[January 07, 2013]

New Solutions Designed to Lower the Cost and Speed Development of CC-Link Compatible Products

The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) announced today new product solutions in cooperation with Renesas Electronics Corporation and Altima Corporation that are designed to lower the cost and to speed development of CC-Link compatible field devices, including solutions for the 1 GB Industrial Ethernet CC-Link IE Field Network.

Renesas Electronics Corporation has developed the R-IN32M3 series of Industrial Ethernet communication chips with support for multiple communication protocols. These application specific standard ICs (ASSPs) provide high-speed operation with the basic function of the real-time OS in hardware to implement high-speed real-time response and high-precision communication control for Industrial Ethernet communication.

The R-IN32M3-CL with CC-Link IE Field network integrates a slave controller supporting CC-Link IE Field as a circuit. It also features an ARM (News - Alert) Cortex-M3 (100 MHz) 32-bit RISC CPU, a media access control (MAC) with low-latency 2-port switch function required by industrial Ethernet protocols, and large on-chip memory. Samples of the R-IN32M3-CL for CC-Link IE Field are planned to be available later in January.

Another solution to implement CC-Link IE Field compatibility is being introduced by Altima Corporation through the use of its intellectual property (IP) core for CC-Link IE Field. This IP core is designed to be implemented into field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) manufactured by Altera (News - Alert) Corporation in the USA. Altera FPGAs are widely utilized in the industrial equipment field. This Altima IP core is the equivalent of the CP220 CC-Link IE Field intelligent device station ASIC. It supports both cyclic and transient data exchange. Developers can now integrate this Altima IP and their own design IP into a single Altera FPGA to produce unique products with CC-Link IE Field networking compatibility. Altima plans to begin selling the IP core in March.

CC-Link IE Field Network offers manufacturers and users improved data flow, easier implementation, and lowest total cost of ownership as compared to older and slower Indusrial Ethernet solutions. In addition, automation equipment manufacturers, including field device companies, can easily incorporate CC-Link IE compatibility into their products for improved sales opportunities not only in North America, but also in Asia and Europe.

CC-Link IE Field Network, which is based on the IEEE (News - Alert) 802.3 standard, provides the ultrahigh speed data acquisition backbone for manufacturing process improvement, process and part traceability, equipment control and monitoring, and failure detection. CC-Link IE Field Network benefits operations by simultaneously transmitting control data, log data, and diagnostic data at high speed. Features of the CC-Link IE Field Network include:

• Ultrahigh speed - 1GBPS
• Inherent determinism without Ethernet switches
• Flexible topology
• Seamless communication
• Built-in diagnostics
• Motion control
• Safety systems

Introduced in 2000 as an open fieldbus network, the original CC-Link enabled the high-speed transmission and processing of control and information data to satisfy the requirements of automation control systems. These requirements include: reduced wiring costs, deterministic control, and provision for multi-vendor devices to communicate for coordinated automation systems. In 2007, the CC-Link IE Control Network was introduced to enable 1 GB Industrial Ethernet communications between automation controllers over fiber optic cable. Now, CC-Link IE Field networking provides 1 GB Industrial Ethernet communications to field devices over Cat5E cable.

More than 9 million CC-Link/CC-Link IE compatible products, manufactured by hundreds of automation equipment suppliers, have been installed. There currently are more than 1740 CLPA members (more than 70 percent of those are from areas outside of Japan). CC-Link networking is installed in numerous industries throughout the world. These include automobile manufacturing, semiconductor/liquid crystal factories, chemical facilities, water processing facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturing, food processing, printing facilities, building automation, and many others. CC-Link usage is greatest in Asia and offers new potential sales for North American OEMs and equipment suppliers that develop CC-Link products. In recent years, the number of CC-Link installations in the United States and Europe has increased steadily.

Open CC-Link networking technology is managed by the CC-Link Partner Association, which has offices in the USA, UK, Germany, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. Manufacturers, OEMs, and device developers interested in learning more about the new faster time to market solutions from Renesas Electronics Corporation and Altima Corp. should call Chuck Lukasik, Director of CLPA-Americas, at 847-478-2341 or email info@cclinkamerica.org or visit www.cclinkamerica.org.

About CLPA
The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) is an international organization with more than 1740 member companies worldwide. The partners' common objective is the global technical development and adoption of the family of CC-Link open network technologies. More than 1,200 certified CC-Link/CC-Link IE products are now available from hundreds of automation equipment manufacturers. CC-Link is the leading industrial network in Asia and is becoming increasingly popular in the Americas and Europe. The Americas headquarters is in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Other CLPA offices are located in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany, and the UK. www.cclinkamerica.org

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