The EK EtherCAT Couplers series is designed to connect conventional fieldbus and Industrial Ethernet systems to Beckhoff EtherCAT Terminals, allowing those external networks to interface with the EtherCAT I/O platform.
EtherCAT topology flexibility is a core part of the series, and the platform is also intended to support longer cable distances without reducing bus performance because it uses Ethernet physical layer technology. These couplers operate as fieldbus slaves on the host network while internally managing the connected EtherCAT terminals, which makes them a bridge between the higher-level fieldbus system and the EtherCAT I/O layer. The series can also be used with IP67 EtherCAT Box modules for cabinet-free field-level installations, extending the same architecture beyond standard control cabinet layouts. Beckhoff presents the EK family as part of a broader modular I/O approach, with integration handled through the relevant configuration tools and device-description files used by the selected fieldbus system.
