The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) and PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International) are collaborating with the objective of promoting and disseminating the use of open industrial networks.

Digital communication using a fieldbus or Industrial Ethernet is already widely used in modern production plants and is a building block for increasing productivity. According to CLPA, the demand for intelligent communication will continue to increase due to megatrends such Industry 4.0 and IIoT. But, the heterogeneous landscape of Industrial Ethernet standards that has existed for years poses the problem that devices and machines of different communication systems are in themselves unable to exchange data.

Machine builders are therefore forced to equip their machines with different networks or plant owners are limited in their selection of suitable machines, says the CLPA. Consequently to overcome this there has been a growing need for manufacturer-specific transfer specifications and complicated bespoke converters.

With the cooperation between CLPA and PI, both parties aim to enable transparent and easy bi-directional communication between CC-Link IE and PROFINET devices through standardized interfaces. To this end, a joint working group is being established to develop the necessary technical specifications to achieve this goal. When work on the specifications is complete, it will be available to members of both organizations for implementation.

"With the CC-Link Partner Association, we have gained a comparable partner whose networks are being used in many industries worldwide," said Karsten Schneider, chairman of PI.

"This will give users more flexibility when building their IIoT, Industry 4.0 or e-F@ctory enabled systems," said Naomi Nakamura, global director of CLPA. "With the combined global network of CLPA offices and PI associations and the large number of available devices from members of both organizations, together we can open up additional markets for our members. As a result, the use of CC-Link IE and PROFINET will grow even faster."