IO-Link Explained

The mioty alliance and the IO-Link Community (PI) have announced the signing of a major cooperation agreement at the Hanover Trade Fair.

This agreement will intensify cooperation between the two communication standards, especially with regard to data model use. The goal of this partnership is to enable the integration of mioty devices using the same mechanisms as those used for IO-Link devices. The advantage here is that users won’t need any new tools for mioty.

By combining the expertise of the mioty alliance in the development of wireless communication systems and the leading position of IO-Link in the area of industrial automation, this cooperation will set new standards. Both communities are convinced that this cooperation will bring about new and innovative solutions.

“We’re very pleased about our partnership with IO-Link. Together, we’ll shape the future of communication systems and offer our members even more powerful solutions,” said the mioty alliance’s General Manager Peter Hedberg in explaining the goals of cooperation.

“Cooperation with the mioty alliance will open up new opportunities for us to develop new applications and industries, especially in the area of IIoT and maintenance,” added Joachim Uffelmann of the IO-Link community.

Signing of the cooperation agreement was announced during the Hanover Trade Fair. Xaver Schmidt (Chairman of the Board of PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International)), Peter Hedberg (General Manager of the mioty alliance) and Joachim Uffelmann (Speaker of the IO-Link Steering Committee) are looking forward to the organizations’ cooperation. “Work on the specifications can now begin,” affirmed Joachim Uffelmann.

About the mioty alliance
The mioty alliance is a community of companies, institutions and developers who have dedicated themselves to creating and distributing the most accessible, robust and efficient IoT connectivity solution on the market. mioty technology is founded on a software-based low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) protocol developed specifically for massive industrial and commercial IoT applications. Thanks to its reliability and scalability, mioty technology enables robust wireless connectivity which meets the requirements of Industry 4.0.

About IO-Link
IO-Link is a globally open standard for point-to-point communication between sensors and actuators in industrial applications. IO-Link enables the bidirectional data exchange between a typical fieldbus gateway and the connected devices, which enables improved diagnostics, parameter setting and maintenance. With its strong commitment to innovation, IO-Link remains at the forefront of technological development and continually sets new standards in the industry across the globe. IO-Link is a technology of PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International).
 

A new document in the download section deals with the annual IO-Link packages. In this document, you will find detailed information on the latest developments and updates in the current IO-Link package. Please note that IO-Link conducts a maintenance release every year. An IO-Link package includes all necessary components and information required for the implementation and use of IO-Link technology, including specifications, system extensions and profiles.

We hope that this information will be useful to you and help you adjust your product development accordingly. In case you have any questions or comments, we are of course at your disposal.

Download the pdf-file on IO-Link Maintenance Cycle

The annual survey of newly installed nodes conducted by PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International) shows moderate growth for its technologies compared to previous years. Even in times of economic and structural change, PI technologies are experiencing solid growth for use in machines and systems across the globe. Economic uncertainties and the impact of supply issues on inventories naturally affect products with PI technologies as well, and this is reflected in device numbers accordingly - in particular in Europe and China. Despite this, products based on PI technologies were able to hold their ground well in the marketplace, which was impressively demonstrated by the number of newly installed nodes, though it was not possible to repeat or exceed the record numbers seen in previous years.

In 2022, disruptions in the supply chain led to material shortages and significant delivery bottlenecks. These limitations were more than compensated for in 2023 thanks to the supply of a very large number of IO-Link devices, which led to an anticipated normalization in 2024 with an additional 9.7 million new nodes having been put on the market. IO-Link remains stable and has been growing continually for years, with 61 million nodes at last count. IO-Link continues to successfully establish itself as a global standard.

“We see the trend in automation technology as positive, and we are ideally equipped for the future thanks to the continuous development of our technologies as the digital transformation progresses. The economic outlook is set to improve, and that includes international markets. Our globally distributed organizational form reinforces the market success of products with PI technologies. The demand for more data can be satisfied easily and consistently thanks to the PROFINET architecture and thanks to the extensive standardization of data structures and the consistent integration of IO-Link.