The trajectory of industrial automation in Brazil is inseparable from the history of Altus. Since its founding, Altus has operated at the forefront of national technology, transforming complex challenges into engineering solutions that support essential sectors such as energy, sanitation, agribusiness, and oil and gas.
This pioneering spirit can be observed throughout the entire technological evolution of our PLC series, marked by generational leaps aligned with the demands of industrial infrastructures.
From the AL Series in the 80s to the first Nexto, Altus has been present in challenging applications, facing extreme environments such as pre-salt platforms and the Urucu-Manaus gas pipeline in the Amazon Rainforest.
The Nexto XF inherits this tradition of reliability and projects it into a new scenario with more connectivity and real-time edge data processing. This launch consolidates the fifth generation of Altus controllers, now available for sale, reinforcing the strategy of a unified programming ecosystem for the Nexto System.
Discover the main features of this new series below.
Power and modularity in micro format
The Nexto XF enters the market combining a highly compact design with a high density of input and output (I/O) points integrated directly into the PLC body, optimizing space and simplifying field installation.
Equipped with a 64-bit Dual-Core ARM processor operating at 1 GHz, the XF can deliver a performance level comparable to medium and large-sized CPUs. This power ensures the execution of up to 1,000 PID loops, as well as complex calculations in less than 2 milliseconds, guaranteeing fast and precise responses even in highly dynamic processes.
Check out the hardware specifications that make the Nexto XF Series a distributed intelligence platform:
| Hardware | Feature |
| Processor | 64-bit Dual-Core ARM, 1 GHz |
| RAM | 512 MB DDR4 |
| Non-Volatile Memory (eMMC) | 8 GB for system and storage |
| Retentive Memory | 128 KB (Battery-free) |
| Ethernet Interfaces | 2x 10/100 Mbps ports (supports NIC Teaming/Switching) |
| Serial/Field Interfaces | 1x RS-485 (Modbus RTU) 1x CAN (CANopen/J1939) |
| Expandability | Up to 10 modules on the local backplane |
| External Storage | MicroSD slot (up to 32 GB) USB Host V2.0 |
The Nexto XF design focuses on optimizing space within electrical panels, making it an ideal choice for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and system integrators. Featuring removable terminal blocks to streamline maintenance and pre-wiring, the system also utilizes a backplane that supports up to 10 expansion modules connected directly to the CPU.
In addition to this high density, signal quality is ensured by 12-bit resolution analog inputs. These are compatible with voltage (0–10 Vdc) and current (0–20 mA or 4–20 mA) signals, with configuration handled directly via software.
The models in this series (XF300-B, XF300, XF315, XF325, and XF325-W) offer various combinations of I/O, protocols, and features, allowing the user to select the configuration best suited to their specific application requirements.
Seamless IoT integration via a wide range of protocols
Native support for protocols such as MQTT (with Sparkplug B) and OPC UA positions the Nexto XF as a cornerstone of IIoT strategies for industrial modernization.
MQTT enables efficient data publishing directly to the cloud with low bandwidth consumption. Meanwhile, OPC UA ensures secure, structured interoperability with supervisory systems (SCADA) and management platforms like MES and ERP.
For real-time field control applications, the XF line supports protocols such as EtherCAT Master, PROFINET, and EtherNet/IP. This enables the precise coordination of remote devices, inverters, and drives from various manufacturers, ensuring high performance and synchronization across the entire operation.
Mastertool X: A Unified Engineering Experience
Hardware evolution is accompanied by software transformation. Mastertool X is the latest version of Altus’s programming platform, featuring a more intuitive wizard interface designed to deliver an enhanced user experience.
Based on CODESYS technology, Mastertool X unifies development for the entire Nexto line within a single environment, providing a more fluid, standardized, and highly productive engineering workflow.
Mastertool was developed to streamline project navigation, featuring enhanced IEC editors and integrated diagnostic tools that reduce commissioning time and increase development efficiency.
Key highlights include:
- – Advanced Simulation: Enables full validation of programming logic and supervisory screens offline, reducing the risk of failure.
- – WebVisu Support: Creation of HTML5-based supervisory interfaces directly within the programming environment, accessible via web browsers or mobile devices.
- – Cybersecurity: Native firewall and VPN support to protect data traffic and restrict system access, minimizing the risk of external attacks.
- – Free License: Altus maintains accessibility as a priority by offering the Mastertool Lite version free of charge.
