ETG News

SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011 | Review: ETG Joint Booth Highlights

12/11 | Thanks to the active support of its members, ETG was well represented at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011 tradeshow showing the unique technology highlights as well as the great product variety of EtherCAT.

This year over 270 (!) different devices were shown from 65 co-exhibitors on new designed product walls, demonstrating the acceptance of the technology not only within the EtherCAT community. With more than 130 master vendors, over 90 drive vendors and across 66 I/O vendors, EtherCAT not only emphasizes its leading position on the Industrial Ethernet market, but also shows the broad support of the technology and thus leading to a huge assortment of products for users of the technology, such as machine builders, OEM or system integrators.

However, not only the number of products is increasing every day: With more than 1850 members worldwide since the foundation of ETG in 2003, ETG is still monitoring a continuous positive trend for new membership applications, especially from Asia and North America.

Among the product variety, the world record multi-axis presenter and the EtherCAT system architecture wall, another other hot topics was addressed: Safety products are available for EtherCAT since 2005 and a functional demo shows the exchange of safe data between safety devices from several companies.

We’ve made a two-part video highlighting EtherCAT features and products by means of the booth. Take a tour through the booth, commented by Martin Rostan (Executive Director ETG), here:
Highlight Video 1
Highlight Video 2

ETG Membership Assembly: Besides the ETG Joint Booth the annual ETG Membership Assembly took place in the evening right after the show hours of the first day. The introductory and main part was presented by Martin Rostan, Executive Director ETG, including ETG membership development, ETG activities worldwide and EtherCAT market situation, to name a few. Dr. Guido Beckmann, Chairman ETG Technical Committee, gave an overview over the work and the achievements of the various Technical Working Groups. He also informed about recent updates of EtherCAT technical documents and specifications. ETG members can download the slides and minutes within the download section:
Membership Assembly Files

ETG Press Conference: At the ETG Press Conference during the tradeshow ETG introduced a new concept standardizing plant-wide Safety architecture for heterogeneous control networks. Furthermore the EtherCAT chip from Texas Instruments is available now, enabling standard microcontroller for EtherCAT communication. In addition, Beckhoff now offers ETG members the most widely-used EtherCAT Slave Stack Code for free. ETG member company Aixtron stated their support of the new ETG Semiconductor Technical Working Group, backed by the market-leading semiconductor equipment vendors. See press section for details:
Press Section

SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011

11/11 | EtherCAT will be well represented at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011, the leading European exhibition for electric automation technology, which takes place November 22-24 in Nuremberg, Germany. You will find us at our ETG joint booth (Hall 6-208). Furthermore, there will be the ETG press conference and the annual ETG membership assembly.

ETG Joint Booth: We invite you to discover the joint EtherCAT booth in Hall 6-208 (at the same location as last year), where more than 65 ETG member companies show over 270 different EtherCAT products. The range of products includes master systems, servo drives, frequency converters, I/O systems, pneumatic and hydraulic valves, encoders, sensors, gateways as well as implementation kits for slave devices, software tools and Safety over EtherCAT solutions. An overview of all co-exhibitors and product types shown at the booth will be available as help planning your visit of our co-exhibitors at SPS.

Highlights are the new functional Safety over EtherCAT demonstration and the redesigned product walls showing the outstanding product variety of EtherCAT devices. Furthermore you can inform yourself about EtherCAT adoption rates worldwide and talk with EtherCAT experts face-to-face about your application. Stop by any time the show or feel free to make an appointment by contacting the ETG headquarters in advance.

ETG press conference & ETG membership assembly: Further details are available within the member area. An invitation and the online registration for the annual membership assembly is available there.

SCF - System Control Fair 2011

11/11 | SCF tradeshow, taking place Nov 16-18 in Tokyo, Japan, offers latest technical information on systems in the fields of automatization and control for the manufacturing industries, such as those for factory automation. ETG booth (West Hall 2-27) shows the wide range of products made in Japan or supported in Japan, including hardware and software of PC/PLC/PAC masters, robots, AC servo systems, I/O terminals, inverters, valves, sensors, slave modules, slave controllers and development kits. Please obtain detailed information on the advantage of EtherCAT, the "global open network gaining on high speed and high precision control" as well as ETG membership application.

In addition, ETG will hold a seminar from 15:30 on the 17th of Nov. Presentation title is "Latest technology and specification trends of EtherCAT worldwide". The attendance is free of charge. Please feel free to join the seminar (approx. 80 attendees on a first-come-first-serve basis).

2011 Japanese EtherCAT Plug Fest announced

10/11 | We invite and encourage all vendors of EtherCAT devices, code and tools to participate in the Japanese EtherCAT Plug Fest taking place December 13+14 in Yokohama, Japan, at facilities provided by ETG member company Beckhoff Automation Japan (BAJ).
Test the interoperability of your device(s) with other EtherCAT master and/or slave implementations! EtherCAT experts from the ETG will be present and support the Plug Fest. They can give useful hints for technical implementation and handling of the EtherCAT devices.
Detailed information and registration form is available in English and Japanese language.

