A key challenge for manufacturing companies is moving away from Islands of Automation to more of a "United Nations" architecture where multiple and different machines or lines can be connected into a companywide network for improved efficiencies in scheduling, workflow monitoring, quality reporting, part program downloads from CAD systems, recipe changes, etc.
Today, the communication technology of choice is Ethernet due to its almost universal presence in PCs, overall use in the office environment, and its low-cost media. This is driving IT organizations to better understand the factory floor environment. Progressive companies are moving away from the silo effect from different organizations fighting for control of data and blending IT and Control Engineering teams. Companies that are entrenched in PLC technology are fighting the change to industrial PCs and the role of IT in factory automation, and as a result, are paying a much higher price to connect and often ending up with proprietary solutions that may dead-end them over time as their needs evolve.
Factory floor connectivity and the increased use of PCs replacing PLCs in the factory also highlights the need for training in Ethernet technology, as well as managing data security. This needs to be addressed and not ignored because the reality is that the connection of IT with factory machinery will occur one way or another. Some companies argue that Ethernet cannot be real-time or deterministic enough to be used as a control technology and, therefore, try to ignore it and stay with proprietary solutions.
Beckhoff has recognized this trend and has developed many Ethernet-based automation solutions. The latest is EtherCAT, a new open real-time Ethernet network that sets new standards for openness since it will be a published protocol and uses standard Ethernet technologies. To further foster this openness, the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has been established. Over 100 companies from across the world and from a variety of industries have signed on to help share and implement this new technology. A full list of ETG members and other information can be found at www.ethercat.org.
EtherCAT can process 1000 I/O in 30 microsec using twisted pair or fiber optic cable. It also gives you the option of using the classic, but more expensive star topology or a simple, low-cost line structure -- no expensive infrastructure components are required. EtherCAT uses very cost-effective standard Ethernet cards (NIC) while other real-time Ethernet approaches require special and expensive cards in the controller.
For a report of an EtherCAT pilot installation, in .pdf format, click here.