Hand mounting a comX module onto a circuit board.
empowering communication

Field devices

State-of-the-art communication interfaces for field devices

Field devices in the form of sensors and actuators form the foundation of every automated production process. As a manufacturer of field devices, you ensure the precise measurement of important parameters and the correct control of processes by integrating your devices into modern fieldbus and Real-Time Ethernet networks. Reliable and seamless communication between the field devices and other components is essential for the smooth and economical operation of devices and plants. As one of the leading providers of industrial communication solutions, Hilscher is there to help. Use our innovative products and powerful, customer-oriented services to integrate your devices into all relevant networks—in both existing and new systems.

Challenges of connecting field devices

Reliability

Unexpected failures of field devices often result in downtimes and thus costly production downtimes for your end customers, too. As a manufacturer of field devices, you can rely on a partner like Hilscher whose products have been providing reliable industrial communication across many different industries for years. Reduce your own risk and that of your end customers.

Demanding environments

Field devices are usually quite small and are often used in rough environments or hygiene-sensitive areas. This places high demands on their quality, robustness and availability. Whatever your needs, whether in terms of size, extended temperature range or IP-classified protection requirements for your devices' enclosures: at Hilscher we have the necessary expertise and years of experience to meet your individual device specifications.

Flexibility

As a manufacturer of field devices, the global protocol variance is an obstacle when deploying your devices across many markets and regions. Our multiprotocol-capable communication solutions let you gain access to new markets with your devices at little cost.

As a leading provider of industrial communication solutions, we have decades of experience in integrating devices and equipment into the factory infrastructure. Our customers appreciate our wide range of products and services that enable the integration of field devices of any kind — regardless of the fieldbus or Real-Time Ethernet standard. Thanks to unified interfaces, our solutions communicate easily and flexibly with each other. The versatility of our solutions allows you to serve a wide range of industries and applications with a wide range of requirements:

 

  • Valve manifolds
  • Gateways
  • Wireless data systems
  • I/O modules
  • Communication modules
  • Data loggers
  • Process controllers
  • Measuring & control technology

Learn more about Hilscher products in action

Numerous empy vials lined up in a production machine. The first vial is illuminated by a small glimmer of light.

An Indian technology company, specializing in the design, development and manufacture of tailor-made automation solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, connects optical inspections systems for medicinal vials using Hilscher's cifX 50E-RE PC card for PROFINET. Read more!

Three black and silver devices on a white background. CODA is written on the devices in large red letters.

Orange Precision Measurement implements PROFINET, EtherCAT, and EtherNet/IP as well as DeviceNet using Hilscher's netX 90 multiprotocol communication controller, enabling the American manufacturer of precision measurement tools to supply its products to various customers.

A man and a woman in high visibility vest are looking at a notebook, Both are wearing white helmets. In the background are machines.

 

Hilscher’s Flagship Store for the Open Industry 4.0 Alliance (OI4) Community brings the ease of app stores to the industrial world. Powered by Wibu-Systems' CodeMeter licensing, the store gives users access to a library of apps and solutions for their shop floor automation needs.

Thermal spray coating machine by Oerlikon.

Surface solution specialist Oerlikon Metco AG uses netFIELD to enable real-time data collection from industrial applications, such as thermal spray painting machines, from around the world.

netX 90 communication controller mounted on a circuit board.

From motor controllers to the consolidation of entire control cabinet contents, dieEntwickler Elektronik (dEE) implements innovative netX 90 projects and opens up the entire internal periphery of the small multiprotocol controller. Read more about our integration partner here!

An actuator by SCHIEBEL painted in black on white background with a red spring incorporated on the left side.

With the embedded modules netIC52 and netRAPID 90 from Hilscher, SCHIEBEL connects its actuators to industrial communication networks and sets standards with a new control board.

A clean and bright inside of a factory with several machines lined up left and right. On two white rails at the upper half of the picture Güdel is written in red large letters. In the foreground, a sheet of metal lays on a conveyor belt.

