks: an upper and a lower rack.

Since the elevator needs to interface with both the ground racks and the overhead track, we must split the elevator and each ground rack into separate paths with their path beginnings defined by terminus nodes. A Terminus node defines the start or end of a path where vehicles move to or from their current path. When a vehicle is moving from the elevator to a ground rack, it must exit from the elevator terminus node and enter the ground rack terminus node, which accepts the vehicle onto the path. This process is repeated for all three vehicles in either direction, both boarding and departing the elevator.

While the elevator is lowering to the ground racks, a stack light flashes and emits an audible warning to alert operators that vehicles are arriving. Still, the client requested adding two photoeye (PE) sensors and a stop to prevent vehicles from colliding with any operators who are in the way of the arriving vehicles. We worked on a similar MagneMover Lite solution with an elevator system during the pandemic, helping Ginkgo Bioworks optimize their manufacturing process for developing RNA.

Ginkgo Bioworks is working on optimizing the manufacturing process for RNA – the key ingredient in vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna. RNA instructs cells to produce proteins that trigger the body to fight the coronavirus. https://t.co/w7tcvlUjpz pic.twitter.com/ZKpIY8Bwb8

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 1, 2021

Path Suspension

To help our client with this specific motion control request, we initially implemented logic to issue a path suspend command when the PE sensors were tripped. A suspend command causes any vehicle in motion on the path to decelerate and stop based on its current velocity and commanded acceleration.

It is not recommended to issue a stop command to a path while a vehicle is either entering or exiting terminus nodes. Due to this, if a PE sensor was tripped after the first vehicle had departed the elevator and while the second vehicle was in the process of exiting the elevator, there would be a delay before a suspension command could be issued to the ground rack path, causing the first vehicle to continue moving even after the PE was tripped.

Implementing the Stop Command

MML does not contain an explicit “stop” command; instead, you can issue a move command with a velocity of zero, keeping all other parameters (acceleration, path number, position, move direction, PID set) the same. Once you are ready for the vehicle to move again, you issue another move command with a nonzero velocity.

To implement the stop command, we cached the velocity, targeted position, and MoverID (unique ID assigned to MM vehicle) of each vehicle that was on a ground rack when the PE sensor was triggered. The cached velocity was used to ensure that any vehicle with a non-zero velocity was issued the “stop” command when a PE sensor was triggered. The targeted position was then used to reissue the same move before the vehicle was ordered to stop. The MoverID of each vehicle was cached after it was commanded to stop, allowing us to confirm all carriers on the path have been commanded to stop if the PE sensor has been triggered.

This solution was implemented across four elevators, each with two ground racks, and our Automation team has received only positive feedback from the client about the vehicles’ improved stopping times.

The post How to Issue a Stop Command in MagneMotion MagneMover Lite appeared first on DMC, Inc..

I like to think of it like the marketing emails you never manage to escape. A company hands its emails to a mailing service, the mailing service keeps the list of subscribers and delivers copies to everyone on it, and you signed up once for a 10% off coupon and have received every email since. The company doesn’t know who you are, and you never talk to the company directly. In this setup, Transmission is the company, Distributor is the mailing service, and Engine is your inbox, still subscribed.

Why Use MQTT?

MQTT is a publish-and-subscribe protocol, and that structure is the reason to use it. The central gateway maintains a single broker connection no matter how many edge sites feed into it, instead of polling every device directly. Data is also published by exception, so values only cross the network when they change, which is useful on cellular links and other constrained networks.

MQTT alone consolidates connections into a single stream, but it says nothing about what the data looks like. A plain MQTT message is just a value on a named topic (think a string or a JSON blob), and every publisher may format it differently.

Sparkplug adds a standard structure on top of MQTT: publishers announce everything they’re going to send when they first connect, and the broker notifies subscribers if a publisher drops offline. Ignition uses that first announcement, called a birth certificate, to build matching tags automatically instead of you mapping topics to tags by hand.

It’s like the welcome email of the subscription that lists everything you’re about to receive. And if the company quietly shuts down, the mailing service lets you know instead of leaving you to wonder why the emails with deals stopped.

MQTT Transmission

Transmission is the publisher. It’s installed on an edge or site-level gateway that already polls local PLCs or sensors over OPC UA or native drivers. Transmission watches the tag providers or folders you select and publishes them to the broker in Sparkplug format. In the email analogy, Transmission is the company’s sending tool. The PLCs write the content, and Transmission hands it to the mailing service.

