Technology and ever shortening product life cycles, increased individualisation of customer wishes, resources becoming scarce and globalisation are bringing about enormous challenges for the manufacturing industry.
The resulting problems do, however, create a high potential for innovative solutions. For machinery and system builders, there are diverse opportunities to generate competitive advantages. Connectivity and digitisation will play a key role here.
On this basis, it will be possible to develop new business models as well as new product and service offers. The changes that industry is aiming for are deemed so extensive that in Germany there is talk of a fourth industrial revolution or, put simply, “Industrie 4.0”.
In other parts of the world, corresponding developments are being advanced under terms such as Smart Factory or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Many different definitions have been put forward. In brief, ''Industrie 4.0'' is often defined as ''the merger of cutting-edge information and communication technology with the manufacturing industry'' or as the ''Internet of things and services'' in the industrial sector. The very far-reaching vision and goals of Industrie 4.0 are illustrated by the in-depth definition of ''Platform Industrie 4.0'': ''Industrie 4.0'' stands for a new level of organisation and control of the entire value chain across the life cycle of products. This cycle is orientated towards the ever increasing individualised customer requirements, encompassing the idea, the development, the assigment, the manufacturing, the delivery of the product to the end customer and the recycling, including the associated services. The basis is the availability of all relevant information in real time by connectivity of all instances involved in value creation and the ability to derive the optimum value creation flow from the data at each point in time. Linking people, objects and systems creates cross-company added value networks that are dynamic, real time optimised and self-organising and that can be optimised in accordance with criteria such as costs, availability and resource useage.

HYDAC offer a wide range of products and services and possess in-depth application knowledge, making HYDAC a partner for all kinds of I 4.0 developments. Furthermore, we work with our customers on future-focused products, digital services and new business models.

In the course of the progressive automation and linking of industrial machines IO-Link was specified already in 2006 as a standardised digital interface for actuator and sensor levels. This allows for a simple and cost-effective connection to controls and higher-level bus systems and networks.
The international standard IEC 61131-9 laid the foundation for worldwide use in 2012.
IO-Link is not a fieldbus, but a digital point-to-point connection. Just as in conventional analogue connection technology, one cable leads from every sensor or actuator (e.g. valve) to a so-called master (data collector), from which the data is transmitted to other participants (e.g. controls) in the company network. The use of cost-effective, unshielded standard cables and established connection technology (4 or 5-pin M12 plugs) allows for a migration into the digital world with minimal effort.
Unlike with previous analogue systems, the digital IO-Link communication protocol enables for the transfer of information in addition to the process data, such as value status (validity of the process data) and events (error messages) as well as device information (ID, parameters, diagnosis etc.).
The bi-directionality of the data connection is a particular advantage of IO-Link technology. Unlike standard analogue technology or switch connections, where the information only flows in one direction, higher-level controls can communicate bidirectionally with the sensor or actuator thanks to IO-Link.
Settings which e.g. need to be performed manually by means of buttons in conventional pressure switches, can now be carried out from the control via IO-Link, as part of the start-up or even during ongoing operation.
This remote parameterisation considerably accelerates and simplifies the commisioning of systems and helps to minimise error sources and reduce costs. Especially in maintenance, an IO-Link device can be replaced via plug and play, as the configuration parameters are automatically transferred from the control to the new device, which also eliminates a significant error source and reduces machine downtimes to a necessary minimum.
Thanks to these enhancements of flexibility, components with an IO-Link interface are an integral component in the Internet of Things within the framework of Smart Factory solutions in the age of Industry 4.0

In the future, production systems will be linked to state of the art communication and information systems. Intelligent and digitally networked technologies form the technical foundation for this. In the machinery and production equipment sector, products and solutions will all play a crucial role in the context of Industry 4.0 and IO-Link.

HYDAC Electronic offers various additional tools and options for its IO-Link sensors to conveniently create parameter sets offline at your work place and to transfer these to the relevant fields.

''IODD'' stands for ''IO Device Description''. The IODD for the IO-Link Device is similar to a printer driver in an PC. It provides the information required for the system planner and the control for the parameterisation of the relevant IO-Link components. The file is supplied with any IO-Link device and is also available for download from ''IODDfinder''.

IODDfinder: ioddfinder.io-link.com