Plugfests are in the news with a recent PROFINET plugfest in Germany and an upcoming PROFINET plugfest in the US. IO-Link has a similar event scheduled for October.
Recent events included an international meeting of PI Competence Centers (PICC), PI Training Centers (PITCs) and PI Test Labs (PITLs) plus an IO-Link member meeting.
PROFINET Plugfest Germany
Open and straightforward testing and exchange of experience are the main highlights of the Plugfest events held by PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International). The two-day Plugfest of the PROFINET community at the beginning of June proved to be no different. The focus of this year’s event was on PROFIdrive- and PROFIsafe-based PROFINET communication.
The Plugfest event took place at the Siemens AG Erlangen facility. Most notably, this site produces motion control and drive technology and is thus a suitable environment for tackling all related developer issues. Around 80 participants brought their newly developed technology, thus enabling many interesting configuration variations to be tested. During the event, basic technology, devices, controllers, systems, engineering tools, and diagnostic tools were tested both with pilot devices as well as with devices just introduced on the market.
Testing was carried out in a proven fashion in various systems ranging from small groups up to larger shared networks. Participants particularly appreciated the open exchange of experience among specification experts, device developers, and certification bodies.
“It is simply very helpful and above all effective to test the many different integration possibilities in direct contact with my developer colleagues. Of course, we also actively participate in specification and test definition work, but the additional experience at Plugfest helps us to optimize our specific implementations. There are always new devices and advances that give us new ideas,” said Benjamin Meyer, Group Leader for PROFINET protocol stack development at Hilscher.
The event also included tests and issues related to certification, both for PROFINET communication and for the profile testers of PROFIsafe and PROFIdrive. The findings from the Plugfest not only flow into the respective device implementations but are also the basis for further development of documentation and certification.
PROFINET Plugfest USA
PI North America members are invited to participate in a plugfest for PROFINET devices. Even though all PROFINET devices are certified in test labs, the plugfest presents the opportunity for product developers to sit with their products in a large system environment. The event will be held August 3-4 at Phoenix Contact’s Ann Arbor, MI facility. Registration is nearing capacity so registering soon is recommended. For details and registration visit the Plugfest page.
IO-Link Interoperability Workshop
The 16th IO-Link Interoperability workshop will take place on October 13th/14th in Frankfurt (Germany). This 2-day workshop is for developers of Devices, Masters, and Tools.
The goal is to perform interoperability tests. Master and Device suppliers gather to test and improve interoperability, to share implementation tips and clarify questions regarding the technology. Experts of the technology from IO-Link will support with their expertise on-site as well.
You can register here.
PI Competence Center Meeting
This year the annual meeting of PI Competence Centers, Training Centers, and Test Laboratories took place in Genova, Italy. For three days the experts for PROFIBUS and PROFINET have been trained and updated to the current technological state of PI’s automation technologies. They shared their experience and saw interesting live demonstrations about PROFINET+PROFIBUS in process automation and EMC, grounding and shielding. In addition the booming IO-Link technology was introduced. Beside this the participants enjoyed Italian meals and lifestyle and had a short look at the biggest historical ancient center in Europe. A lot of discussions in small groups during breaks and in informal talks put the more than 70 professionals from 22 countries around the world closer together and cemented the global family of PROFIBUS and PROFINET International (PI). Thus this meeting got an informative success for all participants. Sincere thanks to the PICC Genoa Fieldbus Competence Centre s.r.l. which organized the meeting in a professional way and with Italian charm.
IO-Link Member Meeting
This year’s IO-Link Members Assembly was held on June 08, 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany. The more than 50 participants were updated on the latest developments and trends for IO-Link. Besides the new profiles Firmware Updated and Smart Sensor Profile the topics wireless and IO-Link safety were on the agenda. Information was also presented about the newly established Test Labs as well as a license model for non-members. A highlight was the report of the 100th IO-Link member, Weiss Robotics, about their development of a gripper with IO-Link. Compelling conclusion of Weiss Robotics: Implementation of an IO-Link stack using the specification is feasible and the integration of IO-Link into new products is as easy as implementing PROFINET.
More Training and Events around the World
There are hundreds more classes and events scheduled through 2016. Visit the website training and events page to filter the view for the technology and country you are interested in.