PROVEN TECHNOLOGY FOR A DIGITAL FUTURE
FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus has been driving the digital transformation to smarter plant operations, made popular by terms such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0, for more than two decades. FOUNDATION Fieldbus technology is embedded in millions of intelligent devices and systems and has enabled end users to make better and faster decisions, increase productivity, reduce costs, and minimize risk while raising the level of awareness of plant operations from instrument technicians all the way to corporate officers.
FOUNDATION Fieldbus allows industrial organizations to unlock the full capabilities of their existing assets. By providing the means to leverage immense amounts of data generated by modern automation systems, the potential uses and benefits are numerous. They range from enhanced data collection and improved remote monitoring, diagnostics and asset management, to reduced configuration and commissioning effort.
INTEGRATED PLATFORM FOR PROCESS AUTOMATION
FOUNDATION Fieldbus provides an all-digital communication infrastructure for process automation, with powerful multivariable measurement capabilities, robust device diagnostics, and the ability to integrate wireless devices across multiple networks. The block structure of FOUNDATION Fieldbus is unique, enabling true distributed functionality, improved data management, and alarm and alert management.
With FOUNDATION technology, multiple devices — each with multiple I/O signals — can share the same bus. Fieldbus-based control systems employ two-wire twisted pair cable and provide intrinsically safe or non-incendive device power suitable for all hazardous areas. Unrestricted access to field device intelligence enables centralized configuration/setup and diagnostics for all field instruments, including discrete sensors and actuators. This solution also supports temporary masters such as handheld field communicators, laptops/tablets, and documenting calibrators.
FOUNDATION Technology Explained
Unlike other digital architectures, FOUNDATION Fieldbus was designed from the ground up to enable control-in-the-field (CIF) strategies across the plant. This means that during a host system failure, field instruments can communicate directly with one another to maintain continued safe operations. The technology includes a number of physical layers (the medium that the signal communicates through) and a rich software platform that allows for the over 1,000 registered products to interoperate between various manufacturers of devices and control systems — offering end users the flexibility to choose best-in-class solutions for their application.
FOUNDATION Fieldbus Applications
Since the early '90s, FOUNDATION Fieldbus has been installed and running process plants across the globe. With it's all digital infrastructure (from sensor to plant network), FOUNDATION Fieldbus has prepared its users to take advantage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for over 20 years. No additional networks, sensors, or capabilities are needed — they just connect to it.
Registered Products
FieldComm Group’s Product Registry provides a current list of Registered FDI, FOUNDATION Fieldbus and HART products from a multitude of manufacturers and categories. Products that carry the registration mark(s) have been tested in our lab to ensure conformance to the standards for interoperability and functionality regardless of manufacturer.
Specifications
The FOUNDATION Fieldbus Technical Specifications is a complete, bookmarked, word-searchable software package that includes the latest FOUNDATION Fieldbus H1, High Speed Ethernet (HSE) and Physical Layer technical specifications. These specifications are essential for field device and controls manufacturers requiring implementation of fieldbus-based control solutions.
Development Tools
FieldComm Group provides test and registration services for developers of FF technology-based products. We provide software and hardware tools to help simplify the development process and provide the best chance of compliance with test specifications.