The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has once again called upon its members for a Plug Fest, this time focused particularly on developers and manufacturers of devices featuring Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE) capabilities. The organizer of this safety-oriented Plug Fest was EUCHNER GmbH + Co. KG, an ETG member company, which hosted the event at its new site in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany, representing the inaugural event of its kind at this new venue.
Attendees lauded both the event’s organization and atmosphere as a tremendous success. Fifteen companies in all took part in the interoperability meeting. Experiments were performed on 11 various FSoE sub-instances and five FSoE main instances. Throughout the event, nearly every conceivable combination was examined, with almost all yielding pleasing outcomes. In the rare instances where issues emerged, potential solutions were suggested, resulting in useful insights to enhance interoperability. This is exactly the primary advantage of ETG Plug Fests: immediate technical feedback and issue resolution through direct, face-to-face interaction with other ETG developers and specialists.
One participant summed up the event as follows: “I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Security over EtherCAT Plug Fest. This was not only due to the opportunity to test with FSoE MainInstance devices used by some of my customers, which are not available in my own testing environment, but also to the chance to meet other participants, ETG experts, and the mastermind behind the FSoE CTT in person. In a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, we were able to test together and exchange ideas on our Security over EtherCAT implementations.”
Dr. Guido Beckmann, Chair of the ETG Security Working Group, added: “The excellent response to our specialized Security over EtherCAT Plug Fests clearly demonstrates the importance of interoperability and exchange for our members in this technology area.” The wide range of tested devices and active developer participation underscore the market acceptance and adoption of Security over EtherCAT.” The EtherCAT Technology Group plans additional EtherCAT connector security events in the near future. Dates will be posted on the ETG website once finalized.