ETG launches Semiconductor Technical Working Group

08/11 | EtherCAT is growing rapidly in the Semiconductor and Flat Panel Display (FPD) manufacturing industry – including Photovoltaics and LED manufacturing. Several major equipment and tool makers have adopted EtherCAT, and many Semi component suppliers have first products readily available. Following the request from our members, ETG is now establishing a Semiconductor Technical Working Group (Semi TWG), which will address Semi specific device profiles, installation guidelines, and device tests in order to meet the special requirements of this industry.
For the Kick-Off Meeting we have secured the active participation of premium tool makers, in order to ensure that the results meet their requirements; as of today, presentations are scheduled by Applied Materials, LAM Research, Aixtron and Brooks Automation to talk about their expectations regarding EtherCAT enabled Semi components. Other presentations are being considered by ETG members Tokyo Electron and Dainippon Screen as many Semi related EtherCAT users and potential users are expected to join this meeting.
The Kick-Off Meeting which will shape the future work of this Semi TWG will take place on Oct 26/27, 2011 in the Silicon Valley, CA, USA. The invitation contains the agenda, registration information and venue details of this important event: Invitation ETG Semi TWG Kick Off Meeting For direct registration please go here: Registration ETG Semi TWG Kick Off Meeting

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in the U.S.

08/11 | We invite EtherCAT users and system integrators to a seminar series throughout the U.S. this October, taking place in Boston (MA), Chicago (IL), Milwaukee (WI), San Diego (CA), Phoenix (AZ) and Denver (CO).
These full-day seminars from October 11-13 and 18-20, 2011, will show the benefits and the challenges of Industrial Ethernet. EtherCAT seminars are educational events from the experts: Learn more about EtherCAT technology and its applications in the U.S. as well as worldwide. Talk with EtherCAT experts face-to-face, and discover the table-top exhibition. See how EtherCAT can help you! Participation is free of charge and you are cordially invited. Please find your personal invitation here for download.
These seminars are supported by Applied Materials, Beckhoff Automation, Elmo Motion Control, Omron Industrial Automation, SEW-EURODRIVE, SICK USA and Yaskawa America. For detailed information regarding the venues, speaker and presentations as well as the online registration form please see here:
www.ethercat.org/2011/us

New Online Product Guide

08/11 | As the number of product entries increases permanently, the official EtherCAT Product Guide got an extensive update: Entries can be now found in a more comfortable way by setting various filters. Results are displayed in tables for a better overview.
New arrangement of product types has been established in order to help EtherCAT users and implementers finding the product or service they are looking for. The well known color system from the ETG Join Booth has also been included to simplify distinguishing product groups. Certified products can be easily found by setting the corresponding check box. Feel free to test the new official EtherCAT Product Guide today!
www.ethercat.org/products

EtherCAT trainings in China well attended

07/11 | With the successful promotion of EtherCAT in China, more and more end customers get interested in EtherCAT products. In addition, valuable feedback was given from them to EtherCAT device providers in China to improve EtherCAT products and services. At the same time, the number of new EtherCAT products in China is still increasing. As a result, further EtherCAT trainings are needed for marketing, sales and technical staff from ETG member companies. To meet this demand, ETG office China intend to make further free of charge trainings for those companies. The first training was held in Beijing on July 14th, at Beijing Branch of Beckhoff Automation GmbH. 20 engineers from Omron, SMC, Lenze, HMS and Beckhoff participated this training. The main topics of this training were EtherCAT technology basics, ETG info and worldwide development, EtherCAT in the chinese market and its applications.
ETG China will hold another free training in Shanghai in this September either.

ETG spreads EtherCAT promotion in second-tier cities in China

06/11 | With the promotions in big cities as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China during last several years, more and more electrical engineers there have been educated about EtherCAT technology and now using and implementing EtherCAT successfully. For further promotion in other important industrial cities in China and strengthen the marketing promotion, EtherCAT Technology Group Office China attended several seminars for general EtherCAT technology promotion in Shanghai, Xi’an, and Shenyang this year. In June 15th, Industrial Ethernet Technology Forum 2011, hold by Control Engineer China, took place in Shanghai. EtherCAT Technology Group introduced EtherCAT technology and actively answered questions from the interested audience.
In June 22th and July 20th, ETG attended the forum "2011 Ethernet & Wireless technology application form - offer you the suitable industry communication solution" by IIA NEWS in Xi’an and Shenyang, brought local engineers the idea about EtherCAT technology and its applications. In those promotional activities, EtherCAT was one of the most interesting topic for the audience.
In Sep.21st, ETG will also attend the seminar by CEC China in Chongqing, to meet local engineers and inform about the EtherCAT technology. All application engineers as well as R&D engineers are welcome to the seminar.

TECHNO-FRONTIER 2011

05/11 | TECHNO-FRONTIER 2011, which takes place on June 20-21 in TOKYO BIG SIGHT, Japan, is an advanced electronic & mechatronic devices and components exhibition. EtherCAT Technology Group has expanded the exhibition scale by 1.5 times from last year to join this exhibition. Stop by at our ETG Joint Booth at "Booth No. 1E-001", located in front of the entrance of East 1 Hall.

The wide range of products made in Japan or supported in Japan will be exhibited, including hardware and software of PC/PLC/PAC master, robot, AC servo system, I/O terminal, inverter, valve, sensor, slave module, slave controller and development kit. Please obtain detailed information on the advantage of EtherCAT, the "global open network gaining on high speed and high precision control", and the ETG membership application.

