The membership growth of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) continues during the EtherCAT anniversary year. Recently ETG surpassed the 7000 member mark. With more than 400 new members every year since 2014, the ETG is not only the largest fieldbus organisation by far, but also the fastest growing.
Member 7000 is Image Engineering. Based in Baltimore, USA, Image Engineering designs, builds and integrates special effects systems for the world of live entertainment. The company provides laser, flame, atmospheric, lighting and pyrotechnic effects to clients ranging from NFL teams to artists such as Metallica, Lady Gaga and BTS, to create unforgettable visual experiences.
Development engineer at Image Engineering, Shep Dick said: “At Image Engineering we use EtherCAT to facilitate fast, reliable control of our special effects systems in permanent installation settings. EtherCAT allows us to implement remote configuration of our equipment and real-time feedback, which gives our control systems a huge advantage compared to traditional entertainment industry control protocols. In addition, Failsafe over EtherCAT allows us to incorporate the most important parts of our special effects units, the safety systems, into the same cabling and software we use for network control. The flexible topologies and interoperability of EtherCAT-based technologies give us the adaptability and reliability we need to efficiently integrate our special effects systems.”
Engineering’s special effects development team.
“EtherCAT has a very strong position in the entertainment industry, especially in the United States,” explains Martin Rostan, executive director of the EtherCAT Technology Group. “If you go to a show in Las Vegas, a big pop or rock concert, a festival or a theme park, you are very likely to encounter stage equipment and special effects systems controlled by EtherCAT.”
About two thirds of ETG member companies are manufacturers of EtherCAT devices, the rest consists of users and universities. According to the statutes, individuals are only accepted as honorary members.
When looking at the worldwide distribution of ETG member companies, the high distribution in Asia is particularly striking. More than 2500 members come from China, Taiwan, Japan or Korea. Overall, more than 40% of the members are from Asia. These figures show that EtherCAT technology has fully arrived in Asia.
The number of countries with ETG members also continues to increase. Recently ETG welcomed companies from Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Oman, so ETG now has members from 72 countries. Another milestone in ETG’s success story is that last year, membership in Europe exceeded 3000.
The membership development reflects the spread and worldwide success of EtherCAT technology. It is largely due to the quality of the EtherCAT technology itself, but also to the comprehensive support and information offered by the ETG, to which members have unlimited access.
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