When I am discussing with customers the use of smart sensors and smart devices in industrial automation, I always get posed with these questions:
- How do the smart sensors interface with the controller?
- How do you configure the device?
- How do you get diagnostics out of it?
- What other information can it provide?
This is sort of solved in a muddled world of proprietary communications or expensive network enabled sensors. But John and I have been talking for a long time about IO-Link, which can easily and cost effectively answer all these questions!
IO-Link is getting more and more interest from automation professionals for a couple of reasons:
- Open standard
- Not tied to one controller or fieldbus brand
- Configurable parameters allow for on-the-fly flexibility
I recently was asked to be a panelist on a webinar hosted by DesignNews; we discussed the advantages of smart sensor technologies, and specifically focused on IO-Link.
The topics covered in this webinar:
- Smart Sensor Trends
- Advantages of IO-Link for Smart Sensors
- Why IO-Link versus Ethernet connectivity
- Application Examples: smart sensors and other intelligent devices
- Design Challenges
- What the Future Holds
I encourage you to watch this 25-30min discussion (available on-demand) that clearly demonstrates many of the key benefits of smart sensor technologies.
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Will Healy III
Will Healy III is enthusiastic about smart manufacturing & workforce development. A Purdue University mechanical engineer, Will loves to share his passion for automation as a leader with Balluff Worldwide & Cincinnati's Advanced Manufacturing Industry Partnership. He speaks from experience about creating value through workforce, IIoT, sensors & automation solutions.