Powerlink is an industrial Ethernet network originating from the Austrian automation company B+R. It is now receiving recognition from many manufacturers of automation products and systems around the world.
Powerlink is one of the first networks to be offered in the new Anybus CompactCom 40-series which will be released in April. The CompactCom 40-series allows very fast and accurate communication between the host device and Powerlink. Communication speed and reliability are important since Powerlink networks are often used for demanding industrial applications such as synchronized servo drive systems. The CompactCom 40-series Powerlink products come in three different formats - chip, brick and module - and are all equipped with the same software interface from the host device. This enables full flexibility for customers when preparing their automation product for CompactCom.
"We see Powerlink as an important network in the future, especially among device manufacturers and machine builders that need high performance network technology that combines reliability and fast data transfer," comments Leif Malmberg, Product Line Manager, embedded at HMS. "We get many requests for Powerlink connectivity from around the world, especially from the Central European markets. Therefore, we are now pleased to be able to offer connectivity to Powerlink in our newest series of embedded products. The new Anybus CompactCom 40-series will allow device manufacturers to get connected to Powerlink with a single development project and at the same time get connectivity to 19 other networks."
Technical highlights
The Anybus CompactCom 40-series enables fast communication between the host device and Powerlink - process data latency is less than 15µs and it allows up to 1500 bytes of process data in each direction. The CompactCom 40-series in chip, brick and module format comes with an integrated Ethernet hub implemented in the Anybus NP40 network processor and supports Multiplexing and PollResponseChaining. It has a response time of 1µs (time from Pollrequest to PollResponse) and a synchronization jitter of max. 1µs.
Connectivity to any network with Anybus
Anybus CompactCom is the most widely used concept for industrial multi-network connectivity world-wide. By implementing Anybus CompactCom, device manufacturers can achieve instant connectivity to 20 industrial networks including Powerlink, by simply plugging in the corresponding Anybus product. This opens new business opportunities for the device manufacturers and widens their market considerably.
What is Anybus CompactCom?
Anybus CompactCom is a series of industrial network interfaces which are integrated into an industrial device to offer connectivity to different industrial networks. CompactCom comes in chip, brick or module format, allowing the user to choose level of integration. The Anybus CompactCom 30-series is already in use in millions of industrial automation devices. The new 40-series will be released to the market in April 2014.
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