Dec 9 2010
The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has turned out to be the major fieldbus organisation with more than 1500 member firms from 52 different countries. Its membership increases adding one new member every day, with its exponential growth in Europe and North America and even in Asia, involving 400 member companies.
EtherCAT devices
The global market of its technology is highlighted by its huge membership and with their varied systems with EtherCAT connections. The EtherCAT Technology Group exhibited their 260 various EtherCAT devices at the SPS/IPC/Drives 2010 exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany.
A multi-purpose drive demonstration explained 35 various axes motion from 22 different vendors, functioning synchronously on a single EtherCAT network. The EtherCAT exhibits wire redundancy options, accurate system synchronization, and a functional SIL3 safety methodology. EtherCAT is an international standard meeting ISO, IEC, and SEMI certifications.
The Safety-over-EtherCAT (FSoE) methodology was configured for the communication of appropriate reliable data. It is IEC 61784-3 Ed.2 authorized and is used for relaying input data of the reliable sensors such as emergency stop buttons or safety light curtains, to a logic controller. This controller calculates the instructions for reliable outputs such as safety drives or contactor based on these inputs, and regulates the safety features of the machine.