Open Network Featured Article

In a significant move toward open and converged networking standards, two major industrial Ethernet organizations are working together to develop connectivity between their respective protocols. PROFIBUS & PROFINET International, developers of the PROFINET Ethernet protocol, announced cooperation with the CC-Link Partner Association, responsible for the CC-Link IE protocol.

The announcement will have wide-reaching ramifications across the industrial automation market, as plants and machinery using either of the protocols will now be able to communicate seamlessly with each other. Individual devices will also be permitted to connect to either network, regardless of protocol, promoting additional cooperation a well as open networking platforms and supporting growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its myriad collection of intelligent devices and applications.

The initiative has been in the works for about six months and the two associations are still working on interoperability. CC-Link IE and CC-Link are heavily used in open automation networks throughout Asia, while PROFINET is more popular in European networks. The cooperative initiative means that devices and systems from a variety of manufacturers will now be able to work together openly on different networks.

“Both of our technologies will become easier to install and use as a result of this work,” said Karsten Schneider, chairman of PI, of the cooperative initiative. “We expect their worldwide appeal to also increase, initially between Europe and Asia but quickly extending to the Americas and the rest of the world. In the not too distant future plant and machinery will be communicating more freely without the need for OEMs and end users to undertake additional time consuming and costly engineering work in order to integrate CC-Link IE and PROFINET networks.”

“This move will create new business opportunities for our members, whether they operate on a global basis directly or supply to customers who do,” added John Browett, CLPA’s General Manager for Europe. “In short, intercontinental trade is good for global business and open, transparent networking of machinery is a vital part of achieving it.”

The respective protocols and technology are offered free of charge to association members, as will the cooperative interfacing technology once it is developed. The associations have established a technical working group to draft the new technology and hope to have a final solution available by the end of the year.