PROFIBUS International (PI, www.profibus.com) specified a PROFIBUS/PROFINET profile for vacuum and hydraulic pumps in coordination with the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen und Anlagenbau – German Engineering Federation, www.vdma.org) and the NAMUR (User Association for Automation in Process Industries, www.namur.de). An implementation of the device profile on the PROFIBUS and PROFINET communication systems is planned for the spring of 2007.
Members within the VDMA began developing a general device profile in the spring of 2005. The results formed the basis for specifying a profile for PROFIBUS and PROFINET for vacuum and hydraulic pumps within a PI working group. The work has been carried out in close coordination with the VDMA and NAMUR.
The standardization is expected to lead to specifications for pumps that span type and application and specify profile extensions for mapping the functionality of pump types in various industrial application areas. This is expected to help ensure the interoperability and interchangeability of pumps from different manufacturers.
