Posted to News on 19th Nov 2007, 22:38
CLPA to show CC-Link IE at SPS/IPC/Drives show
CLPA (CC-Link Partner Association) has taken its biggest ever exhibition stand at the 2007 SPS/IPC/Drives/Electric Automation show, which is taking place at Nuremberg, Germany, from 27-29 November. In particular, CLPA will be highlighting the first European presentation of CC-Link IE, a deterministic 1Gbps Industrial Ethernet version of CC-Link running on an optical fibre network, and scheduled for full launch in early 2008.
CC-Link is an open network protocol that allows control equipment and field devices from different vendors to be used freely together within a control system. With the new CC-Link IE, it is now a full family of products that allows seamless communication, from the sensor level on the shopfloor, through various management levels to comprehensive enterprise reporting. Alongside these are specialist variants such as a safety version that ensures safe operation of machinery and plant and compliance with all relevant safety standards.
A number of working demonstrations can be seen on the stand, which at 50m2 is twice the size of the CLPA stand in 2006. There will also be an increased display of CC-Link-compatible products from worldwide CLPA members. CLPA membership is approaching 1000 companies, over half of whom are non-Japanese manufacturers. CC-Link was developed in Japan by Mitsubishi Electric, and Asia remains its strongest territory. However, all rights to the underlying technology have been placed in the international public domain so that companies anywhere in the world are free to develop compatible products.
Proving how open CC-Link has become, there are now seven different manufacturers making 17 different master stations, with 21 manufacturers making I/O devices, and 21 different variable speed drive manufacturers making interfaces. In total over 850 CC-Link-compatible devices are available from partner members worldwide.
Services offered on the stand will be consultancy and advice on all aspects of CC-Link connectivity, software configuration tools, optimising network performance and general installation advice, including free parts kits that can be made available to assist regular members with the development of compatible products.
CC-Link is one of the world's leading open fieldbus networks, with over 4million installed nodes. It is said to be by far the dominant network in Asia.
Visit the CLPA on stand number 323 in hall 6 from 27-29 November 2007. At 11:40 on 27 November at stand 8-420, CLPA will also make a presentation entitled The development of high-speed open Ethernet networks for improving automation and productivity at which the new integrated network concept will be explained in more detail.