Comparison and Positioning of the Nexto System Series
The Nexto System concept provides seamless integration between Altus’s various product families. It reflects the vision that industrial automation should not consist of isolated islands of technology, but rather a cohesive, standardized, and interoperable ecosystem.
With the launch of the Nexto XF, Altus completes its portfolio, offering solutions that range from small-scale applications to highly complex distributed systems with redundancy, while maintaining technological consistency across the entire series.
The Nexto System comprises three controller series, each tailored to specific market needs, yet all sharing the same technological “DNA.” This ensures integration, scalability, and investment protection:
- Nexto NX: Focused on large-scale and high-complexity processes, this series offers high availability through CPU redundancy and an Ethernet-based deterministic backplane. It is the ideal solution for distributed control systems (DCS) in refineries, oil platforms, and large chemical plants.
- Nexto XP: Your gateway to the IoT universe with an excellent cost-benefit ratio. These are compact controllers designed for small-scale machinery requiring high levels of connectivity via advanced protocols such as MQTT and OPC UA.
- Nexto XF: The new modular link in the system. It combines the protocols of the XP series with the modularity and processing power of the NX series, allowing for local expansion and the execution of complex applications at the network edge.
| Series | Application | Key Differentiators |
| Nexto XP | Small machinery and IoT integration | Compact “all-in-one” design, IoT-Ready, and cost-effective |
| Nexto XF | OEMs, water and wastewater, and Edge Computing applications that require modularity | High I/O density, native Docker and Linux support, and Remote I/O compatibility |
| Nexto NX | Critical processes and large-scale plants | CPU Redundancy, Hot Swapping, and High Availability. |
This unified architecture enables the development of reusable design patterns across the entire series, facilitating both scalability and maintenance.
The utilization of a deterministic Ethernet backplane throughout the family also ensures that communication between local and remote modules occurs with high efficiency and low latency, without compromising the performance of the most demanding applications.
In practice, this means that control logic developed for a simple application, such as sensor monitoring with the Nexto XP, can be repurposed with minimal adaptation for more complex systems, such as a water treatment plant using the Nexto XF, or even large-scale infrastructure with the Nexto NX.
This technological continuity reduces rework, accelerates development, and ensures greater consistency across different levels of automation.
Nexto XF Architectures: Flexibility for Diverse Applications
For OEM Machine Builders: This architecture represents a typical solution for OEM machinery, such as filling and packaging machines. The HMI allows the operator to interact with the machine, adjusting parameters and visualizing the process while communicating with the Nexto XF PLC via OPC UA, ensuring standardization and ease of integration. The PLC acts as the “brain” of the application, executing control logic, managing interlocks, and coordinating field devices. Meanwhile, the frequency inverter, connected via Modbus RTU, handles motor actuation with precise speed and torque control.
For the Water and Wastewater Sector: This architecture represents a typical sanitation application, integrating supervision with distributed field data acquisition. The SCADA system (BluePlant) performs global monitoring and operational control, communicating with the Nexto XF PLC via OPC UA. The PLC serves as the plant’s concentrator and controller, executing process logic and aggregating data from multiple remote points. Series G distributed I/O modules, connected via Modbus TCP, enable direct field data collection and actuation, reducing cabling and increasing system scalability. This architecture is ideal for water applications as it allows for modular expansion, easy maintenance, and centralized supervision of large areas with multiple control points.
For Industrial Plants: This architecture represents a more comprehensive and distributed industrial scenario involving multiple levels of control and network integration. The BluePlant supervisory system acts as the central operational layer, communicating via Modbus TCP through an industrial switch, which organizes and distributes communication among several Nexto XF PLCs. Each PLC is responsible for a specific part of the process, executing local logic and controlling field devices such as frequency inverters and power meters. Additionally, Series G distributed I/O modules allow for decentralized expansion of input and output points. This architecture is typical of industrial plants, offering scalability, control segmentation, ease of maintenance, and high levels of integration
Optimize your operations with high performance technology
The Nexto System, now more comprehensive than ever, is a robust response to the growing demands for distributed intelligence and production efficiency in modern industry.
With immediate stock availability, Altus offers cutting-edge technology backed by reliability, proximity, and strategic partnership for companies looking to modernize for the next wave of industrial transformation.
The Nexto XF series emerges as a platform ready for both present and future challenges, reaffirming that national engineering possesses the capacity, innovation, and maturity to compete and shape the automation landscape.
