SIG300 IO-Link Master, a versatile door opener for intelligent automation

By Staff Report May 9, 2025 5:29 pm IST

IO-Link is becoming a global standard for connecting smart sensors in factories, offering numerous benefits for automation. SICK plays a key role in making this technology accessible to customers. The new SIG300 IO-Link Master from SICK is flexible and stands out in connectivity and user-friendliness, a crucial component for automation tasks. Special highlights include the integrated logic editor, which solves remote control tasks directly on the device, and the USB-C interface for intuitive configuration of the SIG300. Due to SICK’s Function Block Factory, integration into heterogeneous devices and Fieldbus landscapes is also easy. When used with a SIG100, the IP67-certified SIG300 has eight ports and can process up to 102 digital signals. What’s more, unlike other IO-Link Masters on the market, it offers comprehensive functionality in a compact device. 

A bridge between OT and IT – How the SIG300 is closing the gap

Increasing digitalisation in industry requires end-to-end communication between machines and systems at the operational level (OT), server, and cloud environments in IT systems. SIG300 assumes the central role of an intelligent data broker. Companies can integrate sensor and actuator data into IT and cloud platforms in real-time via several interfaces, including JSON-REST API and MQTT. This is relevant for condition monitoring, process control, and remote maintenance.

With Ethernet-based field buses such as EtherCAT, PROFINET and EtherNet/IP, the SIG300 ensures flexible integration into a wide range of control systems. This facilitates the connection to programmable logic controllers (PLC) without complex adaptations.

Plug-and-play implementation – even in heterogeneous device landscapes

Users of the SIG300 can configure and parameterise connected IO-Link devices effortlessly and without additional software directly in the web interface of the SIG300, thanks to the integrated IODD  interpreter. Customers can access SICK’s Function Block Factory online and generate suitable manufacturer-independent function blocks. This makes it just as easy to integrate the SIG300 into field buses and controllers from different manufacturers and to seamlessly integrate it into the existing automation environment. 

Furthermore, the “Backup & Restore” function makes it much easier to replace connected devices. As soon as a sensor or actuator is replaced, the SIG300 automatically transfers the previously saved device configuration to the new device – without additional time or effort on the user’s part. The same applies to the configuration of the SIG300, which can be duplicated and transferred to other SIG300 devices. This saves customers time and money for the programming that would be required.

Logic editor for efficient edge computing

SIG300 is one of the few IO-Link Masters to offer an integrated logic editor. This enables decentralised filtering and analysis of IO-Link device data. Thanks to this pre-processing, logic operations such as counting, averaging, or limit value monitoring can be performed in the SIG300, and data can be bundled for data transfer. Customers benefit from increased responsiveness, reduced computing loads in automation systems, and lower data transmission volumes, which can lead to significant cost savings for cloud services.

The key to intelligent automation

The SIG300 IO-Link Master seamlessly records, manages, and integrates process and device data, opening up numerous application possibilities in the most diverse process control fields. The SIG300 detects production errors early in quality control by identifying deviations from defined sensor parameters. This reduces scrap costs, increases yields, and ensures a consistently high product quality while consuming fewer resources.

Product quality and process reliability can be significantly improved in automated assembly processes through the data-supported control of robots, grippers and other handling systems. SIG300 analyses the transmitted sensor data, enabling the error-free recording and placement of objects. The SIG300 also offers decisive advantages in the condition monitoring of machines in demanding industries. It records critical changes in real time and displays them via multiple channels: A connected signal lamp immediately alerts employees at the operational level to a critical message. At the same time, the SIG300 concurrently forwards the data to monitoring applications at the IT level. In addition, the SIG300 records the status of the sensors so that maintenance measures and sensor replacements can be carried out as required in the shortest possible time. 

Bidirectional communication with the connected devices enables efficient remote maintenance – for maximum availability and minimum downtime.

The SIG300’s versatility makes numerous other applications possible. Companies that want to future-proof their automation systems benefit from a robust, scalable, and easy-to-integrate solution.