2015 Spring European EtherCAT Plug Fest breaks records, highlights growing interest in interoperability testing
June 2015
News
The EtherCAT Technology Group’s (ETG) first EtherCAT Plug Fest in 2015 broke several records. Never before have so many companies with so many different devices and so many master-slave combinations for interoperability testing participated in a single Plug Fest. In addition, the number of EtherCAT Slave Controller (ESC) manufacturers on site was higher than ever – one of them being Trinamic Motion Control, the hosts of this year’s event in Hamburg.
The seeds sown by the ETG during the 2014 Plug Fests continued to grow at the 2015 Hamburg event. One reason for this is the fact that the number of available EtherCAT products continues to increase at a rapid pace. On the other hand, the EtherCAT Plug Fests are widely recommended as a highly valuable method to support the development processes of new EtherCAT devices.
A total of 70 participants attended the event, bringing with them 12 different EtherCAT masters and 42 EtherCAT slaves. This number breaks the previous ETG-internal record regarding the number of tested master-slave combinations. With the five attending ESC manufacturers, the number of EtherCAT chips at a Plug Fest was as high as ever before, as well. One of them was Trinamic Motion Control, whose TMC8460 is currently in development. Dr. Guido Beckmann, who attended the Plug Fest as the ETG expert, explained: “Plug Fests are particularly beneficial, particularly for EtherCAT devices which are in development. Manufacturer questions can be answered, and necessary adjustments with regard to interoperability and conformance can be made before the market launch.”
In addition to the practical supervision of the interoperability tests, EtherCAT experts from the ETG provided the participants with support as well as information about actual conformance topics, based on the experiences from the worldwide test centres, as well as direct feedback from the field.
In addition to the EtherCAT Plug Fests in Europe, the ETG conducts similar events annually in Asia and North America.
For more information contact EtherCAT Technology Group, +49 911 540 56 226, [email protected], www.ethercat.org
Further reading:
Helping mines get results from water improvements
News
South African mines operate under constrained, water-scarce conditions where every investment must be justified. Xylem’s Chetan Mistry explains how the right water technology partner helps mines prioritise high-value water systems across the mining lifecycle.
Read more...
From solar to water, onsite plants are the next big industrial resilience shift
News
South African industrial operators who secured their energy supply with onsite solar generation now face the same imperative with water. Robert Erasmus of Sanitech argues that onsite water treatment is the next essential pillar of business continuity.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Pushing engineering to the limit
Technews Publishing
News
Among the many things robots can do, it’s a lot of fun to follow how fast they are. They go from the Boston Dynamics cheetah, which first reached a record-breaking speed of 45,5 km/h, to the robot Charlie
...
Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme for energy and industrial tech startups.
Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
Read more...
Sustainable solutions for sugar
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
News
BMG received a Special Commendation Exhibition Stand Award at the South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress, where it showcased an integrated turnkey drive solution designed to simplify the upgrading of ageing crushing-mill drive systems.
Read more...
Measure, Manage, Maintain: The operating model behind SA’s water resilience
Siemens South Africa
News
South Africa’s growing water crisis is putting pressure on infrastructure, municipalities and the economy. Siemens highlights how digital technologies, smarter operations and safe water reuse could help shift the country from crisis response towards a more resilient and sustainable water future.
Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme.
Read more...
RX Africa and Messe Muenchen India join forces to strengthen business platforms in Africa
RX Africa
News
Messe Muenchen India has announced a strategic partnership with RX Africa to strengthen the scale, reach and market impact of its premier co-located trade fairs, analytica Lab Africa and IFAT Africa, ahead of their 2027 editions.
Read more...
printer friendly version