FDT Technology standard approved by ISA 103 committee

FDT standard can now be integrated globally

October 6, 2010

FDT Technology, a previously approved international standard (IEC 62453), has been approved by the ISA103 committee and is now pending as an International Society of Automation (ISA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard. Once approved, the value proposition of FDT that enables any fieldbus, device or sub‐system specific software tool to be integrated as part of a universal life‐cycle management tool for the American marketplace will be validated by two independent sources.

The ISA103 Field Device Tool Interface Committee was formed in 2006 to consider the adoption of FDT Technology as an ISA Standard. In May 2009, ISA 103 committee efforts were accelerated when FDT Technology was unanimously accepted by the International Electrotechnical Commission as IEC 62453. Since that time, the ISA103 committee worked to make the approved international standard available for approval by both the ISA and ANSI.

Will Chin, Research Director, ARC Advisory Group commented, “With formal IEC, ISA, and ANSI approvals, users can deploy standard FDT Technology globally and expect seamless integration of asset information that can be freely distributed between the plants without custom intervention.”

Chaired by Ian Verhappen, the ISA103 committee represents a cross section of industrial automation industry professionals including users, designers, implementers, educators and suppliers of leading industrial automation technology. The committee worked together to adopt the full suite of FDT standards as ISA‐103.00.01 through ISA‐103.00.09.

“The team could not have picked a better time to approve standardization efforts with the large number of projects that are being planned to enhance productivity while reducing integration costs,” says Verhappen. As a result of this effort, end users will have the freedom to choose best in class FDT based products allowing engineers access to their smart instruments in a rich graphical environment including tools that will allow users to make better use of diagnostic information, improve ability to perform maintenance and much more.