Every year, HMS Networks analyzes the industrial network market to estimate the distribution of new connected nodes in factory automation. This year’s study shows that the industrial network market is expected to grow by 7% in 2023. Industrial Ethernet still shows the highest growth and now accounts for 68% of all newly installed nodes (66%…

By Henry Martel, field application engineer, Antaira Technologies In reviewing today’s industrial network switches, one of the features that stand out is built-in SFP slots accompanying the standard RJ45 ports. SFP is short for Small Form-factor Pluggable, and it’s been an industry workhorse for nearly two decades. As a standardized network interface, SFP technology enables…

When BTG needed their IRM400 range of positioning measurement systems to send real-time data over different industrial networks, they found Anybus from HMS Networks. And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The drive to increase the efficiency of international shipping relies on high-performance cranes to transfer containerized cargo quickly and safely from ship…

HMS Networks announces the expansion of the Anybus brand with the introduction of Anybus Diagnostics, a new business line focused on helping industrial companies avoid costly unplanned downtime. Industrial automation is becoming increasingly important within manufacturing and other parts of the industry. A critical factor for ensuring the full operation and efficiency of automation systems…

Hilscher North America announces its netX 90 system-on-a-chip (SoC) and netRAPID 90, a netX chip carrier, have received the CC-Link IE Field Network Basic slave conformance certificate from the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA). This certification enables the netX 90 and netRAPID 90 to be implemented as slaves in simple field devices on CC-Link Industrial Ethernet…

Belden, a supplier of network infrastructure solutions, announces the launch of its DCX System, an innovative, high-density, end-to-end fiber infrastructure solution with built-in futureproof functionality for any data center. It provides extremely high fiber termination density in a small footprint, with 3,840* terminations per DCX cabinet, and 1,280 terminated fibers per square foot. The DCX…

The OPC Foundation (OPCF) welcomes the launch of the “.NET User Group” initiated by three companies represented on the OPC Foundation Board of Directors ABB, Microsoft, and SAP. This group aims to maintain and extend the existing open-source “UA-.NET standard” project, which is available on GitHub. All three companies use this open-source project in their…

The OPC Foundation (OPCF) announces that its Field Level Communications (FLC) Initiative has released the first set of OPC UA Field eXchange (UAFX) specifications, which lay the groundwork for using OPC UA at the field level. Four years in the making, these UAFX specifications have passed in-depth OPCF member reviews and extensive prototyping to ensure…

The OPC Foundation (OPCF) and the FieldComm Group (FCG) are pleased to announce a collaboration to drive multi-vendor interoperability of instrumentation devices based on OPC UA and the extensions for the field level, named OPC UA FX (Field eXchange). This development will incorporate preliminary work by both organizations. This will ensure that the market will…

After almost 4 years of close and fruitful collaboration between the four leading standards development organizations, FieldComm Group, ODVA, OPC Foundation, and PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI), combined with significant support from 12 major industry project partners, the participants are pleased to announce a successful completion of the APL Project. The result is a completely…

With the new edgeAggregator, Softing offers a flexible, container-based solution for managing complex system architectures in OT/IT integration all the way to edge and cloud applications. Data exchange plays a particularly important role in the integration of production and management levels up to edge and cloud applications. Already with a small number of servers and…

The MTConnect Institute, the standards development organization that maintains the MTConnect standard, announces the release of MTConnect Version 2.0. The Institute previously submitted MTConnect Version 1.8 to ANSI. The 2.0 version of the free, open, model-based standard that supports semantics for discrete manufacturing is a significant advancement from previous versions. Starting with Version 2.0, the…

Everything is moving – this expression best describes the dynamics in production and logistics today. Products, robots, autonomous vehicles, and humans in between. To ensure a smooth production flow in such a mobile environment, machines and software systems need a common understanding of the positions of things in space. Some associations have already dedicated themselves…

