Glossary Updates12 new terms added to the glossaries · October 2, 2026, 22:44 CEST
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Glossary · Industrial communication

Sercos

Also known as: Sercos III, Serial Real-time Communication System

German: Sercos

In industrial communication, Sercos is a real-time communication system for motion control, maintained by Sercos International. Its current version, Sercos III, runs on Ethernet hardware in a line or ring topology and provides cyclic, synchronized data exchange between motion controllers and drives.

  • Industrial communication
  • Standards

In one sentence

Sercos is a real-time communication system for motion control; Sercos III runs on Ethernet hardware in line or ring topologies.

Example

A machine tool controller commands five servo axes and the spindle drive over a Sercos III ring with a cycle time of 250 microseconds.

How it applies

  • Engineering: Sercos was developed for drives and defines drive profiles, so drives of different vendors can be commanded alike. Sercos III uses a master and slaves in a line or ring; the ring provides redundancy.
  • Commissioning: Communication phases bring the network step by step into cyclic operation; drive parameters are set via the service channel.
  • Safety: CIP Safety on Sercos allows safety-related data on the same network; safety functions still need their own design and validation.
  • Documentation: The documentation team documents supported Sercos versions and profiles, cycle times, the device description file and the drive parameters (IDNs) relevant to integrators.

Sercos vs. EtherCAT

Both are designed for high-performance motion. Sercos originated in drive technology with a strong drive profile; EtherCAT is a general-purpose real-time Ethernet with on-the-fly processing. Tooling and vendor ecosystems differ.

By knowledge.aitechdoc.world · Published September 26, 2026 · Last reviewed

Source: AI TechDoc Knowledge editorial definition, based on IEC 61158 / IEC 61784-2 and Sercos International publications

Definitions follow the cited standards and specifications. Where a source is a copyrighted publication, such as an ISO, IEC or EN standard, the definition is a close paraphrase, not a verbatim quotation, so as not to infringe copyright. We recommend reading the original publication. The sections “How it applies” are editorial commentary by AI TechDoc Knowledge and are not part of any standard.

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