In addition, we will hold a seminar from 13:40 on the 20th of July. We will present details of “the latest technology and specification trend of EtherCAT in the ETG Headquarters, as well as the merit of the system manufacturer and end-user developed by the fine technology and the introduction of EtherCAT”, which would be of great interest to every Japanese users and vendors. The attendance is free of charge. Please feel free to join the seminar (approx. 70 attendees a day on a first-come-first-served basis).
TECHNO FRONTIER Website

Popular 11th European Plug Fest

05/11 | The 11th European EtherCAT Plug Fest was well attended again by 41 participants from 25 companies. The main goal was again testing interoperability of EtherCAT master and slave device implementations. ETG member company Kuhnke Automation hosted this event from May 10-11, 2011, in Malente in the North of Germany.
Overall 11 different EtherCAT master and 27 diverse slave device implementations were tested. The EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool was used in addition to check all slave devices with regards to conformance to the EtherCAT specifications.
Due to the persistent demand and success of these Plug Fests, ETG is preparing further dates in Europe, Asia and North America. These well attended events are a very valuable contribution to device interoperability and help to ensure simple configuration of devices from different vendors within heterogeneous EtherCAT networks.

Texas Instruments implements EtherCAT® in ARM®-based processors

04/11 | Texas Instruments is the first semiconductor company to license EtherCAT technology for standard microcontroller and microprocessor families. This milestone development, which was announced in an ETG press event at Hannover Industrial Fair, makes EtherCAT a mainstream technology also beyond the automation market. For details please the press release.

HANNOVER MESSE 2011

03/11 | HANNOVER MESSE 2011, which takes place April 4-8 in Hanover, Germany, is an excellent place to inform you about EtherCAT technology, products and solutions as well as about the EtherCAT Technology Group itself. You will find our ETG Joint Booth again in Hall 9-D18.
We welcome everybody to visit the EtherCAT booth in Hall 9-D18, where 64 member companies show again over 270 different EtherCAT products, including 25 different masters using 10 different operating systems controlling I/O terminals. The wide range of products also includes controller/master, servo drives, frequency converter, I/O terminals, pneumatic and hydraulic valves, encoder, sensors, gateways as well as implementation kits for slave devices, tools and services.
Safety over EtherCAT solutions can be seen on active networks with devices from several vendors.
A highlight will be again the EtherCAT Multi-Axis presenter, showing 35 different synchronized servo drives from 24 (!) different vendors within one EtherCAT network.
Products passed the official EtherCAT Conformance Test will be marked.
Talk with EtherCAT experts about your application or EtherCAT implementation. Get detailed information about the advantages of EtherCAT and Industrial Ethernet or how to apply for an ETG membership. Please stop by at any time of the tradeshow! Feel free to make an appointment by contacting the ETG headquarters in advance.
ETG Joint Booth

Comprehensive Japanese Guide for EtherCAT Slave Implementation

03/11 | The document is written based on actual demands from number of the local Japanese members to guide through the whole process step-by-step with information of technical documents to be essentially referred at each step, and is useful particularly to design engineers who are less experienced on the implementation tasks.
Click below to download the document within the member area. Your feedback to enhance the content is appreciated.
EtherCAT Slave Development Procedure Guide

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in Switzerland

03/11 | May 10th to 12th, 2011, ETG is inviting end users and system integrators to the full-day Industrial Ethernet Seminars in Switzerland, taking place in Yverdon, Egerkingen and Zurich-Regensdorf.
The seminars will cover Industrial Ethernet and in particular EtherCAT and its applications as well as competitive advantages that machine builders generate by adopting this fast yet low cost open communication technology. ETG members are encouraged to make their customers and partners in Switzerland aware of this excellent opportunity to learn about EtherCAT. Participation is free of charge at all three locations.
A detailed agenda, information regarding the venues and the online registration form can be found on the ETG website here:
www.ethercat.org/2011/switzerland

Happy Chinese New Year

01/11 | ETG office China wishes you a happy Chinese new year!

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in the UK

01/11 | ETG is addressing users and system integrators with a seminar series in the UK that is being held in Dundee, Manchester and Reading on March 15-17, 2011.
Industrial Ethernet and in particular EtherCAT are hot topics in the world wide automation industry. The all-day seminars in the UK will look at EtherCAT and its application as well as at the competitive advantages that machine builders generate by adopting this fast yet low cost open communication technology. The seminars address users and system integrators alike, and participation is free of charge.
A detailed agenda, information regarding the venues and the online registration form can be found on the ETG website here:
www.ethercat.org/2011/uk

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in India

12/10 | Following two successful seminar series in 2008, ETG returns to India on February 21-25, 2011 in New Delhi, Bangalore, Coimbatore and Mumbai: this time the full-day seminars specifically address potential EtherCAT users, such as machine builders, system integrators, control system consultants and end users.
The seminar agenda not only covers Ethernet and EtherCAT introductory presentations, but also addresses migration strategies, competitive advantages for machine builders through EtherCAT and applications in India and worldwide. ETG members are encouraged to make their customers and partners in India aware of this excellent opportunity to learn about EtherCAT. Participation is free of charge.
Seminar Details & Online Registration

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in Italy

12/10 | ETG presents Industrial Ethernet / EtherCAT seminars taking place in Milano, Bologna and Padova on February 8-10, 2011. At the morning session there will be an introduction of EtherCAT technology, and in the afternoon there will be two sessions in parallel: one highlighting EtherCAT user benefits and application reports addressing machine builders and system integrators, and another one focusing on EtherCAT implementation topics for device vendors considering to implement EtherCAT.
The main purpose of the seminar is to provide an understanding of the benefits using EtherCAT technology for end users as well as device vendors and integrators. Learn about the benefits and the challenges of Industrial Ethernet! Come, explore and understand the EtherCAT technology and see how it can improve your application.
Attendance is free of charge. Further seminar details and online registration is available here.

