Festo and Dürr Join SERCOS

The group of companies actively supporting the SERCOS III real-time Ethernet solution has grown, with Festo AG, manufacturer of pneumatic and electrical components and systems. adding the international communication standard to its portfolio. As Festo’s first SERCOS customer, Dürr AG will be integrating Festo solutions into the Dürr EcoRPC robot guidance system. Dürr is a machine and plant-manufacturing group with around 90% of its business in the automobile industry worldwide. Dürr also supplies the aviation, mechanical engineering, and chemical and pharmaceuticals industries.

Both companies are new members of SERCOS International (SI) and bring with them their know-how from the automation industry, joining manufacturers, users, research institutes and associations that are working together on the ongoing development of the SERCOS interface. This ensures that the communications bus maintains the state of the art in technology to meet the requirements of mechanical and automation engineering.

“We are currently sensing a strong change in the orientation of machine and plant manufacture. The desire for faster, higher-performing and more efficient production processes is the inspiration behind this,” says Uwe Gräff, Manager Business Unit Netware Interface Control of Festo AG. “SERCOS III, as an industry-suitable, fast and deterministic data backbone, offers an optimal integration platform. In addition to high performance, the reasons for Festo’s decision also included the manufacturer neutrality and future-proofing of the bus system.”