What direction will industrial ethernet switches develop?

The industrial ethernet switch market is mainly used in power automation, factory automation,  coal mine automation, rail transit, wind energy and wind power and other fields, followed by metallurgy, petroleum and petrochemical, road traffic control automation, building automatic control system, oil field control Automation, hydropower station control automation, industrial Ethernet switch room monitoring system, water conservancy monitoring, environmental monitoring and other industrial control automatic places. Industrial Ethernet switches are used in some industrial sites with harsh environmental conditions due to their high protection level (generally IP40), strong electromagnetic compatibility (EMS level 4), and stable working performance, providing a strong guarantee for industrial communication. .

With the continuous improvement of people's requirements for product quality and function, what direction will industrial  ethernet switches develop in terms of technology?

1. Explosion-proof protection of industrial  ethernet switch network

 Industrial  ethernet switch network has been widely used in industrial control automation, and in the field of process control, the problem that needs to be solved at present is explosion-proof protection. There are already switches that support Ex-Zone2. However, implementing the requirements of Ex-Zone1 is the key to getting Ethernet deep into the field layer. Expensive cabinets are no longer favored by users, and users need so-called intrinsically safe switches. While ensuring the high speed of Ethernet, the inherent safety feature is the challenge of this technology. Perhaps, it will take some time before the first intrinsically safe switches connected by twisted pairs are available. However, once this technology is realized, the Industrial Switch network will play a more pivotal role in the field of process automation.

2. Future network topology

 In a bus system, users are used to daisy-chain connection of field devices. As a result, automation manufacturers now produce Ethernet devices that are compatible with daisy-chaining, or, in other words, install 2 switch ports on field devices. However, compared with the use of independent industrial  ethernet switches, the switching cost increases with the number of devices. Another disadvantage is that the throughput and bandwidth of daisy-chained switches can be limited when traffic bursts because all users have to communicate over a common cable. The important advantage of the ring connection is that on the one hand, it reduces the wiring cost, and on the other hand, it can improve the reliability of the link. For example, when one place does not work properly, the communication is not affected. Therefore, it is necessary to decide which method is suitable according to the application and requirements.

3. Let the  ethernet switch learn automation language

 Large automation manufacturers use their own Ethernet-based application protocols, similar to EtherNet/IP, Profinet or Modbus/TCP. These protocols all support standard TCP/IP, so standard industrial switch network switches can also be used in such applications. The SNMP protocol has been widely used in commercial environments for switch configuration and diagnostics. However, the configuration tools used in automation do not support the SNMP protocol, making it difficult to configure the appropriate switches. So start to let the  ethernet switch learn the language of automation, and it will be possible to configure the switch using PLC, drive device or I/O in the future. The greatest benefit to the user is that the network can be configured with familiar automation tools, and a complete bill of materials can be easily created.

4. The importance of safe growth

 Since the industrial  ethernet switch network can achieve consistent data transmission from the management level to the field level, users only need to master one network technology, and at the same time, work efficiency is also improved.

Generally speaking, from a technical point of view, instant communication, stability, security, etc. are the focus of industrial Ethernet switch products.