Industrial systems specialist Güdel uses netFIELD to implement advanced IIoT solutions, ranging from monitoring specific wear points to a more holistic Industry 4.0 approach.

A pneumatic valve application with many cables and lines going about, disappearing into a cabinet on the bottom. On the far right side, AVENTICS is written on the device. In the background, you can see some green and blue boxes. The valve application is mounted on a sheet of metal.

Emerson, a world leading provider of automation technology and software, has enabled integrated OPC UA in their AVENTICS™ valve systems, simplifying IIoT integration and analysis capabilities with netX 90.

Titleimage Systemtechnik Leber

Based on Hilscher’s netX 90 multiprotocol processor, Systemtechnik LEBER and E-T-A developed an ultra-compact and price-sensitive bus controller for monitoring electronic circuit breakers.

A man with a blue hard hat and safety glasses is working on a orange robot arm.

netANALYZER delivers reliable support for the service specialist Leadec in troubleshooting industrial Ethernet networks.

A packaging machine from MULTIVAC.

MULTIVAC, the leading manufacturer of integrated packaging solutions, develops customer-oriented services with netFIELD, enabling higher machine availability

A female factory worker in pharmaceutical clothing standing beside a large fluid machinery.

netTAP 151 provides a flexible and scalable solution for an easy integration of independent processing systems into one industrial communication network.

A pneumatic test bench with several cables going in and out, placed in a production environment.

müller+krahmer GmbH realizes pneumatic test benches with the capability to change protocols on the fly with the help of Hilscher cifX PC cards.

A grey box with several connectors up front.

The engineering firm kumkeo GmbH is one of the first companies to rely on the netX 90, the world‘s smallest multi-protocol chip from Hilscher, for the development of innovative products.

 

2 panel PCs facing each other, another IPC with netJACK highlighted blue in the foreground.

IPC specialist ADS-TEC Industrial IT uses the netJACK option module as a universal solution to equip its Industrial Box PCs and HMIs with master and slave functionalities on demand, flexibly and without tools.

Front view of a NORD inverter standing upright with connectors on bottom.

Drive manufacturer NORD DRIVESYSTEMS realizes more compact frame sizes and facilitates servicing with netX.

Worker inspecting an electrical Installation at a Leadec plant.

netMIRROR facilitates quick and reliable troubleshooting in RealTime Ethernet networks at factory service specialist Leadec.

Close-up view of a VITRONIC machine vision component attached to a robotic arm in an industrial setting.

cifX PC-Cards integrate Automated Weld Seam Inspection Systems to numerous Real-Time Ethernet and Fieldbus networks at German machine vision specialist VITRONIC.

Easy integration of sensors and actuators

Whether netX communication controllers, embedded modules, PC cards or IO-Link devices, with our versatile solutions for industrial communication you'll find the right product for every application. Thanks to our unified Hilscher platform strategy, you can easily and flexibly integrate your field devices into any type of network. We operate with both industrial Ethernet and fieldbus standards, as well as with interfaces to digital sensors that communicate via IO-Link or conventional digital signals. We connect your field devices both in existing systems and in new ones. We ensure the secure connection of your field devices in edge and cloud architectures through integrated OPC UA server and MQTT implementations. This ensures that your field devices are interconnected and future proof.

Your advantages with our solutions at a glance:
  • Solutions for the full range of field devices
  • Low development costs
  • Fast time to market
  • Easy integration
  • Multi-protocol support
  • High systems and factory availability
  • Support and additional services throughout the entire lifecycle
  • Long-term product availability

Related links

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Communication controllers and printed circuit boards are extensively tested at Hilscher in Germany.

We make industrial communication possible. From legacy fieldbus to Real-Time Ethernet and the cloud. Our solutions are multi-protocol capable, flexible and reliable. Learn more about how our netX software and hardware technologies work and how we make machine data accessible for you with our IIoT platform netFIELD.