- Home
- Solutions
Custom engineering · Integration · Control · Retrofit
Custom motion platform for OEM and System Integrators
We build all-electric 3DOF to 6DOF Stewart motion platforms from 100 kg to 50 t payload at our own 20,000 m² factory in Nanjing, and engineer each one around your moving load, your host interface and your acceptance plan — from a modified standard configuration to a fully custom build, tested and documented before it ships.
What we supply: the motion platform subsystem — mechanism, servo actuation, controller, cabinet, contracted interfaces, documentation and platform-level factory acceptance test. Cockpits, visual systems, avionics, training software and complete simulator delivery stay with you or your integrator unless we agree otherwise in writing.
4 Project Routes
One Subsystem Baseline
Defined Ownership
Platform-Level FAT
What We Build and How Far It Goes
We manufacture the servo cylinders, the controllers and the complete motion systems ourselves, under one roof. The figures below describe the envelope we normally work inside. If your requirement sits outside it, we review it as a custom engineering case rather than declining it by default.
| Architecture | 3DOF and 6DOF Stewart / hexapod parallel platforms |
|---|---|
| Actuation | All-electric servo cylinders, manufactured in-house — no hydraulics, no external drive supplier |
| Payload | 100 kg to 50 t, sized to your total moving mass and centre of gravity |
| Repeatability | 0.02 mm typical, verified by laser tracker |
| Closed-loop response | Under 10 ms |
| Control | Our own motion controller and cabinet, with an open API for host integration |
| Manufacturing | 20,000 m² production base in Nanjing, China; over 40% of staff in R&D |
| Acceptance | Documented factory acceptance test on every platform — cycle time, repeatability, envelope and safety functions, witnessed on site or by live video |
| Quality system | ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 · CE marking |
Four Motion Platform Solution Routes
Motion platform projects fail at the interface, not at the mechanism. We run four routes so that one engineer owns your technical baseline from the first email through to the FAT report — instead of your project being split across a product quotation, a controller quotation and a service quotation that never reference each other. Pick the route that matches your current condition; if two apply, start with the one higher in the list and it will absorb the other.
1 · Primary route
Custom & OEM Motion Platforms
No standard configuration fits your load, geometry, envelope or OEM requirement.
We work out whether an existing design can be modified or a project-specific platform is needed, then size the structure, servo cylinders, controls and acceptance basis around your complete moving load. Repeat-build and OEM programmes get a frozen configuration and a controlled drawing set so unit two matches unit one.
Best when
Send us
Start a Custom Platform Review →
2 · Primary route
Motion Platform Integration Support
You own the machine, simulator, test rig or payload and need a platform that fits it.
We define mounting, moving-load data, service routing, power, host commands, operating states, safety handshakes and the factory acceptance test — then write down which side owns each item before anyone quotes a price. You keep the top assembly; we make the subsystem underneath it fit and prove it.
Best when
Send us
Plan Your Integration →
3 · Supporting route
Controller & API Integration
The mechanics are clear, but commands, data, timing, states or safety signals are not.
We build our own controllers, so we can match ours to your host architecture rather than hand you a protocol sheet. A protocol name proves nothing on its own — we agree message content, units, coordinate frames, rotation order, update rate, timestamps, fault handling and state transitions, then test them against your commands.
Best when
Send us
Define Your Interfaces →
4 · Conditional review
Motion Platform Retrofit Support
You want to keep part of an existing or third-party motion system rather than replace everything.
Whether a retrofit makes sense depends on documentation, component condition, feedback devices, controller access, safety architecture, parts obsolescence and site constraints. We will tell you honestly when replacing costs less than retaining — and we will not promise an upgrade path from photographs and a model name. Retrofit is handled as an engineering review, not as an off-the-shelf service, and we take it on case by case.
Best when
Start with
Request a Retrofit Review →
Which Route Fits Your Project
Find the row that matches what is currently blocking specification or installation. A project may later use more than one work package, but it should start with one owner and one agreed technical baseline.
| Your current condition | Route | First input we need | What you get back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard configurations do not fit your complete load or installation. | Custom & OEM | Moving-load CAD, mass properties, motion, envelope and quantity. | Approved platform basis, a custom-or-modified decision, and the acceptance scope. |
| A machine, test rig or simulator already exists around the platform. | Integration Support | System architecture, payload interface, site and responsibility information. | Mechanical, electrical, host, safety and verification responsibility matrix. |
| Commands, status, timing or safety handshakes are not defined. | Controller & API | Host architecture, messages, units, coordinates, rates and operating states. | An interface control basis and testable communication and state behaviour. |
| An existing platform or controller may need to be retained. | Retrofit Review | Traceable drawings, components, software, faults, condition and target use. | A feasibility decision, retain-or-replace boundary, risks and conditional scope. |
From Requirement Review to Platform-Level FAT
The same disciplined sequence supports custom, integration and controller projects. Retrofit work adds an earlier condition and documentation audit before a solution route can be approved.
