The new announcements sparked great discussion during the exhibition between networking and automation professionals in the industry, with CC-Link IE Field Network Basic (or ‘Basic Mode’) and the CC-Link IE / PROFINET announcement receiving a positive reception during the joint CLPA / PI press conference and throughout the show.
Basic Mode is the latest addition to the family of CLPA network technologies. Basic Mode now brings CC-Link IE to 100Mbit devices, and is achieved via implementing only software at both master and device level, without hardware changes. The principal aim of the new technology is to greatly increase the accessibility of CC-Link IE to vendors whose devices don’t currently support gigabit connections.
It was also announced that Basic Mode is compatible with TCP/IP and UDP/IP-based Ethernet technology, thus maximising the interoperability with other Ethernet-based devices and services.
In addition, it has gathered support for potential product development with Balluff, CKD, Hilscher, IDEC, Mitsubishi Electric, Molex, Phoenix Contact and Renesas Electronics all considering implementation.
Building on the initial announcement during SPS IPC Drives 2015, the interoperability specification for CC-Link IE and PROFINET was launched at SPS 2016. The new document has been produced by a joint working group within a year of the co-operation announcement, displaying the two organisations’ commitment to delivering on promises for increased integration for end users. The specification serves both users in Asian and European markets, with increased levels of transparency offering the realisation of concepts such as Industry 4.0.
John Browett, General Manager at CLPA, commented: “SPS 2016 was an overwhelmingly positive experience as key industry players were pleased to see the CLPA delivering on promises of increased accessibility. Openness is what our end users have demanded, and we are privileged to now be in a position to deliver further features and increased communications between network protocols for ultimate ease of use.”