The current trend in Industrial Automation is to take advantage of what TCP/IP Ethernet technology has to offer. This includes easy installation and configuration, readily available software, and the fact that the Internet itself uses the TCP/IP protocol suite. In fact, Ethernet is already commonplace in most office and many home environments, so that people are quite familiar with the technology. But as Ethernet moves from the well-controlled office environment to the hotter and less predictable factory floor, a new type of network equipment is required.

MOXA NSwitch is an Industrial Ethernet Switch designed to work well on the factory floor. This means that you no longer need to run multiple strands of wiring back to climate controlled areas, but can hook up many of the connections right there on the factory floor. Not only can the switch work reliably in extreme temperatures, but it also has a space saving compact size that fits into out of the way places. Furthermore, the dual-direction DIN-rail mounting makes it easy to install the switch alongside Ethernet I/O devices, PLCs, and other automation equipment, and MOXA NSwitch comes with redundant power inputs, greatly increasing its reliability.

Switches are often used to divide LANs into what are called collision domains, a particularly important concept for automation in which it is necessary to create a near-deterministic network that can transmit sensor and actuator signals between important manufacturing equipment. With five 10/100BaseT(X) ports, MOXA NSwitch can play an important role in setting up your industrial Ethernet network. Another important difference between the typical office LAN environment and the factory floor is the consequences caused by downtime of critical network equipment. In the office, a 3-minute failure of an Ethernet switch could be passed off as a minor inconvenience, whereas in the factory floor setting, the same 3 minutes could cause a tremendous loss in investment. In some cases, using a less reliable office switch could even cause a major tragedy, such as an explosion that leads to loss of life.