You don’t need Transmission if a device already publishes Sparkplug natively, or if the gateway only consumes MQTT data.

MQTT Distributor

Distributor is the broker. It runs inside an Ignition gateway and accepts connections from publishers and subscribers. It’s the mailing service itself. It keeps the subscriber list and moves the mail but never writes any of it.

Since Distributor runs inside Ignition, the module works well for proofs of concept, development environments, and smaller production systems. Larger production systems will often use a standalone broker such as Chariot or HiveMQ, especially when applications outside Ignition share the broker or when security policies require the broker and SCADA system to be separate. Transmission and Engine can connect to compatible external MQTT brokers, so Distributor is not required.

MQTT Engine

Engine is the MQTT subscriber. When it’s installed on a central Ignition gateway, it connects to the broker, subscribes to Sparkplug data, and creates Ignition tags for every edge node, device, and metric it receives. Think of it like your email inbox. Everything a company sends to you shows up there, sorted and ready to read.

Once created, these tags act like any other Ignition tags. You can display them in Ignition Perspective, historize them, and use them for alarming and scripting. Because Sparkplug carries connection state, Engine also marks tags with bad quality when an edge node goes offline.

Engine is not the broker. It connects to the broker as a client in the same way Transmission does. If you want MQTT data to show up in Ignition, this is the module that does it.

Quick Guide for Setting Up a Basic Edge-to-Central Connection

For a basic two-gateway architecture, install the Transmission module at the edge and both Distributor and Engine modules on the central gateway. Then:

1. Configure MQTT Distributor on the central gateway: Confirm that MQTT Distributor is enabled and listening for TCP connections on port 1883. Under Users, create a broker user or confirm that one already exists. For a production connection across an untrusted network, use TLS instead of the non-secure listener.

2. Verify Engine connection on the same gateway. Under MQTT Engine > Servers, confirm that the default connection points to tcp:https://static.dmcinfo.com/ and shows Connected. If authentication is enabled in Distributor, confirm that the Engine connection uses the matching credentials.

3. Configure Transmission connection on the edge gateway. Under MQTT Transmission > Servers, point the broker connection to tcp://:1883 and confirm it shows 1 of 1 connected. Afterward, create a Transmitter with the tag provider, publish path, a Sparkplug Group ID, and a unique Edge Node ID. Transmission uses the next folder beneath that path as the Device ID.

4. Verify data in the Designer. Browse the MQTT Engine tag provider on the central gateway, find your Group ID and Edge Node, and confirm metrics appear and update when source values change.

For anything beyond a test setup, structure the edge tags as UDTs so every equipment instance publishes the same structure. New equipment can then appear in the namespace with the same layout as everything else.

When to Use MQTT

MQTT is a strong fit when you’re consolidating many edge sites or feeding the same data to several consumers. MQTT is also worth considering for bandwidth-constrained or congested networks because its publish-by-exception model reduces unnecessary traffic. On one of my recent projects, we chose MQTT because of the number of devices. Terminating hundreds of individual connections at the Ignition gateway wasn’t practical, so the devices published through a broker and Ignition held a single consolidated connection.

MQTT is not the best choice for every system. For a handful of devices on a single reliable plant network, with Ignition as the only consumer, a direct OPC UA connection is simpler. The Gateway Network also handles tag, alarm, and history sharing between a small number of Ignition gateways without extra infrastructure. And MQTT means another service to configure, secure, and monitor.

Once each module’s responsibility is clear, it becomes easier to place components, troubleshoot connections, and scale the architecture. The same pattern can also support a unified namespace, in which sites publish to a shared structure consumed by SCADA, MES, analytics, and cloud applications.

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This blog is Part 2 of a multi-part series. Make sure to check out the other blogs on this topic:

1. Beckhoff Setup Basics: IPC Configuration Steps
2. Beckhoff Setup Basics: Getting Started with a Beckhoff PLC
3. Beckhoff Basics: HMI Configuration

Summary

This is the second installment of a three-part blog series covering all you need to know about getting started with a Beckhoff PLC/HMI. In this blog, we’ll be covering how to configure and license the PLC to run your code.

Term Definitions

Throughout this blog series, I refer to two devices repeatedly. For clarity, those devices are as follows:

1. “Beckhoff IPC” – The hardware, likely obtained from Beckhoff, that will run the PLC and HMI server. Device configuration will occur on this device.
2. “Programming Computer” – A computer, such as an engineer’s laptop, where the TwinCAT XAE development environment is installed. Programming happens on this device, as well as some of the configuration of the Beckhoff IPC.

