ACX is Siemens' open data format based on XML and JSON schemas, designed to describe automation components—including drives—in a vendor-neutral, tool-independent manner. It is part of the broader Automation ML (Automation Markup Language) initiative.
Using SCOUT or STARTER:
Use the siemens-dpkg library (open-source wrapper): ACX is Siemens' open data format based on
from siemens_dpkg import SACXContainer
container = SACXContainer.load("baseline.xml")
container.add_firmware("fw_cu320v52.bin")
container.sign_with_cert("my_engineering_key.pem")
container.export("deployment.sinc")
UI:
Example CLI usage:
acxctl download --model ACX-1234 --version 2.1.0 --output ACX-1234-2.1.0.dpkg --resume
Siemens allows level 9 ZIP compression for ACX files. This shrinks a 15 MB container to ~4 MB without data loss.
Enable via script (example for SINAMICS): and more reliable.
# Pseudocode for ACX compression optimization
set_p1910(compression_level=9)
export_acx("drive_config.acx", exclude_ram=True)
In the high-stakes environment of modern manufacturing, downtime is the enemy of productivity. For engineers and technicians working with Siemens Motion Control (MC) drives—specifically the ACX model range—managing configuration data efficiently is critical. The process of downloading the DataPackage container is more than just a file transfer; it is the bridge between a digital twin and physical hardware.
However, this process can sometimes be plagued by slow transfer rates, connection timeouts, or data corruption. This article explores methods to make the Siemens MC Drive ACX Model Configuration DataPackage container download process better, faster, and more reliable. ACX is Siemens' open data format based on