Siemens, a globally operating technology company, has launched its Scalance XC-200 product line, a new generation of compact Industrial Ethernet switches.

Users can use them to set up electrical and optical line, star and ring structures in industrial networks. The layer 2 network components can be integrated into both Profinet and EtherNet/IP diagnostics, said a statement from the company.

The switches are characterised by their high number of ports and connections, a robust housing, an extended temperature range of -40 to +70 °C as well as approval for hazardous areas (ATEX Zone 2, IECEx), it said.

As a result, they can be flexibly used in such areas as mechanical engineering, transportation, and in the automotive or oil and gas industry. For transferring large volumes of data, Siemens offers the Scalance XC206-2SFP switch with two gigabit ports. Users can use this to transmit video data, for example, from tunnel cameras to a control centre, it added.

The Scalance XC-200 devices are available in different versions with up to 24 RJ45 ports and two ST/BFOC or two SC ports. With the Scalance XC206-2SFP, users can flexibly select two ports. Depending on what is needed, fiber-optic SFPs are used for single mode with a maximum range of 200 km or for multi-mode with a range of up to 5 km, said a statement.

All of the devices are equipped with a redundant power supply. It enables reliable operation even if one power supply system fails. The robust housing and the collars combined with the FastConnect connectors and cables ensure stable RJ45 connections in environments in which equipment has to endure shock and vibration. Due to their design, user can mount the managed Industrial Ethernet switches on the wall, on a 35 mm DIN rail, or on a Simatic S7-1500 mounting rail. Clearly arranged diagnostic LEDs and a signalling contact enable precise determination of the state of the equipment as well as fast and reliable diagnostic evaluations, it added.

Furthermore, integrated firmware functionalities increase the reliability of the network. For example, virtual LANs (VLANs) divide the physical network into several virtual sections and thus minimise the number of broadcasts in the network. Redundancy protocols such as Highspeed Redundancy Protocol (HRP) and Media Redundancy Protocol (MRP) permit a high availability of machines and plants: When the communication fails, there is a switchover to the redundant path within 200 ms. It is also possible to couple several redundant rings with each other via HRP (standby master/slave).

The Fiber Monitoring function, which is integrated in all Scalance XC-200 with a fiber-optic connection, continuously monitors the fiber-optic cables. It warns the user when the cables become old or impure. This allows predictive maintenance and reduces plant downtimes. Additional functions such as Link Aggregation and Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) round out the firmware range of the Scalance XC-200 line of products.

A five-year warranty applies to the new Scalance XC-200 switches, as for all Scalance products, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service