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in France

12/10 | ETG is offering Industrial Ethernet / EtherCAT Seminars taking place in Paris and Lyon on January 25-26, 2011 as classical fieldbus systems are challenged by new technologies that provide more performance and support for internet protocols. Automation system users have to decide if, when and how to adopt these next generation networks. Learn about the benefits and the challenges of Industrial Ethernet.
Come, explore and understand the EtherCAT technology and see how it can improve your application. The seminar addresses end user, machine builder, system integrator, OEM or consultant for control and automation systems for different industries alike.
Attendance is free of charge. Further seminar details and online registration is available here.
Please register online as soon as possible, because the number of seats are limited.

More than 100 Chinese ETG Members

12/10 | There are now more than 100 ETG members in mainland China. Since ETG built up its China office in Beijing in 2007, there is a strong member growth in China. The member variety covers local vendors, universities, institutes and end users, many of them are leaders in their industry. There is much interest of studying the EtherCAT technology as well as implementing EtherCAT in Chinese products and applying EtherCAT in various applications there.

Christmas Illumination with EtherCAT

11/10 | The new Christmas illumination in the Swiss town of St. Gallen is networked with EtherCAT. In the current stage of expansion about 640 stars and 330 so called power boxes are EtherCAT slave devices. The network is partitioned in several segments. Along the streets line topologies are used to connect the power boxes, which convert 230VAC into 48VDC. The power boxes are able to provide diagnosis information and feed the DC power into drop lines where 1 to 5 stars are daisy chained. The drop lines are made of hybrid cables with separate power supply and EtherCAT data wires - altogether 7km of hybrid cable is used. Each of the stars - which have a diameter of more than 2 m -  is illuminated by 14 LEDs and is controlled in a highly dynamic fashion, forming light patterns along the streets. The engineers originally planned to use other Industrial Ethernet protocols, but found that due to the large number of nodes and the topology constraints of the project only EtherCAT could provide the performance that is needed to provide full freedom for the light designers. Further information in German language can be found here: www.allerstern.ch The technical part of 3.8 Million CHF project was completed by ETG members robonaut in close cooperation with Peyer Engineering for the light design company KALUZA + SCHMID. 

SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2010

11/10 | EtherCAT will be well represented at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2010, the leading European exhibition for electric automation technology, which takes place Nov 23-25 in Nuremberg, Germany. You will find us at our ETG joint booth (Hall 6-208). Furthermore, there will be EtherCAT Presentations at the Conference, the ETG Press Conference and the annual ETG Membership Assembly.
ETG Joint Booth: Please visit the joint EtherCAT booth in Hall 6-208 (at the same location as last year), where more than 60 member companies show over 250 different EtherCAT Products, including 25 different masters using 10 different operating systems controlling I/O terminals. The range of products also includes servo drives, frequency converters, I/O, pneumatic and hydraulic valves, encoder, sensors, gateways as well as implementation kits for slave devices, software tools and Safety over EtherCAT solutions. An overview of all co-exhibitors and product types shown at the booth can be found here as help with planning your visit.
Highlights will be the enhanced Master demo, the functional Safety networks and the extended Multi-Axis presenter, showing now 35 synchronized servo drives from 24 (!) different vendors within one EtherCAT network. Several manufacturers will also demonstrate Master-Master communication, redundancy and gateway solutions in live applications. Certified products will be highlighted and parts of the booth will be Conformance & Interoperability themed.
EtherCAT Presentations: ETG and Beckhoff Automation present two presentations at the SPS/IPC/DRIVES Conference on both days. Please have a look at the conference program to attend the presentations.
ETG Press Conference & ETG Membership Assembly: Further details are available within the Member Area. An invitation and the online registration for the annual membership assembly is also available there.

ETG successfully participated in IAS

11/10 | November 9th to 13th, 2010, EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) attended with a Joint Booth at the IAS tradeshow in Shanghai, China.

13 member companies showed 25 different products on the ETG booth, including EtherCAT controller, I/O, servo drives, HMI, software, valves, encoder, CNC systems, PC104 equipment as well as development tools etc. Also three local Chinese ETG member companies joined the booth and presented their own products on the booth, which is specially a highlight. These EtherCAT implementations from local companies show the success of the technology as well as strengthen the confidence for other members in China.

The excellent EtherCAT technology which has been well-tested by practice and oriented for the future was well known to most of the visitors. By visiting the associated booth in the exhibition, they took the change to get more knowledge about the current situation of EtherCAT. Through the rapid development of the community in China as well as worldwide, companies are more confident to implement EtherCAT into their devices. EtherCAT is getting more and more popular at the Chinese market by an increasing number of products and applications. This development of the technology will help to continue the EtherCAT success story.

During the IAS, ETG office China attended the 6th CIIF • MM • China Automation Days (Industrial Communication Boosts High Speed and Intelligent Development of Machines) and introduced EtherCAT technology to the audience. ETG also had a presentation on EtherCAT products news and a technology press meeting.

Mail-based technical support service is now available in Japan

10/10 | Through surveys at various trade shows and seminars, ETG Task Force Japan has been studying issues and requirements regarding support and services to be provided by ETG, and solving them step-by-step in order of priority. As a first step, the Task Force has just started offering mail-based technical support and service in the local language. ETG Office Japan will continuously improve its support and service system. For further information in Japanese, please click here.

ETG website available in Japanese language

10/10 | The ETG website is now also available in Japanese language. The Japanese translation is maintained by ASTEM RI which also hosts the ETG Office Japan. Currently 144 member companies from Japan form the third largest national EtherCAT community in the EtherCAT Technology Group. The ETG Task Force Japan is very active promoting and supporting EtherCAT technology in Japan. ETG is happy to respond to the wish of the Japanese EtherCAT community by introducing the Japanese version of the website, which was made possible by the special effort of the EtherCAT team at ASTEM RI in Kyoto who provided the translation and maintains the updates. Thus the website of the EtherCAT Technology Group now offers three language variants: English, Chinese and Japanese.

