What is PROFINET and how does it work?
Transmit data reliably and in real time
PROFINET stands for Process Field Network and, like every Industrial Ethernet standard, uses the TCP/IP or IT standards, which enables continuous application in manufacturing and process automation. Generally speaking, Profinet fits into the Industrial Ethernet standard alongside bus systems such as Sercos, EtherCat or CC-Link IE. The advantage of such networks, apart from the possibility of real-time capability, is the modularly structured concept, which allows the user to choose the functionality himself quickly and easily. This makes it possible to design the type of cyclic data exchange across all PROFINET devices, to meet the ever-increasing speed requirements and to establish countless diagnostic options in real time. The seamless integration of the other fieldbus systems through a PROFINET interface should not be underestimated.
A distinction is made between Profinet IO (Input Output), which was created for the connection of decentralised peripherals to a control system (controller), and Profinet CBA (Component Based Automation). The latter view is used for component-based communication via TCP/IP and real-time communication in modular plant engineering. For this reason, PROFINET networks are often referred to as IO controllers or IO devices.
