FDT Technology Standards Recognized by ANSI

With the announcement, these technology standards—previously adopted internationally as IEC 62453 and approved in the United States by the ISA103 Field Device Tools Interface (FDT) committee—will now be designated as ANSI/ISA standards. "FDT standardization based on the IEC 62453 standards, known as ISA-62453 in the U.S, is occurring globally with user demand serving as the driving force. We are excited to hear that ISA is moving U.S. support and adoption of FDT standardization forward, says Glenn Schulz, managing director, FDT Group. In May 2009, ISA103 committee efforts were accelerated when FDT technology was unanimously accepted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), with the adoption of the IEC 62453 standards. The ISA103 committee comprises a cross-section of industrial automation professionals, including users, designers, integrators, educators and suppliers of leading industrial automation technology. Speaking of suppliers, in 2010, Emerson Process Management(www.emersonprocess.com), joined the FDT Group on its Executive Committee and Board of Directors. This announcement was seen, by some, as significant with Emerson being a strong supporter of EDDL, or Electronic Device Description Language, another major standard for display of fieldbus data. Also, on October 29, 2010, the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA, www.cc-link.org) signed a cooperation agreement with the FDT Group to promote the use of FDT as an international standard.    The new ISA103 standard allows for any fieldbus, device or sub-system specific software tool to be integrated as part of a universal lifecycle management tool in a plant automation system. This allows end users to access smart instruments and better manage diagnostic information and perform maintenance. Next steps for the ISA103 committee include FDT specification updates and the late 2011 maintenance cycle of the IEC 62453 standards. The committee will also ensure the ISA and American National Standards are maintained to support the automation industry and the U.S. market. American National Standards Institute www.ansi.org International Society of Automation www.isa.org Emerson Process Management www.emersonprocess.com CC-Link Partner Associationwww.cc-link.org