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in China

09/10 | ETG offers Industrial Ethernet / EtherCAT Seminars taking place in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen on October 20-26, 2010. Next to a comprehensive overview of existing Industrial Ethernet solutions, the seminars will help you to understand the EtherCAT Technology and how it can help your application!
End users as well as device vendors, system integrators and consultants are addressed to join the seminars. Participation is free of charge and you are cordially invited!
Further seminar details and free online registration is available here.
Please register as soon as possible, because the number of seats are limited.

EtherCAT Plug Fests with record participation

09/10 | A record number of 54 participants attended the 10th European EtherCAT Plug Fest, hosted by Lenze Automation in Braunschweig, Germany on September 22-23. At this EtherCAT Plug Fest, 10 different master implementations were tested with the slave variety of 21 different vendors. All slave devices were operated individually and in groups with all master devices. The EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool was used in addition to check all slave devices with regards to conformance to the EtherCAT specifications.
The second North American EtherCAT Plug Fest was well attended again. At this Plug Fest seven master implementations were tested with the slave variety of 10 different devices. Yaskawa Electric America in Waukegan (IL), USA hosted this interoperability testing event of EtherCAT implementations on September 9-10.
Due to the persistent demand and success of these Plug Fests, ETG will announce further dates soon here and within the event section. The main goal of EtherCAT Plug Fests is to test and improve interoperability of the devices from various vendors. In addition, the events act as a forum for discussing implementation tips and tricks as well as for clarifying questions regarding the technology.

Asian ETG Member Meetings well attended

07/10 | Many Japanese and Korean member representatives of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) used the opportunity to get the latest EtherCAT technology updates at first hand on one of the local member meetings.
The annual ETG Member Meeting Japan was held in Tokyo. It was well attended again like previous meetings by over 100 representatives of ETG member companies. Martin Rostan, Executive Director of the ETG, provided a detailed update on EtherCAT technology and ETG activities. Technology enhancements have been developed by ETG Working Groups: amongst others the Safety Drive Profile for Functional Safety in drives and an update of the EtherCAT Slave Information Specification that defines the format for slave device description files used by configuration tools have been published within the ETG.Besides the technical highlights the global status and activities of the ETG were in focus: more than 1400 companies joined the organization so far; including the fast-growing number of about 330 members from Asia. The ETG Task Force Japan is a group of Japanese member companies which contribute with ideas and man power to take an active role in EtherCAT promotion in Japan.
More than 60 representatives of Korean ETG member companies joined the ETG Member Meeting Korea, held in Seoul. In addition to the ETG update a highlight was the speech of Prof. Yongseon Moon from Sunchon National University: he presented several successful robotic applications – all equipped with EtherCAT which has been established itself as the de facto standard for robotics in Korea. The highly technology-oriented Korean market identified early the outstanding advantages of EtherCAT and now profits in its various machine applications.

EtherCAT included in EUROMAP specification

06/10 | The European association of manufacturers from plastics and rubber machineries has approved EtherCAT for their applications: EtherCAT was added as basic communication technology to the EUROMAP 75 specification which contains protocols for communication with peripheral equipment. Part 3 of the specification describes the implementation of real-time Ethernet systems.
Beside the standardization of EtherCAT for the semiconductor industry, this is another international standardization of EtherCAT within an industry specific sector. Both show the increasing acceptance and diffusion of the EtherCAT technology.
The final edition of the EUROMAP 75 specification can be downloaded at the website of the EUROMAP Technical Commission.

International EtherCAT Plug Fest Series

06/10 | To support ETG Members all around the world the ETG continues its Plug Fest series on three continents: North America, Europe and Asia.
At the Plug Fest both master and slave devices are interoperability tested in various configurations. Thus we invite and encourage all manufacturers of EtherCAT Devices, Codes and Tools to participate. The meeting also serves as forum for developers. ETG experts will attend the Plug Fests to share implementation tips and tricks and clarify questions regarding the technology. The Plug Fests have established themselves as pragmatic and effective means to achieve interoperable EtherCAT products.
The general boot-up, process data and mailbox communication will be tested as well as device behaviour with enhanced functionality, like support of Modular Device Profile and CiA402 servo drive profile. The current EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool is available and EtherCAT Analyzer Tools are used to check device behaviour and interoperability.
Participants of the last Plug Fests are encouraged to attend again. We expect new devices (both master and slaves) to be present, so that the interoperability tests will be enhanced, too. Companies with subsidiaries in several countries may participates on multiple Plug Fests to test with a big variety of devices.

2nd North American Plug Fest: Info & Registration
- September 09-10, 2010, Waukegan (IL), USA. Hosted by Yaskawa Electric.

10th European Plug Fest: Info & Registration
- September 22-23, 2010, Braunschweig, GER. Hosted by Lenze Automation.

2nd Asian EtherCAT Plug Fest: Info & Registration
- October 28-29, 2010, Kyoto, JPN. Hosted by ASTEM.

