The PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) booth at Hanover Fair this year saw a heavy amount of foot traffic. News from the trade-show includes announcements about PROFINET testing, a new Regional PI Association (RPA) in Chile, new PI Competence Centers in Bolivia and Peru, and IO-Link node counts. An informal, but more detailed look at the Fair is on the PROFIblog.
PI Booth
The PI booth provided a great meeting point for the trade press, PI member companies, and PI colleagues from around the world. Due to its strategic location on the “Automation & IT Tour”, foot traffic was heavy.
(click to enlarge and start slideshow)
PROFINET Tester
To ensure interoperability in automation systems, PI has been developing a cutting edge update to the PROFINET tester. A revised version, with the first fully automated test cases, is now being made available for the Hanover Fair. As a result of this automated test run, the system creates test records and evaluates them automatically. The implemented automation makes the test much more efficient and transparent. Device manufacturers can use the PROFINET tester to check the intermediate results of development, create their own test scenarios, and prepare for certification.
Chile RPA
PI is pleased to announce the establishment of a latest Regional PI Association (RPA) in Chile with headquarters in Concepción. Rodrigo Pinto, Chairman of the RPA, has been an active promoter of PROFIBUS and PROFINET for years. In addition, two new PI Competence Centers have been opened – one in La Paz (Bolivia) and the other in Lima (Peru).
IO-Link
For the first time, the IO-Link Community has commissioned notary-certified statistics on the number of installed IO-Link nodes in the field. The result is impressive. From 2009 through 2014, over 2.19 million IO-Link nodes have been installed. These figures confirm the continuing positive trend for IO-Link, which is expressed not only in the installed base but also in increasing numbers of members. The IO-Link Community now has more than 90 members, with 17 new members added in 2014. This trend is also continuing in 2015. Since the start of the year, eleven additional companies have already decided to become members.
For additional details about Hanover Fair, visit the PROFIblog.