PROFINET

The pulse of the digital enterprise – intelligent networking with PROFINET
The increasing digitalization of companies, involving networking in almost all areas and between IT and OT in particular, is opening up tremendous economic potential. PROFINET – the leading Industrial Ethernet standard for automation – supports you in creating integrated processes and configuring networked interfaces. The openness and flexibility of PROFINET means you enjoy maximum freedom when designing your machine and system structure. Its unrivaled efficiency allows you to use available resources optimally, while significantly increasing plant availability. PROFINET’s performance sustainably increases the productivity in your company. And if you’re wondering what the next step is for digitalization – straight talk TSN.
Two powerful standards, one common network
With PROFINET you’re best prepared for the digital transformation and the world of Industrie 4.0. Regardless of whether you intend to integrate new communication standards like OPC UA, combine IT and production networks, or take the next major step with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) – the turbo power for PROFINET and OPC UA.Intelligent networking for the digital factory
OPC UA, the open, Ethernet-based communication standard, is the perfect enhancement to PROFINET. The way both standards work together smoothes the path to seamless communication in the world of automation and IT, and perfectly combines the advantages of both in a single industrial Ethernet network.
PROFINET scores at the field level with deterministics, a large bandwidth for increasing numbers of signals, and strict real-time capability for faster and faster applications. The strengths of OPC UA, on the other hand, lie mainly in machine-to-machine (M2M) communication and communication from machine to the MOM and ERP levels, or to the Cloud (i.e. MindSphere). Both PROFINET and OPC UA can use TSN, also an Ethernet-based technology, as a kind of “turbo power.”
TSN enables reserved bandwidths, Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms, low transmission latency, and parallel transmission of multiple protocols – including real-time-capable ones, in addition to dynamic plant changes using Plug&Work. There’s no need to go without the proven PROFINET services for configuration, parameterization, and diagnostics, or profiles from PROFIsafe, PROFIdrive, PROFIenergy, etc., since these are all still there, unchanged, in PROFINET over TSN.
Products and systems with PROFINET and OPC UA interface
Siemens consistently relies on PROFINET, the open Industrial Ethernet standard, for both the manufacturing and process industry. That’s why devices and systems communicate via PROFINET throughout Siemens’ uniquely complete automation and drive portfolio. Discover the wide range of products – right through to software solutions and tools.Even more freedom with the PROFINET profiles
With the PROFINET profiles, you can implement your customized automation solutions quickly and easily. PROFINET profiles specify additional manufacturer-independent characteristics and behaviors for devices and systems. Device-specific details as well as all details of communication are hidden. This ensures that the software engineering of equipment used in the machine or plant remains absolutely independent.PROFIdrive: Implement drive concepts quickly and easily
PROFIdrive defines the device behavior and access procedures to internal device data for electric drives on PROFINET – from simple frequency converters to high-performance servo controllers. The drive interfaces are kept as simple as possible and free of technological functions.
Your advantages:
- Uniform application interface for motion control and drive-based safety
- Replaceability of devices
- Diagnostics via bus
Reduce your engineering and commissioning time – with PROFIdrive!
PROFIsafe: Safety-related communication – open, integrated, and proven
PROFIsafe facilitates the realization of safe plants and machines on the basis of PROFINET via a communication line (wired or wireless) – without a second separate bus system. Moreover, the transmitted telegrams are permanently monitored.
Your advantages:
- Reusability of safety concepts
- Established standard of safety technology
- Minimized wiring
- Fail-safe wireless communication via IWLAN
Benefit from the easy and reliable implementation of safety applications
PROFIenergy: Communication with energy saving potential
PROFIenergy supports the easy automatic disconnection and connection of technologically correlated plant parts. Coordination is realized centrally via a higher-level control. The result: considerably reduced energy costs.
Your advantages:
- Controlled energy consumption
- Coordinated disconnection and connection of complete plant parts
- Elimination of the need for permanently wired external systems
Reduce your energy costs with PROFIenergy!
Live demonstrations of PROFINET with OPC UA and TSN
Once again in 2020, the PROFINET truck will be on the road, touring throughout Europe. Experience the benefits of PROFINET together with OPC UA and TSN up close – and discover how Industrial Ethernet standards can take your company even further forward in the age of digitalization.Experience digitalization at first hand
How is PROFINET integrated into manufacturing and process automation systems using the TIA Portal and SIMATIC PCS 7? What would potential practical implementations of OPC UA, SIMATIC S7-1500R CPU or SIMATIC S7-1500 T-CPU and SINAMICS S210, connectivity, feeder bus systems, and flexible network infrastructure with SCALANCE, including the SINEC NMS network management system, look like? What kind of digitalization scenarios can you find in subject areas like simulation, virtualization, digital twins, and Cloud connections? In the truck vivid live demonstrations, practical examples, animations, and use cases of digitalization will clearly illustrate and explain the crucial benefits of PROFINET, OPC UA, and TSN for you. You’ll also have the chance to ask the experts any questions you may have directly. Interested? Talk to your regional PROFINET contact:

Switch from PROFIBUS to PROFINET now
Upgrading from PROFIBUS to PROFINET offers a lot of chances and opportunities. PROFINET combines the benefits of PROFIBUS and Ethernet, and is the system of the future. So give your investment the consistent protection offered by PROFINET: Migrate your existing PROFIBUS networks to PROFINET individually, step by step, and with no data loss. Then continue using your PROFIBUS networks without problems!