May 6, 2016– The Technical Committee of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has accepted EtherCAT P as an addition to EtherCAT concordantly. Moving forward, EtherCAT P, which combines the well-known benefits of EtherCAT with power supply on the same cable, will be supported and promoted by the ETG.
Introduced at the 2015 SPS IPC Drives trade show, EtherCAT P was developed by Beckhoff Automation as an extension of the company’s EtherCAT product range. Currently, the ETG is busy working out the EtherCAT P technology specification.
The key highlight of EtherCAT P is the combination of EtherCAT communication with system and peripheral voltage in a single Ethernet cable. Additionally, EtherCAT P supports power forwarding via the participants. Users will still enjoy the high-performance characteristics of EtherCAT, along with the flexible topology and many other beneficial features of EtherCAT systems. EtherCAT P presents the ideal solution for sensor, actuator and measurement technology: Material and assembly costs are reduced, as are the space requirements for drag chains, control cabinets and overall machine footprint.
