EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG)

The EtherCAT Technology Group keeps EtherCAT technology open for all potential users. It brings EtherCAT device manufacturers, technology providers, and users together to further the technology. It provides multiple Technical Working Groups where experts carefully work on various specific aspects of EtherCAT. All of these activities are focused on one common goal: keeping EtherCAT stable and interoperable. That’s why there is only a single version of EtherCAT, and not a new version each year. The ETG holds multiple Plug Fests in Europe, Asia, and America each year. The Plug Fests bring EtherCAT device developers together to test and ensure device interoperability. Using the official EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool, each manufacturer conformance tests its EtherCAT devices prior to their release. The ETG awards the manufacturer a Conformance Certificate following a successful test in an accredited test lab. The ETG also holds international seminars and workshops and represents EtherCAT at tradeshows throughout the globe. It also provides product guides, joint tradeshow booths, and seminar exhibits to help its members market their EtherCAT products. The ETG has the largest number of members out of any fieldbus organization in the world. The list of members can be found on its homepage. However, the decisive factor is not how many members there are, but how active the members are in the ETG. Both the number and variety of EtherCAT devices is unparalleled, and EtherCAT’s adoption rate across Europe, Asia, and America surpasses that of all other Industrial Ethernet technologies.