Communication in industry is increasingly taking place via Ethernet networks - they are the nerve pathways of the smart factory. The performance of the data connection depends not only on the cables but also on the peripherals, above all on the switches, the controllers of the data traffic. To ensure that both interact optimally, Lapp has switches in its range that have been expanded to include PLCs.

The new Etherline Access Switches are available in different versions with four to 16 ports, also in combination with ports for fiber optics and as a variant with Power over Ethernet. All switches have robust metal housings and are designed for DIN rail mounting. Special highlights are the smallest Profinet switches on the market.

No one is smaller
Decentralized control cabinets in production are cramped, sometimes you can't even close the door when they are full of switches and cables. The new PNF04T, PNF08T and PNF16T Profinet switches with four, eight and 16 ports are now available for such cases. According to the manufacturer, they are the smallest on the market - compact, flat and can be installed on the DIN rail in no time at all. Nevertheless, there are a lot of useful functions in the small housings. The switches fulfill Conformance Class B and can be configured via a web interface. They are temperature-resistant from minus 40 to plus 75 degrees Celsius and are therefore also suitable for harsh industrial environments.

Broker between IP networks
The NF04T NAT/Firewallis used where there are conflicts due to multiple IP addresses. It has three LAN ports and a WAN port that connects the switch to a higher-level company network. The NAT functionality translates the same IP addresses at machine level into different IP addresses at company level. Or the switch translates different external IP addresses into a different address range for the network at machine level. Port forwarding and routing mode are also on board. All of this is contained in the same ultra-compact housing as the Profinet switches mentioned above, and temperatures of minus 40 to plus 75 degrees Celsius are also permitted here.

Further with light
When high transmission rates over long distances are required, there is no way around fiber optic cables. In addition to the eight RJ45 ports, the two managed switches M08T02SFP and M08T02GSFP each have two SFP ports for connecting fiber optic cables, the latter for fast Gigabit Ethernet. Lapp attaches great importance to robustness. These switches can also withstand temperatures between minus 40 and plus 75 degrees Celsius, they are protected against the ingress of foreign bodies in accordance with IP40, and they can be supplied with power redundantly. The appropriate SFP standard modules for converting the light signal into electrical signals are also available. The SFPs are available in four variants: for 100 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s and each for single-mode or multi-mode transmission.

Networking made easy
In addition to the managed switches mentioned above, Lapp is also offering new unmanaged switches for the fast creation of Ethernet networks. The U16T has 16 RJ45 ports for data rates of up to 100 Mbit/s, while the eight ports of the U08GT even achieve gigabit speeds. Both are housed in compact and robust metal housings, with DIN rail connection and redundant power supply.

Power over the line
A useful feature of Ethernet cables is that they can transmit electrical energy as well as data. Although the performance is low, it is sufficient to supply cameras in quality monitoring or Wi-Fi access points, for example, and a separate power supply can then be dispensed with. The unmanaged switch U04TP01T has four RJ45 ports with Power over Ethernet to supply power to the connected peripherals and one port for Fast Ethernet. Such switches are often used in the vicinity of machines where they are exposed to extreme temperatures. This model has therefore also been designed for temperatures from minus 40 to plus 75 degrees Celsius. as