Connect to the IPC Via a Programming Computer

First, we’ll need to check if TwinCAT XAE is able to communicate with the IPC. If you’ve done this before, feel free to skip this step.

Next, make sure your programming computer is connected to the Programming Port on the Beckhoff IPC. On the programming computer, right-click on the TwinCAT gear icon and select Router > Edit Routes.

On the TwinCAT Static Routes popup, select “Add.” The Add Route Dialog will appear. Check the Advanced Settings box at the bottom left to expose the full connection settings.

The most reliable method to find the IPC is to enter the IP address in the field at the top, then click “Enter Host Name / IP.” If the Beckhoff IPC doesn’t appear, make sure you can ping it (if the firewall pinging rules are enabled) and check your IPC’s or network’s firewall settings.

Select the Beckhoff IPC. The most reliable way to add a route is to set the address info to reference the IP address, not the hostname. This is because many plant networks don’t have DNS set up in such a way that allows access of factory devices via hostname. Select this option, then “Add Route.” Enter the proper credentials for your IPC in the popup and click “Okay.” Default credentials for Beckhoff IPCs are:

• User: Administrator
• Password: 1

If you have changed these, use the appropriate credentials. If the connection process succeeds, you should see an X or a small lock appear under the Connected column in the Add Route Dialog and the TwinCAT Static Routes window. You can exit these windows now.

From within TwinCAT XAE Shell, open your project. Then use the target dropdown menu and select “Choose Target System.”

Note: these instructions will show screenshots from 32-bit XAE Shell, but can be followed the same in XAE Shell 64-bit.

In the window that pops up, expand the browser tree and select the Beckhoff IPC. Click “OK.”

If you are prompted to change the solution platform, do so.

Set IPC Boot Settings

Before the TwinCAT project can be downloaded to the PLC, a few boot settings need to be configured. First, right-click on the PLC project in the solution explorer and make sure “Autostart Boot Project” is checked. This ensures the project starts automatically when the Beckhoff IPC boots.

Next, double-click on “SYSTEM” in the solution explorer, then navigate to the Settings tab. Select “Run Mode (Enable)” under Boot Settings (Target). This will make sure the PLC enters run mode on boot.

If you want to enable auto-login for the Beckhoff IPC, check the Auto Logon box. Enter the username and password for the IPC and click Apply to save the boot settings to the IPC.

Confirm Hardware Configuration and Activate Configuration

Next, we will need to activate the PLC configuration. Make sure your IO cards are powered and connected to the IPC before continuing with this step.

To do this, first navigate to I/O > Devices > [YourEtherCATMasterDeviceName]. For example, in this project, the EtherCAT Master device is named “Device 1.”

Double-click to open the device settings. On the Adapter tab, click “Search…”

The pop-up window should include a list of NICs with the TwinCAT RT Ethernet Driver installed. Select the NIC that will be used to connect to IO.

If no Ethernet adapters are listed, then please return to the “Install the Beckhoff Real-Time Ethernet Driver” section in Part 1 of this blog series.

If EtherCAT devices are already connected to the PLC, you can add them to the I/O tree by either manually adding the devices in the correct topology or scanning for devices. To scan, right-click the EtherCAT Master and select “Scan.”

Note: Scanning is only possible when the PLC is in Config mode.

Now you can activate the hardware configuration using the steps icon in the top ribbon:

If the button is grayed out, make sure you have selected the correct target in the TwinCAT XAE software and have a valid route.

When the Activate Configuration confirmation window appears, click “OK.”

If issues arise during this step, you may need to troubleshoot your hardware setup and verify that your TwinCAT project is configured correctly.

If your Beckhoff IPC does not have runtime licenses installed, which is common during an initial setup, TwinCAT XAE will prompt you to generate trial licenses. Click “Yes” and follow the prompts.

If you have purchased full runtime licenses, you can install them in a later step to replace the trial licenses.

Enter the Captcha required for trial licenses.

You can now click the login button to log in to the PLC. Once logged in, you can also click the start button if you need to start the PLC’s runtime.

You can now click the login button to log in to the PLC. Once logged in, you can also click the start button if you need to start the PLC’s runtime. 

