In parallel with the specification development of IO-Link Safety, technology provider companies have implemented test systems for FS masters and FS devices, thus ensuring a high level of maturity of the test specification V1.1.

A new FS master test system consisting of the test program on a Windows PC and a controllable and readable test hardware acting as a pseudo FS device can now test all FS master functions according to the test specification, including OSSDe operation. This FS master test system also plays a major role in integration tests in safe fieldbus systems (e.g. PROFIsafe). The well-known "USB master", which already supports testing of normal IO-Link devices, can also parameterize and test IO-Link Safety FS devices in an expansion stage.

Discussions are currently underway with test centers on how these test systems can be integrated into the safety certification of IO-Link Safety devices. The safety certification itself has already been agreed and defined in the test specification.

Companies gained initial experience with the tests at the first Interop workshop for IO-Link Safety FS masters and FS devices last November. At that time, seven companies with five FS master and six FS device implementations tested the mutual operation and test programs. This experience has already been incorporated into version 1.1 of the test specification.