The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) announced that the CC-Link protocol has received three new certifications that the group expects will stimulate additional use of this open automation network in China and Japan, as well as in the manufacture of semiconductors, photovoltaics and flat panel displays around the world.
“These certifications have a potential pull through sales effect for North American manufacturers that offer components and systems compliant with the CC-Link open network,” said John Wozniak, networking specialist, CC-Link Partner Association. The three new certifications are: the Chinese National Standard GB/Z 29496.1.2.3-2013 for CC-Link Safety; the Japanese Industrial Standard TR B0031 for CC-Link; and SEMI E54.23-0513 for CC-Link IE Field.
CC-Link has been a de facto standard network in Japan for some time, said Wozniak. The certification in Japan assures suppliers and manufacturers in both Japanese domestic and export markets that CC-Link meets the important IEC 61158 international field bus standard.
In China, "industries such as automotive, semiconductor, and liquid crystal display have increasingly been demanding improvements in safety. CC-Link IE Field Network with integrated safety can deliver safety shutdown of processes in response to an emergency signal from light curtains, safety gates, E-stops, etc.," Wozniak said. "Network diagnostics are so precise that when a cable disconnects or a faulty station is detected, the location of the fault is identified and isolated. Line trouble and module errors can be identified from any location with access to the network, such as an office or anywhere on the production floor."
CC-Link IE Field Network delivers one gigabit-per-second transmission and real-time protocol enables control of remote I/O field devices with essentially no transmission delay. "This transmission rate is at least 10 times faster than currently available Industrial Ethernet-based networks," Wozniak says. The SEMI certification assures manufacturers of semiconductors, photovoltaics, flat panel displays, and related micro- and nano-electronics that CC-Link IE Field is compatible with standards-based manufacturing architectures and its many features have the capabilities to deliver improved operational performance.
More information on CC-Link network specifications and certifications are available at www.cclinkamerica.org.
