With its array of technologies, PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International) stands for a multitude of innovations and cross-manufacturer interoperability - starting with the connectivity of plugs and cables. This is already achieved today with two- and four-pair Ethernet cabling, but the story of success now continues with Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) - a plug connector for industrial automation. This brings clarity, certainty, and unambiguity to a long-awaited topic. This is an important milestone that takes miniaturization a decisive step forward with the help of SPE.
The new harmonized SPE connector system with its future-oriented design was implemented based on key application requirements and is now being submitted for international standardization. It offers a standardized mating face for applications in the control cabinet, in the field and also for hybrid installations, creating THE connecting element and paving the way for a universal SPE standard. For the industry, this new generation is a further step into the future. Many manufacturers have announced their plans to begin implementation in the near future.
Standardization work on other levels of SPE communication - like a power concept - is also currently in progress, so that a consistent SPE solution can be achieved across all layers.
It will be possible to implement this solution for all SPE applications through the use of international standards, even at higher speeds and independently of PROFINET over SPE. Thanks to PI, its committed members and many PROFINET supporters around the world, automation is becoming more manageable and easier to handle for both users and manufacturers alike. Regardless of whether it is over one, two or four wire pairs (copper) or over a wireless LAN or Fiber Optics, PROFINET is - and will remain - the global market leader in industrial communication and a guarantor of quality, interoperability and future-orientated technologies.
