ELOTECH Speeds Up PROFINET and EtherNet/IP Integration

Introduction to ELOTECH

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Hilden, Germany, ELOTECH develops temperature control solutions for plastics processing, extrusion, and industrial furnace systems. With more than 30 years of experience and over 5,000 product variants, the company is a leading provider of multi-zone temperature control solutions.

The problem: a trusted platform reached its end of life

ELOTECH's existing communication solution was approaching the end of its lifecycle, and the module it depended on was being discontinued, just as customer demand was increasing. The company needed a replacement quickly to maintain production and continue meeting customer expectations.
As Florian Black, Electronic Engineer at ELOTECH, explains: “We were facing the risk of supply shortages. Our priority was to restore delivery capability as quickly as possible while establishing a stable foundation for future developments.”

Requirements: Reliable, flexible, compact, and quick to implement

ELOTECH decided that replacing the aging platform was the better long-term option. The company needed a solution that was reliable, compact, capable of supporting multiple industrial protocols, and fast to implement. It also wanted a future-ready platform that could support long-term product development, including evolving cybersecurity requirements.

“Reliability was our top priority. We wanted a proven solution from an established supplier that we could rely on for many years. We also needed a highly compact solution, ideally in a stamp-sized form factor that could be hand soldered for quick prototyping as well as optimized for serial production costs. Support for multiple industrial protocols was also important, as it would minimize the number of product variants. And given the situation, immediate availability and the fastest possible integration were key elements,” outlines Florian.

The solution: Anybus CompactCom 40 from HMS Networks

After evaluating available alternatives, ELOTECH selected the Anybus CompactCom 40 Brick as the foundation for its next-generation communication platform. Florian explains why. “We were already familiar with Anybus from a previous evaluation, so we had a good overview of the concept. What convinced us was the combination of technical capabilities and promised low implementation effort. That aligns very well with our product strategy and simplifies future developments.”

From workshop to PROFINET in six weeks

The implementation project started the week after the initial discussion with a hands-on workshop, where HMS experts introduced ELOTECH's team to the key tools, processes, and development resources needed to get started quickly.

This early guidance proved critical. Rather than spending time learning unfamiliar tools and processes, ELOTECH's engineers could focus on integrating communication functionality into their products and rapidly progressing towards a working prototype.

Throughout the project, HMS Networks provided starter kits, documentation, code examples, configuration tools, and technical support. Its API and host application code generator let ELOTECH's team focus on the functionality specific to their device rather than communication details, accelerating prototyping and testing.
“The result was remarkable. From the initial workshop to a customer-ready PROFINET solution, the entire process took approximately six weeks, including both hardware and software development. Considering the time pressure we were facing, this was a significant achievement,” says Florian.

EtherNet/IP added in only two days

The successful PROFINET implementation solved ELOTECH's immediate delivery challenge, but it also demonstrated the value of a multiprotocol communication platform. 

“Once the platform was established, expanding to additional protocols became much easier. Our immediate focus had been PROFINET because it represented the highest volume requirements and the greatest business urgency. After successfully completing that implementation, we were able to add EtherNet/IP with very little additional effort. In fact, the implementation required only about two days of effective development work,” explains Florian.

For ELOTECH, this highlighted one of the key advantages of the Anybus approach. Instead of developing and maintaining separate communication solutions for different markets and customer requirements, the company could build on a common hardware platform and efficiently add support for new protocols as needed.

Benefits: delivery restored, effort reduced

The first major benefit for ELOTECH was restoring its delivery capability. “We were able to respond to customer demand quickly and avoid the long-term risks associated with the previous solution. At the same time, we gained a significantly more flexible platform for future developments,” explains Florian. 

Today, many configuration changes can be implemented through application software, reducing development effort and speeding response to new customer requirements. “Our customers also benefit. Firmware updates are easier to manage, maintenance becomes simpler, and multiple communication protocols can be supported on the same hardware platform. This reduces product variants and simplifies deployment across different markets and applications,” Florian adds.

Building for the future

For ELOTECH, the implementation was much more than a technical upgrade. It was a strategic step that helped secure short-term delivery capability while creating a future-proof communication platform.
“The biggest impact is clearly on time-to-market. In the past, communication implementations had taken more than a year before reaching production readiness. With the new platform, development cycles have been significantly shortened, while future protocol integrations and product adaptations can be completed with far less engineering effort,” says Florian.

By combining fast integration, strong technical support, and multiprotocol flexibility, ELOTECH transformed an urgent supply-risk challenge into a long-term competitive advantage. In the context of increasing cybersecurity regulation, the new platform also provides a communication foundation designed to support future CRA compliance efforts.

The results speak for themselves: PROFINET in six weeks, EtherNet/IP in two days, and a communication platform ready for the next generation of industrial products.

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