The first North American EtherCAT Plug Fest, hosted by Austin, TX-based National Instruments, featured more than 20 experts from 11 EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) member companies.

The event’s main goal, which was to check the interoperability of EtherCAT implementations, was accomplished. Four new master implementations were tested with slave devices from eight different vendors. The devices were checked with the official EtherCAT conformance test tool.

With Plug Fests held in North America, Asia and Europe, the ETG is improving worldwide support and interoperability of EtherCAT devices.

EtherCAT networks provide real-time performance and topology flexibility, while helping engineers control fieldbus cost levels. The technology features include high-precision device synchronization, cable redundancy options, and a functional safety protocol (SIL3). EtherCAT is recognized as an international standard by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO (International Standards Organization) and SEMI, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International.