EtherCAT powered robots win RoboCup German Open

05/10 | The TechUnited team has won the German Open robot soccer competition held in April in Magdeburg, Germany. The EtherCAT powered robots play in the middle-size league, which can considered to be the main league of the competition. In this league two teams of mid-sized robots with all sensors on-board play soccer autonomously on a field. Communication among robots is supported via wireless communications. The TechUnited robots use EtherCAT both for data acquisition and for motion control. The current 5th generation moves even faster than its predecessor, features an optimized path-planning algorithm and is able to pass the ball dynamically between players.
A video compilation showing the TechUnited Team at the RoboCup German Open can be found here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=agHBb8KCTZg

ETG Booth @ Beijing FA/PA, May 12-15

04/10 | ETG will attend Beijing FA/PA (Modern Factory/Process Automation Show) for the first time. The tradeshow takes place May 12-15, 2010 at the China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing. Learn more about the technology as well as see EtherCAT products from more than 10 Chinese ETG members. You will find us at the ETG Info Booth in Hall 8-A100. Please click here for booth details.
The official website of FA/PA can be found here.

Hannover Messe 2010 (HMI)

03/10 | EtherCAT will be again well presented at Hannover Messe 2010, which takes place Apr 19-23 in Hanover, Germany. You will find us at our ETG Joint Booth (Hall 9-D18) at an enlarged booth.
ETG Joint Booth: Please visit the joint EtherCAT booth in Hall 9-D18, where 54 member companies show again over 200 different EtherCAT products, including 17 different masters using 10 different operating systems controlling I/O terminals. The range of products also includes servo drives, frequency converts, I/Os, pneumatic and hydraulic valves, encoder, sensors, gateways, as well as implementation kits for slave devices, tools and Safety over EtherCAT solutions. A highlight will be the EtherCAT Multi-Axis presenter, showing 30 different synchronized servo drives within one EtherCAT network. Certified products will be highlighted and parts of the booth will be Conformance & Interoperability themed.
EtherCAT Introductory Presentation: There will be a daily EtherCAT Introductory Presentation at 4:15 pm in Hall 9-G08. This free seminar will include the EtherCAT functional principle, technology features, benefits for vendors and end users, application examples as well as implementation notes. Take the chance at the end of the tradeshow day to inform you about EtherCAT within only 45 minutes! The training classroom is located close to the ETG Joint Booth in Hall 9 at booth G08.
If you have questions on the EtherCAT technology, how to become a member and on your application or EtherCAT implementation, then please come by and discuss these topics with EtherCAT experts. Stop by any time the show or feel free to make an appointment by contacting the ETG headquarters before the show.

Interoperability Testing at 9th EtherCAT Plug Fest

03/10 | 35 participants of ETG member companies met at the 9th European EtherCAT Plug Fest hosted by VIPA in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The main goal was again testing interoperability of EtherCAT master and slave device implementations. Overall 9 different EtherCAT master and 18 diverse slave device implementations were tested. Conformity of slave devices was checked by using the updated official Conformance Test Tool (CTT). This tool was enhanced with new features to improve the level of testing coverage as well as better test handling. Several master manufacturers put their focus on Safety over EtherCAT.
Thus the Plug Fests will continue to be a popular and important event for developers to ensure quality of EtherCAT products. Furthermore these well attended acticities serve as basis for device interoperability and guarantee simple configuration of devices from different vendors within heterogenous EtherCAT networks.

embeddedworld 2010

02/10 | Visit the ETG Info Booth at the embeddedworld 2010, taking place March 2-4 in Nuremberg, Germany. You will find us in Hall 9, Booth 331.
Please inform yourself about the latest technology and product updates as well as ETG developments. Take the chance to speak with EtherCAT experts discussing your project or implementation question.
Please ask for an appointment by sending an email to info@ethercat.org.

9th European EtherCAT Plug Fest announced

02/10 | We invite and encourage all manufacturers of EtherCAT Devices, Code and Tools to participate in the 9th European EtherCAT Plug Fest taking place March 18th and 19th in Herzogenaurach, Germany, at facilities provided by ETG member company VIPA.
Test the interoperability of your device(s) with other EtherCAT master and/or slave implementations! EtherCAT experts from the ETG will be present and support the Plug Fest. They can give useful hints for technical implementation and handling of the EtherCAT devices.
Detailed information and registration form can be found here.

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in Norway

01/10 | The ETG offers Industrial Ethernet / EtherCAT Seminars taking place in Horten, Stavanger and Trondheim on February 9-11, 2010. Next to a comprehensive overview of existing Industrial Ethernet solutions, the seminars will help you to understand the EtherCAT Technology and how it can enhance your application!
End users as well as device vendors and system integrators are addressed to join the seminars. Participation is free of charge and you are cordially invited!
Further seminar details and online registration is available here.
Please register as soon as possible, because the number of seats are limited.

EtherCAT also for factory automation

01/10 | EtherCAT is a well-established technology for machine level control networks. Now ETG has also put a focus on the factory network, enhancing the EtherCAT specification by defining services for the supervisory control level. As a result, EtherCAT will also comprise the Ethernet communication between control systems, as well as to the supervisory systems. The new EtherCAT Automation Protocol (EAP) simplifies the direct access of process data from field devices at the sensor / actuator level and also supports the integration of wireless devices.
For the factory level, the base protocols for process data communication have been part of the EtherCAT specification from the very beginning. Now they were enhanced with services for the parameter communication between control systems and for routing across system boundaries. Uniform diagnostic and configuration interfaces are also part of the EAP. It can be used in switch-based Ethernet topologies as well as via wireless Ethernet. Process data is communicated like network variables, either cyclically or event-driven. Both the classic EtherCAT Device Protocol, which utilizes the special EtherCAT functional principle of "processing on the fly", and the new EAP make use of the same data structures and facilitate vertical integration to supervisory control systems and networked controllers.
Since EAP mainly uses already available protocols and services, for example, those already implemented in many EtherCAT control systems for access to field devices from outside via TCP/IP, it is a fully compatible enhancement of the standard. While EAP handles the communication in the millisecond range on the process control level and between control systems, the EtherCAT Device Protocol handles I/O and motion control communication in the field level in the microsecond range.
Development of the EtherCAT Automation Protocol was kicked off in March 2009. The corresponding ETG working group plans to publish the specification in short time.
Further Information about EAP can be found in this publication

SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2009

11/09 | EtherCAT will be well represented and very active at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2009, the leading European exhibition for electric automation technology, which takes place Nov 24-26 in Nuremberg, Germany. You will find us at our Joint Booth (Hall 6-208). Furthermore, there will be EtherCAT Presentations at the Conference, the ETG Press Conference and the annual ETG Membership Assembly.
ETG Joint Booth: Please visit the joint EtherCAT booth in Hall 6-208 (at the same location as last year), where 52 member companies show over 200 different EtherCAT Products, including 17 different masters using 10 different operating systems controlling I/O terminals. The range of products also includes servo drives, frequency converts, I/Os, pneumatic and hydraulic valves, encoder, sensors, gateways, as well as implementation kits for slave devices, tools and Safety over EtherCAT solutions. A highlight will be the enhanced Multi-Axis presenter, showing 30 synchronized servo drives within one EtherCAT network. The EtherCAT Automation Protocol will be introduced. Several manufacturers will demonstrate Master-Master communication, Redundancy as well as devices with Power over EtherCAT in live applications.
EtherCAT Presentations: ETG and Beckhoff Automation present two presentations at the SPS/IPC/DRIVES Congress on Tuesday, Nov 24th. Please read more at the tradeshow conference.
ETG Press Conference & ETG Membership Assembly: Details are available within the member area.

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in India

10/09 | The ETG offers Industrial Ethernet / EtherCAT Seminars taking place in Achmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai on November 2‐6, 2009.

Learn about the benefits and the challenges of Industrial Ethernet. Come, explore and understand the EtherCAT Technology & see how it can help your application! These seminars specifically address end users as well as device vendors and system integrators to learn about EtherCAT technology and other Industrial Ethernet technologies.

Participation is free of charge & you are cordially invited!
Further seminar details and online registration is available here.

Please register online as soon as possible, because the number of seats are limited.

Well attended 8th European EtherCAT Plug Fest

10/09 | 37 participants attended the 8th European EtherCAT Plug Fest, hosted by STÖBER Antriebstechnik in Pforzheim, Germany on October 1-2, 2009. At this well established and also well attended EtherCAT Plug Fest, 8 different master implementations were tested with the slave variety of 15 different vendors. All slave devices were operated individually and in groups with all master devices. In addition, the devices were checked with the official EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool.
The next European Plug Fest will be hosted by ETG member company VIPA on March 18-19, 2010. Further details will be published in the Event section soon.

Great success with 1st North American EtherCAT Plug Fest

09/09 | The first North American EtherCAT Plug Fest was well attended with over 20 people from 11 ETG member companies. At this Plug Fest four new master implementations were tested with the slave device variety of 8 different vendors. The main goal of this event, which was hosted by National Instruments in Austin, Texas, was to check interoperability of EtherCAT implementations.
Please find the full article as press release and additional pictures from the event here.

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in Taiwan

08/09 | September 15-18 ETG hosts Industrial Ethernet / EtherCAT seminars in Taipei, Tainan and Taichung. These seminars address the needs of system integrators and machine builders in Taiwan.
Details and registration form can be found here.

Japanese EtherCAT Test Center fully operational

09/09 | As of September 1st the Japanese EtherCAT Test Center (ETC), operated in Kyoto by ASTEM, is fully operational and can serve the Japanese as well as the overall Asian EtherCAT community. The European ETC, operated by Beckhoff Automation GmbH in Nuremberg, Germany, has been providing Conformance Testing for ETG members since end of 2008.
Please find more information about conformance and contact details of the ETCs within the Conformance Section.

8th European EtherCAT Plug Fest announced

08/09 | The 8th European EtherCAT Plug Fest will take place in Pforzheim, Germany, on October 1/2, 2009. The interoperability meeting will be hosted by STÖBER Antriebstechnik. At the Plug Fest both master and slave devices are interoperability tested in various configurations. Thus we invite and encourage all manufacturers of EtherCAT Devices, Codes and Tools to participate. The meeting also serves as forum for developers. ETG experts will attend the Plug Fest to ensure qualified feedback and provide technical backup.
Details and registration form for ETG members can be found here.

1st North American EtherCAT Plug Fest hosted by NI

07/09 | We invite and encourage all manufacturers of EtherCAT Devices, Code and Tools to participate in the 1st North American EtherCAT Plug Fest taking place September 2nd and 3rd in Austin, Texas, at facilities provided by ETG member company, National Instruments (NI). The goal of this developers’ event is to perform interoperability tests.
This is a special offer for manufacturers in North America to test the interoperability of their devices with other EtherCAT master and/or slave implementations. EtherCAT experts will be present and support the PlugFest. They can give useful hints for technical implementation and handling of the EtherCAT devices.
Further information and registration form for ETG members can be found here. Please register as soon as possible!