Requirement to FAT: a complete work package
Controller and interface verification
Custom mechanical interface
Evidence 01
Approved Input
Load, CAD, motion, installation, interface and acceptance requirements, with revision numbers.
Evidence 02
Engineering Basis
Architecture, interface and boundary decisions traced back to the approved requirement.
Evidence 03
Controlled Build
Manufacturing, assembly, wiring and configuration records for your specific unit.
Evidence 04
Interface Test
Mechanical fit, I/O, commands, states, limits, faults and agreed host behaviour.
Evidence 05
FAT & Handover
Test condition, instrument, result, deviations, documents and release status.
Ask us for the evidence, not the video. If a supplier cannot tell you the moving load, the measurement instrument and the tolerance behind a demonstration, the demonstration is marketing. Every figure we quote for your project traces back to a document you can read. Full project write-ups — requirement, engineering decisions and measured validation — are in our case studies.
From Requirement Review to Platform-Level FAT
We run the same six steps whether your project is custom, integration or controller work. Retrofit projects add a condition and documentation audit before we can approve a route at all.
Step 01
Requirement Review
We go through your role, moving load, motion objective, installation, host, safety and acceptance expectation.
Step 02
Route Selection
We pick the primary route and decide whether a standard, modified or project-specific platform is right.
Step 03
Boundary Definition
We assign ownership for mechanics, payload, power, host software, signals, safety, field work and system approval.
Step 04
Interface Freeze
We freeze mounting, load data, envelope, power supply, commands, states, timing, I/O and acceptance interfaces.
Step 05
Engineering & Build
We design, machine, assemble, wire and configure the platform in our own plant, then verify it internally.
Step 06
FAT & Handover
We test the approved configuration, record results and deviations, then release the documents and support scope.
On pricing: a price, a performance figure and a delivery date only mean something once the moving load, required motion, installation constraints and responsibility boundary have a usable basis. Before that point we will give you an estimate and label it as an estimate — never as a specification.
Your platform is one subsystem inside a larger machine
Scope Boundary: What Is and Is Not Included
Most disputes in motion platform projects come from an item nobody costed — a mounting adapter, a coordinate convention, a safety handshake. We put the boundary in writing before quotation so the number you receive is the number you pay. The framework below is our normal starting point for overseas projects; your signed proposal and technical specification always govern.
What We Normally Supply
Included when defined in your quotation and the approved technical baseline.
- Platform mechanism and contracted top interface
- Electric actuation, drives and feedback
- Platform controller and electrical cabinet
- Platform-side commands, status and safety I/O
- Configuration-specific drawings and manuals
- Platform-level FAT and handover records
What Stays on Your Side
These need another responsible organisation, or a work package we agree separately in writing.
- Complete cockpit, cabin or simulator delivery
- Visual, avionics, training content or host application
- Customer payload or complete test instrumentation
- Facility structure, permits and site-wide safety
- Complete-system certification or operational approval
- Third-party legacy compatibility without review
| Work package | Our normal role | Your normal role | Decided together |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform mechanics and actuators | Design and supply the contracted platform configuration. | Provide complete load and installation requirements. | Mounting, mass, CG, inertia, envelope and service routing. |
| Payload, fixture or upper assembly | Supply only specifically contracted platform-side interfaces. | Own design, stiffness, function and complete load data. | Mounting plane, fastening, payload change and access. |
| Controller, drives and cabinet | Supply contracted platform control equipment and configuration. | Provide host, site power and external equipment requirements. | Power, cables, states, commands, status and environment. |
| Host software and application logic | Provide only the platform-side interface included in scope. | Own complete application, content and system sequencing. | Message behavior, coordinates, timing and test cases. |
| System-level safety | Own the contracted platform safety functions and limits. | Own payload, facility and complete-system risk controls. | E-stop chain, interlocks, safe states and recovery. |
| Platform FAT | Execute the agreed platform checks and records. | Provide representative load, requirements and witnessing. | Configuration, profile, instrument, tolerance and pass criteria. |
| Installation and SAT | Remote or on-site support only as quoted. | Own site readiness, access, permits and complete-system test. | Schedule, tools, personnel, travel and acceptance procedure. |
| Certification and operational approval | Provide contracted platform documentation. | Own complete-system approval unless stated otherwise. | Applicable standard, authority, evidence and responsibility. |
The Eight Interfaces We Define With You
Connector and protocol names are not enough. Before we quote, we agree the physical quantity, the owner, the format, the limit, the operating state and the test method behind every interface your platform touches.
INT-01
Moving Load
Everything that moves with the platform: payload, fixture, adapters, instruments and cables.
INT-02
Mechanical Mounting
Base, top interface, fasteners, stiffness, flatness, service access and swept envelope.
INT-03
Site Power & Cabinet
Supply, cabinet location, grounding, cable distances, thermal conditions and isolation.
