Representative End User Clients
Representative Automation Clients
Representative Software Clients
Digital communication using a fieldbus or Industrial Ethernet is already widely used in modern production plants and is an important building block for increasing productivity. The demand for intelligent communication will continue to increase due to megatrends such Industry 4.0 and IIoT. However, the heterogeneous landscape of Industrial Ethernet standards that has existed for years poses the problem that devices and machines of different communication systems are in themselves unable to exchange data. Machine builders are therefore forced to equip their machines with different networks, or plant owners are limited in their selection of suitable machines. Consequently, to overcome this there has been a growing need for manufacturer-specific transfer specifications and complicated custom gateways.
With their cooperation, CLPA and PI aim to enable transparent and easy bi-directional communication between CC-Link IE and PROFINET devices through standardized interfaces. To this end, a joint working group is being established to develop the necessary technical specifications to achieve this goal. When work on the specifications is complete, it will be available to members of both organizations for implementation.
Keywords: Intelligent Communication, Industry 4.0, IIoT, Machine Builders, ARC Advisory Group.