Activating Licenses

Activating licenses in TwinCAT can be somewhat tricky, and this walkthrough will cover the basics. For further help with licensing, your contact at Beckhoff is a great resource.

First, you’ll need to select the proper license device. If using a USB dongle or card, it is critical that you select the right device before sending your license request file to Beckhoff. License request/response files are tied to device IDs, and so once a request has been sent and a response received, that license can only be used with that device. To change devices, you’ll have to get in touch with Beckhoff headquarters in Germany, and depending on your location, that might take some time. So try to avoid that by getting the license device correct first!

To select the proper device, go to System > License.

If you’re using a dongle and it’s already in the project, you can select it from the License Device dropdown in the “Order Information (Runtime)” tab.

If you are not using a dongle, select Target from the dropdown to bind the licenses to the Beckhoff IPC’s hardware ID. In this case, you can skip the remaining dongle-related steps and proceed directly to generating a license request.

We do recommend the use of a dongle when possible, so the IPC can be replaced without losing licenses.

If the dongle is not already configured in your project, click “Add…” to the right of the dropdown to add it. The dongle will then appear under License in the project tree.

After you click “Add…”, the License Device window will open. From here, you can select the appropriate dongle on your target Beckhoff IPC by clicking “Search in I/O Configuration…” or “Search USB Dongle on Target…”.

To use either option, TwinCAT must be in Config mode. You can switch to Config mode by clicking the blue gear icon in the TwinCAT engineering environment. After selecting the correct dongle, return TwinCAT to Run mode by clicking the green gear icon.

If the dongle doesn’t appear while searching, be sure your IO is configured correctly and the IPC recognizes the dongle. When the dongle has been selected, the dongle status information should populate.

Now that the dongle is in your project, you can go back to the License window, and you should be able to select it in the license device dropdown. Make sure that when you select it from the dropdown, the system ID changes (indicating the dongle system ID is different from the target system ID). Also ensure the system ID of the dongle is something reasonable (e.g., not a bunch of 0s; this might indicate you’re not communicating properly with the dongle).

If you have multiple license devices (e.g. target and a dongle), a “License Device” column will appear in the table at the bottom of the window. Make sure to select the correct device that you’d like to store each license on (most likely choose the dongle for all licenses).

Now that we’ve selected the correct license device, we need to generate a license request file. To do this we’ll first need to enter a license ID (provided by your contact at Beckhoff) in the license ID box. You can also enter a customer ID and a comment, but these are optional. Once you’ve entered a license ID, click “Generate File…”.

TwinCAT will prompt you to save the license request file to your programming computer. Save the file, then, when prompted to “Send license request to Beckhoff,” select “No”. We’ll send the file manually instead.

Note: This is your last chance to turn back before tying licenses to a device ID! Check over your license hardware setup and make sure everything is in order. If there are problems, regenerate the license file with the corrected settings before sending to Beckhoff.

Locate the license request (*.tclrq) file you just saved. Create a new email, attach the file, and send it to tclicense@beckhoff.com.

If everything is set up correctly and your license request is valid, Beckhoff will respond with an automatically generated email that has a license response file (*.tclrs). Save this file to your programming computer.

If the file is not attached to the email, the email will include whatever issues the automated system had with your license request, and you may need to work this out with your Beckhoff contact.

Back in the license window, use the “License Response File” button to select the license response file. For the new license response to take effect, you’ll need to restart TwinCAT on the target, which you can do with the green gear icon.

If everything worked properly, the Current Status column in the License window should be green and read valid for every license. You may need to refresh the window (close it and re-open it) to see this status change.

Now that we’ve correctly activated and configured the licenses, we are ready to configure the HMI server, which we cover in part three of this blog series.

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On the Agenda: Extending LabVIEW with NATS

I had the opportunity to present Extending LabVIEW with NATS, where I discussed how their pub/sub messaging model can extend LabVIEW test systems beyond a single-language, single-executable architecture. The core idea is that monolithic test applications can be bulky and hard to manage, while tools like NATS allow for more modular software design. Check out the code in the LabVIEW Toolkit.

Sessions That Stood Out

There were many presenters and panels that stood out this year. Here are a few that stuck with me. You can also see these sessions as they’re uploaded to GDevCon’s YouTube channel.

