PROFINET versus OPC
loading… “I have OPC so I don’t need PROFINET.” “I have PROFINET so I don’t need OPC.” Neither of these statements is right. PROFINET and OPC are complementary. PROFINET is seen from a controller down to IO; OPC is seen from a controller up to an HMI. PROFINET moves data fast; OPC moves information more…
PROFINET: Stable and Changing
loading… Stability and Change do not have to be mutually exclusive. When such a dichotomy is presented I am reminded of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. They make the point “No ‘Tyranny of the or’ (embrace the ‘genius of the and’)”. And so it is…
Where are PROFINET and PROFIBUS?
loading… Where are PROFINET and PROFIBUS? Besides in a lot of plants around the world, they’re in a lot of websites around the Internet. But where are they? With specific questions, which sites are best? I’m glad you asked, because here are the answers: Starting point: us.profinet.com with news, documentation, webinars, training schedules, this blog,…
Why PROFINET?
loading… There are many Industrial Ethernets to choose from – what features set PROFINET apart? There are many, but for today let’s focus on these: Adoption, Speed, Diagnostics, and Ecosystem. Adoption – PROFINET has the largest installed base of any Industrial Ethernet. And it’s growing faster than number two globally and in North America. Having…
Tech Tuesday
loading… [one_half]”PROFINET in the Automotive Industry” was the title for the latest installment of Phoenix Contact’s Tech Tuesday events. Held June 18th at their new offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 30 attendees learned about using PROFINET and featured a variety of speakers. The audience featured a range of end-users (General Motors) integrators/distributors, and OEMs (Fanuc…
PROFIBUS One-Day Training Class – What happens?
loading… Inspired by a post last month about what happens in the free PROFINET One-Day Training Class, here is an accompanying summary of the PROFIBUS version. Similarly, the class commences promptly at 8:30am. For me, however, the day starts a couple hours earlier. There are a lot of things to prepare: ensuring the continental breakfast…
Open Networks: What’s in it for you?
loading… It takes a village to raise a… standard, at least, an open standard. In the case of PROFINET, that village consists of like-minded companies that recognize the benefits of working together towards a common, open standard. What’s in it for them? At least these couple things: 1. A cross-pollination of ideas from many sources…
Safety the Movie is Online
loading… In February of 2007, Safety the Movie debuted in Phoenix (post: Safety the Movie debuts in Phoenix). In the PROFIBUS and PROFINET world when we think functional safety, we think PROFIsafe. Yet PROFIsafe only ensures message delivery. An important role to be sure; the role of enabler. But there is more to functional safety…
Go with the Network that Works Part 2
loading… This is a continuation from a recent post Go with the Network that Works with additional background to an article by Dan Hebert: Industrial Ethernet Cruises Powerfully Along in Industrial Networking. I like the subtitle in the print version: “Industrial Ethernet Cruises Powerfully Along. But Can It Be More Than You Really Need? Are…
Go with the Network that Works
loading… I enjoy working with editors from the trade press – contributing to whatever topic they’re writing about. Of course, they have limited space in which to present their topic and they have to include viewpoints from multiple sources. Having neither of those restrictions here let me provide some additional background to a recent article…