PROFI Day 2024: innovation, collaboration and 35 years of PI International

The PROFIdag brings together the latest insights into PROFIBUS, PROFINET and IO-Link every year. This year we are also celebrating a special milestone: the 35th anniversary of PI International. Were you unable to attend or would you like to look back on the highlights? Read on for a brief impression of the day.

After a warm welcome, the day starts with an inspiring lecture by Xaver Schmidt. The chairman of PI International emphasizes how PI technologies, such as PROFINET, PROFIBUS and IO-Link, not only form the basis for modern automation, but are also essential building blocks for new challenges, including cybersecurity. Schmidt introduces the three security classes that ensure a robust, secure communication infrastructure, while ensuring both integrity and confidentiality.

Practical cases

After a loud applause, the visitors split up into three groups for a series of in-depth sessions. The choice is not easy: practical cases, developments in technology and standards are central. Joris Lit from JUMO has brought an interesting practical case and shows how digitalization makes the beer brewing process more efficient with IO-Link and Single Pair Ethernet. He emphasizes that you no longer have to choose one protocol when setting up a process.

Elco Docter of HMS explains the importance of permanent monitoring to prevent unexpected downtime in the production process. With cases from waste processing, food production and water purification, he shows how monitoring not only prevents misery, but also saves costs. “After one or two incidents, you have already earned back the investment,” he says.

PROFItrain

After lunch it is time for action during the PROFItrain, an interactive workshop round in which theory and practice come together. With the route map in hand, the groups gather at the stands. The timer runs and after fifteen minutes they move on to the next exhibitor.

Students from Avans University of Applied Sciences present a pick-and-place module, in which all components are controlled by IO-Link and PROFINET. The electrical engineering students have gathered around the setup, where small bottles are expertly picked up and moved to a small conveyor belt. The pressure is determined based on the RFID data of each bottle. This significantly reduces air consumption, the students explain.

Knowledge Quiz

Finally, the acquired knowledge is tested with a knowledge quiz. It is a neck-and-neck race as the participants look intently at their phones to answer the last questions. With the prizes awarded and a loud applause for the winners, it is time for the closing drinks.

The PROFIdag 2024 not only shows the power of proven technologies such as PROFINET, PROFIBUS and IO-Link, but also offers a glimpse into the future of industrial automation. Thanks to the combination of inspiration, practice and collaboration, we look back on a successful day full of knowledge exchange and innovation.