Comtrol Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial device connectivity products and the official North American IO-Link Competency Center, today announces continued embedded support for the OPC-UA protocol and now supports MQTT integration into its IO-Link family of products.
Sensor control and monitoring have traditionally been achieved by hardwiring I/O data to PLC’s, or connecting to network blocks, which then communicate with a PLC. This method traps sensor data needed for predictive maintenance and condition monitoring.
Comtrol has developed a method giving factories and machine builders ultimate flexibility for their applications. Sensor data can now be sent directly to an OPC Client, SCADA software or IOT system through OPC-UA or MQTT connections integrated on Comtrol’s IO-Link block. Users can also simultaneously control devices from the PLC or another controller using Ethernet/IP, Profinet or Modbus TCP.
“Comtrol is excited to be able to provide direct sensor connections to IOT systems through our IO-Link Master. Customers now have a choice to bypass the PLC or work together with the PLC system. Comtrol’s IO-Link technology with OPC UA and MQTT gives users access to complete sensor data without the hardware and software costs associated with PLC systems.” says Bradford Beale, President.