• Open-source Wrapping: The Gift That Keeps on Giving (Chris Davis, Amentum): A look at wrapping open-source C libraries for LabVIEW for Redis and Kafka. These are great complementary tools to NATS.
• Shift-Left: Building Secure LabVIEW Systems from Day One (Sarah Zalusky, JKI): A practical look at security in LabVIEW architectures.
• MALpocalypse (Michael Klessens, Intel): A candid account of when measurement abstraction layers stop working at scale with validation constraints.
• Shaping the Future: AI and the Evolution of LabVIEW (Elijah Kerry, NI): An early look at Nigel, NI’s AI coding assistant for LabVIEW. Plus, lots of CI/CD tooling with LabVIEW containers.
• Our Build and Deployment Process: Using CI/CD and SystemLink (Sarah Morales, SRAM): A walkthrough of SRAM’s g-cli-based GitLab pipelines. SRAM’s approach validated the work DMC has done to automate our own pipelines with similar tooling.

Catching Up with Partners

Beyond the sessions, GDevCon is a great chance to connect with DMC’s partners. We participated in hardware and software demos from Pickering, Beckhoff, and NI. Most importantly, our partners give us insight into their project roadmaps. This allows us to be trusted advisors to our clients, knowing what to avoid for obsolescence and where to leverage new tools.

Final Takeaway

GDevCon N.A. is always a great place to learn what the test and measurement community is building, breaking, and fixing in production. The conference also gives us the opportunity to catch up with our hardware partners, and this year’s event did not disappoint!

We cannot wait to see what next year will bring.

The post What We Learned at GDevCon N.A. 2026: AI, CI/CD, and the Future of LabVIEW appeared first on DMC, Inc..

With 43 employees joining DMC since May, this summer has been packed with opportunities to celebrate. Across the country, teams gathered to introduce newcomers to their coworkers, communities, and company culture. Take a look at how our offices welcomed their newest teammates this season.

Welcoming New Hires

DMC places a strong emphasis on onboarding and helping every new employee have their “Best First Day” (BFD). From day one, anyone joining the company can expect a fully prepared workspace, a ready-to-go laptop, an activated key card, and a lunch hosted in their honor.

But the celebration doesn’t stop there, because each employee is also welcomed with a team event designed to help them get to know their colleagues and city. Think escape rooms, happy hours, and city tours; offering new team members an opportunity to build connections from the start while experiencing the fun, community-focused culture that makes DMC unique.

Exploring Architecture in Chicago

In July, members of DMC’s Chicago team took the world-renowned Chicago Architecture Boat Tour. The boat tour starts at the end of the river that opens into Lake Michigan. From there, it travels up the Chicago River while a tour guide points to famous buildings along the riverfront, explaining the year in which they were constructed, their architectural style, architect, and historical significance.

The tour began near the mouth of the Chicago River, where it meets Lake Michigan. From there, the boat traveled along the river as the guide highlighted some of the city’s most iconic buildings, sharing details about when they were constructed, the architectural styles they represent, the architects who designed them, and their historical significance.

The eras of the buildings run the gamut with some dating to the early 20th Century, like the Wrigley Building, and others built much more recently, like the sleek Apple Store Building sitting in front of the Tribune Tower. There are always a handful of historical facts that stand out on each tour, and each DMC Chicago team member, especially those new to the city, had their own takeaway:

Axe Throwing in Denver

Denver found a unique way to welcome one of its newest engineers, Jaron O’Grady, to the team when the office headed to an axe-throwing venue. “We were divided into two teams and competed against each other,” Julia explained. “It was tied most of the time!”

Teammates took turns hurling axes at targets, with points awarded based on accuracy. While everyone had their moments of success, no one on the Denver team will be quitting their day job to become a professional axe thrower anytime soon.

The group also had the chance to try throwing knives, and opinions were evenly split on which activity was more fun. Whatever the preference, the event gave the team a memorable way to spend time together outside the office getting to know Jaron.

A Tiki-Themed Party in Cincinnati

In Cincinnati, the team also took a boat tour, swapping architecture for a tiki theme complete with drinks, music, team bonding, and, of course, Hawaiian shirts. The Cincinnati office wanted to do something original to welcome Rob Orr, who joined the Automation team.

“Everyone got in the spirit! Almost everyone had floral or island-themed shirts, and the boat offered leis and hats, too,” Dylan remembered about the day. The boat took the team up the Ohio River, approaching downtown. They got to see views of the Cincinnati skyline and stopped for food at a waterside restaurant on the way back.

