With dozens of open and proprietary industrial communications networks to choose from, it is inevitable that some will be better than others. We look at what benefits the CC-Link open network technologies can deliver in conjunction with Mitsubishi Electric UK.

CC-Link began as an open network technology originated over twelve years ago by Mitsubishi Electric in Japan. Building on the strength of that position, CC-Link quickly established itself as the leading fieldbus in the Asian market, as neighbouring countries such as South Korea, China and Taiwan adopted it. Many of these countries wrote national standards around it, giving it the enviable position of being recommended by governments. Recent independent market research confirms that CC-Link still occupies the leading position in Asia, with a market share of around 20%.

Reliable and easy to use

As CC-Link has developed globally, it established significant positions in Europe and the Americas.  Selected for its ease of implementation and reliability in use it was adopted  by the Ford Motor Company for their Mustang automotive production facility near Detroit. Many British companies understand the need for globally accepted products and actively supporting CC-Link with a diverse range of products.

Leading industry names such as 3M, Balluff, Bihl+Wiedemann, Cognex, Datalogic, Hilscher, HMS, Mitsubishi Electric, Pepperl+Fuchs, Wago and Weidmuller are already key members of the CC-Link family and continue to enjoy success with CC-Link worldwide. They are just some of over 260 companies globally who offer more than 1 ,200 CC-Link products.

Gigabit Industrial Ethernet

In addition to ease of use, performance and scalability are important factors.  Introduced in 2007,  CC-Link IE was the first Gigabit Industrial Ethernet automation network, and today is the only open Industrial Ethernet that can run conventional, safety, energy management and motion control all on the same cable, offering significant installation and maintenance benefits.  This represents a huge benefit by lowering installation and maintenance costs.

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