10 Things you know about the World’s only open Gigabit Ethernet industrial automation network.
About CC-Link
- Optimal network choice for complete manufacturing control up to the business information system level.
- CC-Link IE is a vertically integrated and Ethernet-based network from IT layer to field layer.
- Ultra high-speed & ultra large capacity network with real-time performance.
- Now offers Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) support with CC-Link IE TSN
CC-Link IE is the only open Gigabit Ethernet network available today for industrial automation. Based on the standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet physical layer with an open architecture technology, CC-Link IE is ready for the future challenges of Industry 4.0 with its unmatched bandwidth.
CC-Link IE can carry normal control, safety and motion control on the same network with no loss of performance. That means that as the same network can facilitate all this communication, there’s no need for additional networks.
You can build a CC-Link IE network in a line, ring or star configuration, or in some cases, mix them. This often means that no additional network hardware such as switches are required, saving on cost and reducing engineering time
CC-Link IE uses a shared memory model for communication, allowing systems to be configured, operated and maintained with a minimum of programming, resulting in reduced engineering time and costs.
CC-Link IE offers both ‘cyclic’ (synchronous) and ‘transient’ (asynchronous) forms of communication. This means that normal control data is not impacted by varying volumes of asynchronous data such as process alarms, quality information and so on. This maximises system performance in all conditions.
Network configuration and maintenance is quick and easy with drag and drop engineering tools based on CC-Link IE’s ‘CSP+’ file technology. These allow device libraries to be assembled quickly for rapid network configuration. Moreover, CLPA is extending this to the new “CSP+ for Machine” specification. This allows complete machines to be handled like they were one device. This also includes a companion specification for OPC UA to increase process transparency.
Not ready for gigabit? CC-Link IE is also available in a 100Mbit version, CC-Link IE Field Basic. IEFB is also built in to a variety of Mitsubishi products, giving cost effective instant connectivity for a wide range of applications. To make point to point connections with other devices at 100Mbit, our Seamless Message Protocol (SLMP) is also available.
CC-Link IE is certified to a wide range of international standards, including IEC, ISO, SEMI and national standards in China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
Gigabit CC-Link IE is a fully deterministic technology. Cyclic (see no. 5) control traffic is not affected by unexpected increases in transient messaging, meaning there is no variability in performance. Hence process events always remain fully synchronized and reliable.
CC-Link IE was developed by and is promoted by the CC-Link Partner Association. The CLPA is a global organization that works to further the technical development of the technology and further encourage its use by other companies in their products. Currently the CLPA has over 3,400 partners, making it one of the largest open network associations in the world. Moreover, over 320 of these partners are manufacturers who together offer more than 1,800 products for CC-Link and CC-Link IE. This has lead to an installed base of over 22,000,000 devices worldwide.
