Centralised Ethernet system made for automation

A high-speed, digital motion-bus solution connects a motion controller to multiple drives and I/O points using standard Ethernet networking hardware.

Micromech said that a selection of their motion control products are now enabled with Ethernet Powerlink to increase system performance while decreasing system cost and installation time.

Users of motion control and automation technology want Ethernet to keep up with the higher performance motion control systems now available, a desire, said Micromech, that is sometimes 'at odds' with the abilities of standard Ethernet.

Using multiple devices on the same network, for example, may cause data collisions resulting in timing delays.

In other words, there is no guarantee when a data packet will arrive at its intended destination and so not a viable option for real-time control.

* Centralised, real-time communication system - Ethernet Powerlink is a high-speed, digital motion-bus solution connecting a motion controller to multiple drives and I/O points using standard Ethernet networking hardware.

This centralised, real-time communication system for automation and motion control has helped make Ethernet deterministic for real-time industrial applications.

By extending IEEE 802.3 Ethernet with a mixed polling and time-slicing mechanism, Ethernet Powerlink gives motion control users real-time data transfer packaged in short cycles with microsecond precision, said Micromech to manufacturingtalk.com.

Determinism (guaranteed timing of information) is achieved with standard Ethernet hardware by the use of network time slot management.

Each Powerlink controlled node has a dedicated time slot with which to send and receive information to and from the Managed Node.

* Open standard - Ethernet Powerlink is an open standard maintained by a Standardisation Group and uses standard, 'off-the-shelf' Ethernet networking hardware and chipsets.

Multiple vendors, OEMs and users drive the standard so that it addresses the needs of the industry.

Consumer volumes keep hardware costs down to ensure Powerlink is future-proof.

As the industry migrates toward Gigabit Ethernet, manufacturers can simply incorporate the new; standard Gigabit chips into their products with relatively little effort.

The other benefits include the following.

* Combining the high performance of a centralised system with the lower costs of distributed machine architectures.

* Simplified system wiring reduces system design and installation time.

* Standard Ethernet cabling and hubs support multiple topologies.

Furthermore, the 'front office' and the manufacturing floor can use the same Ethernet network, there are open standards for greater flexibility and an all-digital system reduces EMI issues.

Recently launched products from Parker already contain Powerlink and are all available from Micromech with more drives and controls to follow later in the year.

Back to top