AUSTIN, TX, February 1, 2008 – EtherCAT Industrial Ethernet technology has quickly gained prominence in Asia. Driven by demand from markets around the world, more and more leading controls vendors are creating devices with EtherCAT interfaces. Inside the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) booth at the System Control Fair in Tokyo – the Japanese equivalent to the SPS/IPC/DRIVES show in Germany – several Japanese companies showcased EtherCAT devices for the first time. Hitachi introduced an EtherCAT motion controller and EtherCAT drives; EtherCAT is now a clear part of their communication network strategy. There was enormous interest in EtherCAT at the show in Tokyo.
Several other major Japanese vendors are currently implementing their EtherCAT devices.The ETG booth attracted many visitors at the Industrial Automation Show in Shanghai as well. As is the case in Japan, several Chinese device vendors have begun implementation of the fastest Industrial Ethernet Technology currently available. After the Shanghai show, Dr. YanQiang Liu of the ETG China Office held an EtherCAT implementation workshop that was well received.
At the Kick-Off Meeting of the ETG Korea Office, the two largest Korean control equipment vendors, Samsung and LS Industrial Systems, introduced EtherCAT motion controllers and drives. EtherCAT is used in Korea in a large variety of applications, including the most important local industries of semiconductor manufacturing and ship building. Martin Rostan, Executive Director of the ETG, is pleased with the good start in Asia: “Even though the markets in Japan, Korea and China are very different, they have one thing in common: the need for high-performance communication technology. Many companies are currently launching the development of new device generations, and EtherCAT is the perfect fit.
It is simple to implement at low costs, offers the best performance, and is a truly open technology to which all ETG member companies have access in equal measure. I had expected that Japanese vendors would support EtherCAT for the export market at first, and now we see that large Japanese machine building companies are asking their suppliers for EtherCAT technology. Thus, EtherCAT is establishing itself as ‘Japanese’ Fieldbus Technology as well.”The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) is an organization in which key user companies from various industries and leading automation suppliers join forces to support, promote and advance EtherCAT technology.
With over 600 members, the EtherCAT Technology Group has become the largest organization in the world that is exclusively focused on Industrial Ethernet technologies. Founded in November 2003, it is also currently the fastest growing fieldbus organization. EtherCAT sets new standards for real-time performance and topology flexibility while meeting or undercutting fieldbus cost levels. EtherCAT features include high precision device synchronization, a cable redundancy option and a functional safety protocol (SIL3).