Software tool aims to close existing integration gaps with IO-Link to provide better access to data for Industry 4.0 applications
What if there was a tool that could automatically detect all IO-Link devices in a machine? What if the device descriptions (IODD) could be automatically downloaded in the same way? What if you could future-proof your machine and get it moving to Industry 4.0 to be able by parameterizing and monitoring IO-Link devices throughout the entire life cycle, regardless of the control system and fieldbus? Well, now we have the answer to these questions with the FieldEcho from SICK.
The FieldEcho is a vendor agnostic software tool that closes the integration gaps with IO-Link with the primary benefit to save time and effort throughout your product development lifecycle.
What is FieldEcho?
FieldEcho is a software tool with the aim of closing any existing integration gaps, making the use of IO-Link devices as easy and resource-efficient as possible and providing IO-Link data for Industry 4.0 applications using typical IT processes. It offers complete access to all IO-Link device data at all times in order to call up, observe, or change it via a browser or human machine interface (HMI).
Making IO-Link More Accessible and Useful
With the FieldEcho software solution, you are able gain a number of benefits, including:
- Access to all IO-Link device data at any time: All configured IO-Link device data can be accessed, monitored or adopted at any time. FieldEcho can run as stand-alone in a browser or integrated in an HMI.
- Vendor Independent – PLC, fieldbus or IO-Link master: FieldEcho can run on any PLC, fieldbus or IO-Link master platform.
- Minimized engineering effort: Communicate with all your IO-Link devices through just one-line of code in your PLC. To communicate with the PLC OPC UA/ TCP/IP, an established standard in industrial automation is used.
- Automatic IODD gathering: Automatically detects and loads the device specific IODD files eliminating the need to manually search them at vendors’ home pages or IODDFinder.
- Integration into I4.0 software systems: The inbuilt REST API allows third party tools to get access to IO-Link device data. Systems like ERP, MES or cloud based services can read device process and service data and use them for inventory, predictive maintenance, data analyzation and many others.
- Allows for maintenance and remote access: Remote access minimizes the maintenance costs and allows for remote diagnosis.
- Web- Based User Interface: The FieldEcho offers a graphic web based user interface in modern, self-explanatory and appealing design.
Functional Overview
Web Interface and Dynamic Dashboard
Dynamic Dashboard
The FieldEcho IO-Link device currently is closing any existing IO-Link integration gaps and giving momentum to the dissemination of IO-Link technology in all branches of automation engineering. Want to learn more about FieldEcho and IO-Link? Download our FieldEcho Guide!
