SPS – Smart Production Solutions 2019 closed successfully for the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA). The company reports considerable interest for CC-Link IE TSN, the first open industrial Ethernet technology to combine Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Gigabit bandwidth for support of Industry 4.0 applications.
Over 1,600 automation technology companies exhibited at SPS 2019. The event gathered major industry leaders from all over the world to discuss the latest trends and solutions in industrial automation. One of the innovative technologies that raised considerable interest was CC-Link IE TSN, the CLPA’s most recent open industrial Ethernet technology.
While addressing the data intensive needs of Industry 4.0 today with gigabit bandwidth, CC-Link IE TSN was also specifically designed to offer manufacturers a migration path towards the future of industrial Ethernet, with TSN. The end result is an open automation network solution that provides determinism and interoperability between different network devices as well as convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). This is the foundation for the Connected Industries of tomorrow.
Visitors to the CLPA’s stand were able to explore the development ecosystem that the organisation and its partners have assembled to provide a comprehensive range of hardware and software solutions for CC-Link IE TSN. More precisely, the innovative open network technology supports hardware and software implementations to suit both 1Gbit and 100Mbit physical layers, master and slave devices, as well as any combination of these. In this way, device makers and end users can benefit from a solution that delivers maximum flexibility and interconnectivity.
Many visitors to the CLPA’s booth were attracted by the first CC-Link IE TSN compatible automation products from CLPA board member Mitsubishi Electric. The offering currently includes PLCs, inverters, servos, HMIs and remote I/O modules. On the stand, it was possible to observe an operating CC-Link IE TSN-based system showcasing some of these products connected together by CLPA partner Hirschmann’s TSN network switch. To emphasise the TSN functionality, the system also integrated a TCP/IP based machine vision system from CLPA board member Cognex. All these devices were sharing time-critical control data and non-time-critical network traffic with each other in a highly accurate and responsive manner. As a result, SPS attendees could clearly see how these devices were operating, their cutting-edge capabilities and the opportunities offered by CC-Link IE TSN.
Anyone who couldn’t attend SPS 2019 will greatly benefit from the launch of the CLPA’s first complete virtual exhibition stand, available 24/7 via mobile phone, tablet or PC by visiting https://cc-link-ve.eu/. The virtual exhibition stand features a broad range of products that represent some of the 1,900 compatible devices currently offered by over 300 CLPA partner vendors. In addition, visitors can watch CC-Link IE TSN presentations and technology insights in English and German from CLPA experts. The virtual stand is further evidence of the CLPA’s commitment to further communicating the benefits of its open network technologies to the European market.
John Browett, General Manager of the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) – Europe, comments: “SPS 2019 has been extremely successful and professionally fruitful, and we are delighted with the outcome of the show. One year on from the launch of CC-Link IE TSN at SPS 2018, we were pleased to demonstrate to the market the progress that has already been made. Real products are available now, and the vital development ecosystem required to develop the offering further is now taking shape. We’re confident that the CLPA will maintain its technological lead and continue to offer the leading open network solutions for Industry 4.0 as we plan for SPS 2020 and beyond.”