INT-04
Motion Commands
Command type, axes, units, coordinate frame, rotation order, rate, timestamps and validity.
INT-05
Status & Operating States
Ready, enabled, active, limited, degraded, faulted and stopped, mapped to system behaviour.
INT-06
Safety I/O
E-stop, enable, guard, interlock, limit, controlled stop and safe-energy behaviour.
INT-07
Feedback & Sensors
Platform feedback, your sensors and independent measurement, kept in separate roles.
INT-08
Acceptance Evidence
Every quoted requirement tied to an inspection, calculation, functional check or measured result.
Need the engineering detail behind these eight groups? Our motion platform integration guide works through mounting data, coordinate frames, command timing, operating states and safety architecture step by step. For the controller hardware, command set and open API, see the motion platform control system.
A useful review starts with system context
What We Need to Review Your Project
You do not need a finished specification before contacting us. Send what you know, mark your estimates as estimates, and tell us who owns the complete machine. We use the first review to expose the missing decisions rather than bury them inside a generic quotation.
Engineering review package
Attach the files that shorten the feasibility loop
Send these with your first message and we can usually come back with a route, a gap list and a realistic envelope inside one working week.
CAD / Drawing
Motion File
System Diagram
Interface Document
Acceptance Plan
Legacy Information
If confidentiality applies, send a non-confidential system summary first and tell us which documents need an NDA. We will sign before you send anything controlled.
Where to Go Next
A delivery route is one of four decisions. Which platform architecture, what physical job it has to do, how the engineering works and what it costs are answered in their own sections — so nothing here repeats what belongs there.
Motion Platforms
Compare 3DOF, 6DOF and Stewart architectures, electric drive, high-payload and compact configurations, and the motion control system that runs them.
Applications
Industrial testing, research, driving and flight simulation, motion compensation and maritime motion — each brings its own load, duty cycle and validation method.
Technology
Stewart geometry, hexapod kinematics, motion cueing, safety architecture, and how payload, stroke and acceleration constrain each other.
Resources
Buying guides on choosing a platform, budgeting a project, comparing manufacturers and deciding whether to build or buy.
Case Studies
Delivered projects with the requirement, the engineering decisions, the interfaces we owned and the measured validation behind them.
Company
A 20,000 m² production base in Nanjing with in-house servo cylinder and controller manufacturing, ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 and documented acceptance testing.
Motion Platform Solutions FAQ
These answers describe how we normally work. Your approved quotation and technical specification determine the exact platform, interfaces, service scope and acceptance responsibility.
What is a motion platform solution?
A motion platform solution defines how a platform subsystem will be configured, integrated, controlled, verified and handed over inside a larger customer project. It starts with the moving load, required motion, installation, host interface, safety boundary and acceptance method rather than only a platform model number.
Does CSCMotion deliver complete simulators?
Our normal overseas scope is the motion-platform subsystem, which can include the platform mechanism, electric actuation, controller, cabinet, contracted interfaces, platform documentation and platform-level FAT. Complete cockpits, visual systems, avionics, training content and full simulator qualification normally remain with the customer or system integrator unless expressly included in writing.
Can CSCMotion work with our existing host system or test rig?
Yes, when the mechanical load, mounting interface, host command path, operating states, timing, safety signals and acceptance responsibilities can be defined. Compatibility is confirmed for the approved project configuration rather than assumed from a protocol or software name alone.
When does a project require a custom motion platform?
Custom engineering is appropriate when the complete moving load, center of gravity, combined motion, platform dimensions, installation envelope, duty, environment or interface requirements cannot be met by an existing controlled configuration. The preferred route is the least complex design that meets the approved requirement.
Is controller and API integration included with every platform?
The contracted controller and platform-side interface are defined for each project. Standard commands or interfaces may be available, but host software, custom messages, third-party sensors, additional states and system-level safety coordination must be reviewed and included in the written scope.
Can CSCMotion retrofit a third-party motion platform?
A third-party or legacy platform can be considered only after engineering review of its drawings, actuators, feedback devices, controller architecture, safety chain, condition, fault history and site constraints. Retrofit support is conditional and is not promised from a model name or photographs alone.
What information is required before quotation?
Send the customer role, project stage, complete moving assembly, mass, center of gravity, inertia or CAD mass properties, required axes and motion, footprint, site power, environment, host or sensor information, safety expectations and acceptance method. For retrofit projects, also send existing drawings, model information and fault history.
Define the work package before quotation
Start Your Engineering Review
Send us the system boundary, the complete moving-load information and the interface requirements you already have. We will identify the right solution route, tell you which engineering inputs are still missing, and set out the next review needed before we can confirm a configuration, a performance figure or a delivery scope.
Your role, project stage and complete-system owner
Moving assembly, mass properties and mounting drawing
Required axes and one representative motion profile
Host, controller, sensor and safety architecture
Site, schedule and acceptance expectation
Legacy-system documents when retrofit is requested