The Avnu Alliance, CC-Link Partner Association, ODVA, OPC Foundation, and PROFIBUS & PROFINET International jointly announce that they are collaborating to develop a single conformance test plan for the IEEE/IEC 60802 Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) profile for Industrial Automation. The test plan will be used as a base test by all the participating organizations and…

ODVA announced that the EtherNet/IP Specification has been enhanced to enable EtherNet/IP networks to support the Ethernet-APL physical layer for process automation. Licensed Vendors for the EtherNet/IP technology can immediately start developing EtherNet/IP components for Ethernet-APL, including controllers, power switches, field switches, and instrumentation. Ethernet-APL is the new intrinsically safe, two-wire extension of 10BASE-T1L (IEEE…

Avnu Alliance, an industry consortium driving open, standards-based deterministic networking, announces globally-scaled testing capabilities and a comprehensive update of its certification testing procedures at newly authorized, commercial test houses around the world. This advanced global certification program will streamline certification testing of devices with Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) capabilities, including devices implementing the Milan network…

Advantech, a leading supplier of industrial communication solutions, is proud to release the EKI-2701MPI-5G PoE injector. This compact, industrial-grade solution delivers Wi-Fi 6 network infrastructure, power over Ethernet (PoE) and advanced connectivity to out-of-date, extant infrastructure. It supports multiple data rates (10M/100M/1G/2.5G/5G) and IEEE802.3bt 90W PoE output, and is an excellent choice for obsolete infrastructure…

Advantech, a leading supplier of industrial communication solutions, is proud to announce a management firmware revision for the EKI-7000 Ethernet switch. This downloadable enhancement will deliver higher security levels to the OT industry, enable reliable network service in harsh environments, and provide interactive user interfaces for instantaneous site condition control and monitoring. These revisions further…

Softing Inc., an industry leader in IT networks and cable testing products, releases its NetXpert XG2 Ethernet tester. This new series offers many of the same benefits and capabilities as the flagship NetXpert XG with the addition of several new hardware features, including 5 gigahertz (GHz) wireless local-area network (WLAN) support. Like the NetXpert XG,…

Molex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, unveiled the results of a global survey polling manufacturing stakeholders to identify the top trends and technologies shaping the future of mobile devices. Survey findings reveal continued evolution of mobile-device form factors, disruptive features and innovations that will impact smartphones, smart wearables and other mobile devices manufactured…

Schmersal is pleased to announce the release of the SFB, a safety field box for PROFINET/PROFIsafe systems which allows simple plug-and-play installation of up to eight safety devices. Thanks to its universal device interface with an 8-pole M12 connector, it can be used to connect a wide variety of safety devices: electronic and electro-mechanical safety…

OPC UA has changed machine-2-machine communications. OPC UA is a service-oriented communications standard that is based on IPV4 and IPV6. Its flexible architecture combined with the .NET Standard specification creates a powerful environment to rapidly develop OPC UA applications. The .NET Standard solves the code sharing problem for .NET developers across all platforms by bringing…

Advantech adds the EKI-1511 series to its line of serial-to-Ethernet device servers. The EKI-1511 series are industrial grade, entry-level serial-to-Ethernet device servers that support widely adopted RS-232/422/485 serial modes for serial-to-Ethernet protocol conversion. The compact size and affordability are suitable for limited space applications, and projects requiring partial serial device digitalization. The EKI-1511 entry-level serial-to-Ethernet…

The numerous barriers to deploying high-speed Ethernet-enabled instrumentation in hazardous process automation facilities are now resolved with the introduction of Ethernet-APL technology. Ethernet-APL is the new two-wire, intrinsically safe physical layer suitable for use in demanding process automation applications. Ethernet-APL’s benefits include dramatically improved communication speed, hazardous area reach, power to field instrumentation, and long…

Moxa, a leading provider of network infrastructure solutions,  released the MXview Wireless add-on module for its MXview industrial network management software. MXview streamlines network management by visualizing networks, helping non-IT staff simplify operations and improve network uptime. This software has successfully helped many customers from around the world in different industries, such as in power,…