HMS Industrial Networks (Sweden) – Ethernet POWERLINK becomes the 17th industrial network to be included in the Anybus® X-gateway™ offering. The new gateways enable system integrators and machine builders to connect POWERLINK-systems to any other fieldbus or industrial Ethernet network.

Ethernet POWERLINK is an industrial Ethernet network originating from the Austrian automation company B+R, established as a leading network for machine building and system integration around the world.

POWERLINK will be the 17th network supported by the Anybus X-gateway concept from HMS. The new X-gateway versions enable system integrators and machine builders to easily connect POWERLINK systems to and from any other fieldbus or industrial network. The new Anybus X-gateway enables communication between Ethernet POWERLINK and PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, Ethernet Modbus-TCP, CC-Link IE Field, PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, CANopen, Modbus RTU and CC-Link among others.

Communication set up in minutes:
The new X-gateways come with a USB interface for easy configuration via the Windows-based tool Anybus Configuration Manager. No programming is necessary. The X-gateways for POWERLINK come with dual-port Ethernet interfaces and an integrated switch, removing the need for external switches.

“Ethernet POWERLINK is one of the growing Ethernet networks on the market and is especially strong with machine builders in central Europe,” says Christian Bergdahl, Product Marketing Manager at HMS. “We have offered POWERLINK connectivity in our embedded Anybus CompactCom modules for several years and now see the need to expand the offering to our Anybus X-gateways. The new gateways will enable machine builders and system integrators to connect to POWERLINK in a quick and easy way.”

What is an X-gateway?
Anybus X-gateways help system integrators to easily interconnect any two networks, enabling consistent information flow throughout the entire plant. Today’s industrial installations often include more than one industrial network, and when upgrading, most factories need to integrate Fieldbus with Industrial Ethernet. Connecting these similar or dissimilar control systems and networks can be a challenge.

With over hundreds of individual Master/Slave and Slave/Slave versions, Anybus X-gateways allow users to connect almost any possible combination of industrial networks.