Emerson has introduced a new Class A, IO-Link master that provides customers with a cost-effective solution for smart and analog sensor connectivity on the AVENTICS Series G3 Fieldbus platform. The G3 IO-Link Master is suitable for machine architectures with many sensors and pneumatic valves, and where it’s important to have reliable digital data communication between field devices, such as sensors and the machine controller.
The IO-Link master provides pneumatic valve control through direct digital data communication with the machine controller. It offers event-based and I/O mapped diagnostics – both important predictive maintenance requirements for Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. By adding the IO-Link capabilities to the valve systems, customers can include multiple IO-Link masters on only one G3 Fieldbus platform, saving hardware costs, thus enabling customers to be future-proof and positioned for Industry 4.0/IIoT application requirements.
Up to 50 m total cable length
Costs can be cut by reducing the number of communication nodes. G3 IO-Link master is optimized for sensor-rich applications with eight Class A ports per module to support multiple IO-Link smart and standard analog sensors. The IO-Link master can be distributed up to 30 meters away from G3. Together with the 20-meter IO-Link cable length maximum, the sensors can be located up to 50 total meters in total from the G3 Fieldbus platform. As a result, material cost is reduced, and machines are more streamlined because fewer cables are required.
The G3 is the only fieldbus electronics platform for pneumatic valve systems that contains a graphical display used for configuration, commissioning, and diagnostics. It offers improvements in performance and reduces maintenance for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users alike. The G3 IO-Link Master can also be configurable with the G3 web server. With easy access to connections, the electronic platform is simple to assemble, install, commission, and maintain. G3's functionality allows programmable logic controllers to efficiently turn valves on and off, and to channel I/O data from sensors, lights, relays, individual valves, or other I/O devices via various industrial networks.