ETG opens new Conformance Test Center in Japan

07/09 | To best serve the large number of EtherCAT device vendors in Japan, the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has opened the first EtherCAT Test Center (ETC) outside of Europe in Kyoto, Japan. This new ETC is operated by the Advanced Scientific Technology & Management Research Institute of KYOTO (ASTEM RI). The Kyoto Test Center will be fully operational in a few weeks from now, serving the Japanese as well as the overall Asian EtherCAT community.
Please read the full article and see pictures in the press release section.

Full house at ETG Member Meeting Japan

06/09 | Three weeks before the ETG member meeting Japan on July 7th already over 100 people registered for the event, which will provide an update of the EtherCAT technology, application presentations from Japan and also an overview of EtherCAT applications worldwide. This information and networking event is held annually, this year for the first time in the new, conveniently located Akihabara UDX conference center. In the last years the event was well attended, too, reflecting the enormous interest of the Japanese automation industry in EtherCAT. Details and the registration form can be found here.

US membership exceeds 100

06/09 | Shortly after exceeding the 1000 member mark, ETG membership reached another milestone: there are now more than 100 member companies from the United States of America. After Germany, the US provides the second largest ETG member community, closely followed by Japan and China/Taiwan. Since member 1000 was reached, ETG experiences an ongoing strong interest in its membership: the last month has seen an average of two new members every business day.

EtherCAT in Measurement Systems

05/09 | Encountered by many as the upcoming de facto standard for measurement systems, EtherCAT is quickly expanding in this industry, too. The decision of BMW, Volvo, Airbus and others for EtherCAT in test stand applications has further boosted the acceptance among the test and measurement suppliers. Consequently ETG exhibited at the Sensor & Test Exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany in May. Besides generic EtherCAT Technology displays and demonstrators also EtherCAT based measurement systems by HBM, imc Messsysteme, National Instruments, Stiegele Datensysteme, and Vector Informatik were shown.

Large audience at ETG Seminars in India

05/09 | Although aimed at ETG member companies only, the recent seminar series was very well received: more than 150 registered attendants mark India’s interest in the EtherCAT Technology. The seminars in New Delhi, Bangalore and Pune covered a detailed technology introduction as well as an EtherCAT application overview. In India, EtherCAT is already used in a large variety of applications such as packaging machines, automotive test beds, wind turbines and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. ETG plans to hold another seminar series in India in October, this time focusing on end users.

Historic Milestone for EtherCAT Technology Group: the 1000th Member

04/09 | With 1000 member companies joining in just over 5 years, the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) is undoubtedly a dynamic organization powered by rapid growth. The 1000th member of the ETG is Multivac, a world leader in packaging machine technology with its headquarters in Bavaria, Germany. Details can be found in the press release section.

EtherCAT Seminar Series and Evaluation Kit Workshops in North America

04/09 | On May 13th+14th as well as May 18th+19th there will be EtherCAT seminars and Evaluation Kit workshops in North America. Invited are end users as well as device vendors that want to learn about EtherCAT technology. The EtherCAT implementation seminars take place in San Jose and Chicago. Details and registration form are found in the event section.

Industrial Ethernet Seminar Series in India

04/09 | In May, ETG hosts Industrial Ethernet / EtherCAT seminars in New Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. These seminars specifically address the needs of ETG members and their distributors in India, who may have EtherCAT or other Industrial Ethernet products either available or coming up, and who want to be prepared so that they can talk to their customers about it. Details can be found here.

Call for Experts: Technical Committee starts new Working groups

04/09 | The Technical Committee (TC) established several Working Groups (WG) on the last Meeting on March, 18th 2009. These Working Groups have the goal to enhance the EtherCAT Technology and to improve the conformity. The TC asks the ETG members to join the Working Groups and send Experts for an active work within these groups. A list of all Working Groups is available within the Member Section here.

Free "Safety over EtherCAT" Seminar: March, 17th, 2009

03/09 | The EtherCAT Technology Group organizes a "Safety over EtherCAT" seminar in Raunheim, Germany, on March 17th, 2009. Decision makers, product manager as well as R&D engineers who are involved in their companies safety product strategy are invited to this seminar. We will give you a comprehensive overview about today's requirements for safety machine architectures with the focus on safety communication with the Safety over EtherCAT protocol. You should get a basis for the strategy of your machine or device implementation. Safety over EtherCAT is a safety communication protocol used within the EtherCAT Technology. Several companies already use this technology or offer products. If you are interested in joining the seminar, please register immediately here.

50 Devices successfully Conformance Tested

02/09 | Starting operations in October last year, the EtherCAT Test Center in Nuremberg has successfully tested 50 EtherCAT devices so far. Among the first vendors that received conformance certificates were Hilscher, SMC and Beckhoff. ETG invites the device vendors among its members to bring their EtherCAT products to the official test center and also encourages end users to check for the ETG Certificate when purchasing EtherCAT products. The Test Center is operated by Beckhoff on behalf of the ETG. Details about conformance can be found here.

ETG Team expanded

02/09 | The EtherCAT Technology Group welcomes a new team member: Rainer Hoffmann complements the technical team in the Nuremberg ETG headquarter in Germany. Rainer Hoffmann has a background in software development and will provide high level implementation support, contribute to the conformance test and look after EtherCAT sample code. He started his new job in February and is currently receiving advanced training.

7th European Plug Fest announced

01/09 | The 7th European EtherCAT Plug Fest will take place in Garbsen, near Hannover, Germany, on March 16/17, 2009. The interoperability meeting will be hosted by the local SEW Eurodrive training center. At the Plug Fest both master and slave devices are interoperability tested in various configurations. The meeting also serves as forum for developers. Details can be found here.