Hiring Continues This Fall

From architecture cruises and axe-throwing competitions to tiki boat tours on the Ohio River, each welcome party reflected the unique personality of its local office while sharing the same goal: helping new hires build connections from day one. As DMC continues to grow, employee connection remains an important part of what makes our culture special.

Looking ahead, we’re continuing this hiring momentum. In the fall, DMC will be traveling to career fairs and events across the country to meet the next generation of engineers. These events are a great chance to connect with talented students and discuss professional opportunities that define a career at DMC from day one.

Whether we’re welcoming new teammates at a local office event or meeting aspiring engineers on campus, we’re always looking for talented people who are eager to learn, grow, and have fun along the way. We can’t wait to see who the guest of honor at the next welcome party will be.

The post Boat Tours, Axe-Throwing, and Countless Connections: Inside DMC’s Summer Welcome Parties appeared first on DMC, Inc..

While these growing pains are common, they’re often indicators that your organization has grown past what its current accounting platform was designed to support.

Here are five signs it may be time to evaluate whether your financial systems are helping your business grow or holding it back.

1. Critical information lives within spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are valuable tools, but they shouldn’t be the primary way your organization manages business data.

If employees regularly export information from your accounting system to create reports, track projects, analyze profitability, or monitor business performance, it may be a sign that your system isn’t providing the visibility your teams need.

Over time, spreadsheet-driven processes can create multiple versions of the truth, increase manual effort, and make it harder to trust the data being used for decisions.

2. You keep adding software to fill operational gaps

As companies grow, they commonly introduce new tools for functions such as:

• Purchasing and procurement
• Expense management
• Inventory tracking
• Project management
• Reporting and analytics

Initially, these tools solve specific problems. Eventually, however, they can create a fragmented technology landscape where information must constantly move between systems.

When teams spend significant time importing, exporting, and reconciling data, business processes become less efficient and more error prone. Connected systems can help reduce those handoffs and provide greater visibility among departments.

3. Leadership struggles to get answers quickly

Growing businesses need fast, well-informed decision-making.

Questions about project performance, cash flow, purchasing activity, profitability, or utilization shouldn’t require days of research to answer. Yet many organizations pull information from multiple sources every time leadership needs a clearer picture of the business.

When reporting cycles become lengthy, and leaders lack access to timely information, opportunities can be missed, and issues can take longer to address.

A modern ERP platform helps make operational and financial data more accessible so decisions can be made with confidence.

4. Business complexity is increasing

Many accounting platforms work well for organizations with straightforward operations. Challenges commonly emerge when businesses expand into:

• Multiple locations
• Project-based work
• Manufacturing operations
• Inventory management
• Job costing
• More sophisticated financial reporting

As complexity grows, companies often compensate with additional manual processes and workarounds.

While these fixes may work temporarily, they can become difficult to maintain as transaction volumes, customer demands, and organizational requirements continue to increase. At some point, growth requires a stronger operational foundation, not just additional effort from employees.

5. Your systems support accounting, but not the entire business

Accounting is only one part of a successful organization.

Operations teams need visibility into purchasing. Project managers need insight into costs and profitability. Leaders need a clear view of performance across the business.

If most employees can’t access the information they need without going through finance or relying on manually generated reports, your systems may be supporting transactions without supporting decision-making.

The most effective platforms connect departments, giving teams access to the information they need while maintaining data consistency across the organization.

See How DMC Approached the Same Challenge

When QuickBooks Couldn’t Keep Up, DMC Made the Move to Acumatica and Unified Their Operations

Like many growing organizations, DMC experienced increasing demands for reporting, operational visibility, project accounting, and cross-functional collaboration. Rather than continuing to rely on disconnected processes, DMC undertook an internal ERP modernization initiative to create a more scalable foundation for growth.

Learn how our firsthand migration experience helps organizations modernize with confidence.

Read the Case Study

Looking beyond today’s challenges

Many accounting platforms work well for organizations with straightforward operations. Challenges commonly emerge when businesses expand into:

• Multiple locations
• Project-based work
• Manufacturing operations
• Inventory management
• Job costing
• More sophisticated financial reporting

As complexity grows, companies often compensate with additional manual processes and workarounds.

While these fixes may work temporarily, they can become difficult to maintain as transaction volumes, customer demands, and organizational requirements continue to increase. At some point, growth requires a stronger operational foundation, not just additional effort from employees.

The post 5 Signs You’ve Outgrown Your Accounting Software appeared first on DMC, Inc..