The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) announces the release of its CC-Link IE Field Network specifications with integrated safety functions. With one gigabit-per-sec communication speed, CC-Link IE is one of the world's fastest communications backbones for automation control, safety, data communications, monitoring, and diagnostics. CC-Link IE Field Network with integrated safety meets international safety standards for SIL 3 compliance of IEC 61508:2010 for electrical, electronic, and programmable electronic safety-related systems, and follows IEC 61784-3:2010 for functional safety fieldbuses.
The new network can shutdown processes in response to an emergency signal from light curtains, safety gates, e-stops, and other devices. What's more, network diagnostics can detect, identify, and isolate disconnected cables and faulty stations. Line trouble and module errors can be identified from any office or production-floor location with access to the network. Additional network features include inherent determinism without Ethernet switches, flexible topology (star, line, mixed star and line, and ring), seamless communication of data from field devices to controllers and from controllers to other controllers, and built-in network diagnostics. To learn more about CC-Link, visit cclinkamerica.org. For more on safety, turn to the Design by Objective department on page 32.