European EtherCAT Plug Fest 2026 Sees Record Turnout

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Participants conducted 365 tests on 48 devices, including 16 MainDevices, 31 SubDevices, and 2 tools. The broad range of devices highlights the diversity of the EtherCAT ecosystem and attracted numerous new companies participating for the first time.

Plug Fests serve as a hands-on forum organized by the EtherCAT Technology Group, where manufacturers connect, test, and optimize their components. In Waldkirch, extensive device combinations and conformance tests were conducted, implementation know-how was shared, and technical problems were solved collaboratively. Many combinations worked as expected; identified edge cases led to immediate corrections and concrete improvements.