A significant advancement over the past decade in industrial applications has been the increasing use of Ethernet for connectivity. Ethernet has emerged as a clear leader over many options, but even though this seems to simplify the issue, end users must still choose the right industrial Ethernet protocols. In a recent article in Industrial Ethernet Book, Vibhoosh Gupta, senior staff manager, product management, Machine Automation Solutions, says, “Installations may require multiple protocols depending on the application and where each protocol is to be used within an automation systems architecture. Some industrial Ethernet protocols have deep roots and are mature, but many incorporate less than ideal legacy concepts. Other protocols are optimized for specific applications, such as high-speed motion. At the upper levels of industrial automation architectures, which is the plant-level networking above the controller network, there are specific requirements driving protocol selection, with a different emphasis than lower-level field device and I/O level networks.”
The article then goes on to discuss the advantages of using OPC UA because it can provide a secure networking protocol which delivers rich contextual objects so the raw data is made available as useful information. To see what Gupta has to say about building a plant network, the selection and use of Ethernet protocols, security issues, contextualization and object orientation, platform independence and time sensitive networking (TSN), check out the full article.
Are you currently using Ethernet protocols in your plant?