Helmholz provides secure and efficient automation solutions
Constantly growing quantities of data due to intelligent components, increasingly intense pressure
for effi ciency and not least, the necessity for the highest cybersecurity standards: With the increasingautomation of industrial systems, the requirements of the corresponding network infrastructure arealso increasing. Current solutions from Helmholz show how these requirements can be realized both reliably and practice-oriented.
Whether Ethernet and PROFINET switches, fieldbus and NAT gateways,or secure online remote access: For the optimal realization of industrial network infrastructures in practice, the ideal and fl exible solution with simple handling for each application is what counts. And this can, for ex-ample, consist of making the familiar better, solving tasks more elegantly, or designing components smaller to optimize them for the control cabi-net. That these solutions also function without additional, complicated soft-ware tools, is an important argument for many Helmholz customers
Ethernet and PROFINET switches
The data transfer between controllers, PLCs and other network participants takes place via switches. They are thus among the most important network components – also in terms of numbers.
Even the most minor optimizations therefore have a noticeable effect on these components.
his also applies to the design, because space in the con-trol cabinet is of course limited.
The unmanaged Ethernet switches from Helmholz set standards here with only 49 mm construction width in the 5 port version or 65 mm for 8 ports.
Thanks to their highly compact design, they can be used for a variety of industrial applications. The light and yet robust industrial design is suitable for installation on the DIN rail and can be very easily integrated into the network.
Once plugged in, they are immediately ready for operation with the simple plug&play solution.
The tool-free push-in terminal for the power supply thereby supports quick and uncomplicated installation.
However, the use of conventional Ethernet switches in connection with PROFINET networks should be viewed with caution due to the absence of frame prioritizing and the related
data load in many machine networks.
PROFINET switches are clearly the better alternative here.
One of the most important functions of a PROFINET switch is the prioritizing of the PROFINET frame traffic in the machine network.
The managed switch can differentiate whether the frame is a web query, an FTP fi le trans-mission, a media stream, or a PROFINEframe. In the case of a high transmission load, the important frames can
thus be prioritized in order to prevent frame losses or that the PROFINET network is no longer accessible. This also means the necessity for clear and unambiguous segmentation be-
tween Ethernet and PROFINET.
Without managed PROFINET switches, many profitable features of PROFINET are lost
