Users in the industrial market have expressed great interest in leveraging the standardized IT functionalities of Ethernet while retaining the advantages of a rugged fieldbus system. Realizing this desire requires much more than simply embedding the fieldbus protocol inside an Ethernet frame. This is where PROFINET is unique - it focuses on the total automation solution rather than just the communication layer. PROFINET addresses not only the need of integrating distributed I/O over Ethernet, but extends the scope to embrace the trend towards distributed automation systems, which demand an object-oriented approach to system design and engineering. Extensions are built-in which accommodate the realtime needs of automation and motion control, and eventually machine and process safety.
International standards have been used, making PROFINET truly an open network. Fully compatible with existing Ethernet TCP/IP standards, it guarantees integration with higher level IT environments. Provisions have been made to integrate existing fieldbus systems, protecting your investment in installed base products.This open standard meets all the relevant requirements for industrial automation - industrially compatible installation technology, simple network administration and diagnosis, realtime capability, integration of distributed field devices and efficient vendor-independent engineering. This results in:
- Protection of your investments through horizontal integration and vertical integration
- Simple engineering with higher flexibility in plant design
- Cost savings in installation, operations, and maintenanceCurrently Siemens is supporting this standard with a range of existing PROFINET products, including PLCs, HMI, software engineering tools, and networking components such as switches, cables, and connectors.
In August, Siemens will deliver its first I/O products for PROFINET - part of the SIMATIC ET 200S modular I/O family.
All of the products of this family will now be available to the user over Ethernet, including motor starters, drives, and pneumatics, in additional to the wide range of analog and digital I/O.
Additionally, SIMATIC S7-300 family PLCs (with built-in PROFINET port) and communications processors for both the S7-300 and 400 are available, allowing these popular programmable controllers to become part of a PROFINET-based architecture.
Information on PROFINET can be found at at the PROFIBUS Trade Organization .
