EtherCAT Test Centers expanded

Due to the regional availability the increasing demand for semiconductor specific device tests will be covered in the future, too. 

 

With existing EtherCAT Test Centers (ETCs) in China, Germany and Japan, the EtherCAT Technology Group is about to close the remaining regional gap by accrediting a new ETC in North America which will begin its activities in January 2014 in Savage, Minnesota (Minneapolis area). With the opening of the American ETC the growing demand for official EtherCAT device tests in North America will be even better met through a regional facility. 

 

Since the Semiconductor Technical Working Group (SEMI TWG) of the ETG just recently released a complete device standard for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, the services of the North American ETC are of obvious special interest for manufacturers of EtherCAT devices in that market. Therefore, within the SEMI TWG the development of profile-specific tests is in full swing which applies both to the automated as well as the tests carried out manually. The demand for certified devices is remarkable: An official certificate, which can be received only after a successful test in an ETC, is an important selection criterion in order to 

meet the high quality standards of the industry. 

 

With the official release of the semiconductor specific device profiles the demand for official tests has already increased in the worldwide ETCs. Florian Häfele from the ETG, who supervises the SEMI TWG on the technical side, explains: “We expect a further increase as soon as the profile-specific test specifications become valid in the ETCs. With respect to the fact that North America is home to some of the biggest players of the semiconductor industry the new EtherCAT Test Center will play a special role in the future.”