Motion control: Omron selects EtherCAT as its next motion bus system

Omron Corporation announced that it has selected EtherCAT to be its next motion bus system. In addition, the company will take an active role in the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) to help customers transition to EtherCAT smoothly and seamlessly.

By Control Engineering Staff December 19, 2008

Austin, TX — Eiji Ikeno, General Manager of Omron Corporation’s Motion Control Division announced that the company has selected EtherCAT to be its next motion bus system. In addition, the company will take an active role in the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) to help customers transition to EtherCAT smoothly and seamlessly. Ikeno said Omron will pursue adoption of EtherCAT as a National Japanese Standard. The company says it will establish an EtherCAT conformance and interoperability test lab in Japan. It intends to develop EtherCAT-based servo motors and inverters as well as motion controllers by summer 2009. These products will initially aim at the European market as well as at Japanese OEMs exporting to Europe.“We are thrilled,” said Martin Rostan, Executive Director of the EtherCAT Technology Group, “that Omron has not just selected EtherCAT as their next motion system bus, as many other leading companies already have, but that they have decided to actively support EtherCAT in becoming the leading motion bus in Asia. We consider this an important milestone and invite other ETG members to make a similar stance for EtherCAT in their home markets.”Omron says that EtherCAT sets new standards for real-time performance and topology flexibility, while meeting or undercutting traditional fieldbus cost levels. An IEC and SEMI specification, EtherCAT features include high precision device synchronization, a cable redundancy option and a functional safety protocol (SIL3). — C.G. Masi , senior editor Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free.