PI Training Centers (PITCs) are instrumental in providing educational services for PROFINET and PROFIBUS technologies worldwide. They support developers and users in learning more about PROFIBUS and PROFINET and using the technologies effectively. Thanks to formalized learning units, uniform training standards can be established worldwide and the knowledge base of engineers and technicians in important areas […]
Introduction I often hear competitors say, ‘You keep changing things, look at all the different versions of PROFINET.’ Yes, we release new versions of the PROFINET specification and tester annually. This is a normal process when new requirements arise, new technological possibilities emerge, and feedback for improvements is received. We compile this feedback and, in […]
Virtual controllers and devices are a perfect example of the IT/OT convergence which plays a decisive role for PROFINET in automation technology. With the technical advancements being made in virtualization technology and the growing demand for virtual controllers and devices, PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) has adapted the PROFINET certification process accordingly and reached an […]
PROFINET users rely on the high quality and interoperability of devices used in their systems and machines and have come to expect this in the continual further development of required functions. Device manufacturers, on the other hand, would like to have a flexibly implementable testing system offering easy and comprehensible operation. This is why PI […]
The process industry faces the challenging task of increasing plant efficiency, reducing production costs and ensuring human and environmental safety. As a result, current developments in electronics and measurement technology focus on utilizing digital signal processing, artificial intelligence, real-time data transmission, predictive maintenance functions with easy device replacement, and functional safety. In this context, digitization […]
Based on the evaluation of the notary statistics for IO-Link, it can be said that the IO-Link standard has arrived on the market. A significant contribution to this is the standardized parameter model (IODD), which is reliably integrated in all tools. This means that all IO-Link devices are described according to the same rules and […]
The omlox standard, which provides an open and interoperable infrastructure for real-time positioning in industrial environments, is growing steadily and is increasingly established in the market. We are pleased to announce that omlox air 8 ready certification is now available for omlox Core Zone products. omlox Core Zone Certification Now Possible After extensive testing by Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, […]
Virtualization Advancing digitalization in automation technology has experienced a significant innovation with the virtualization of programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The experts of the PI community have been intensively engaged with this dynamic field to provide sufficient support through standardized and certified industrial communication solutions. The goal is to enable seamless PROFINET communication between virtualized PLCs […]
Everyone in industry is concerned with Industrial Network security, and our approach at PI has evolved to address this concern. In the early days, PI recommended a Defense in Depth strategy, and on top of that, we required every device passing through the test lab for certification to undergo a so called “Netload Test”. This […]
In the last issue of PROFINEWS, we reported on the impressive node counts for all of the PI technologies. IO-Link is one of those technologies, and it continues to outperform expectations. With the number of IO-Link nodes soaring to just over 51M at the end of 2023, let’s take a closer look at what’s behind […]