Switch-on to Smart Factory
Harting’s recently launched Han-Modular Switch US4 connector is a strategic part of its Industry 4.0 portfolio.
This connector is designed to save control cabinet space, reduce wiring and improve distributed networking, specifically in support of Industry 4.0 modernisation programmes.
Howard Forryan, product market specialist at Harting, said: “This clever connector design helps save space by integrating multiple components and connections into a single unit.”
To achieve this, Harting has integrated a very compact but fully functioning ‘store and forwarding’ 4-port Ethernet active switch device into its Han-Modular I/O mixed connector design concept. This means that network devices can be deployed closer to the field while reducing the effort of retrofitting when integrating new Ethernet modules. As a result, system integrators and production machinery OEMs can achieve simpler networking of typical cabinet control systems (including I/Os, PLCs, HMIs etc.), easier extension of an existing IP based image processing vision system and more straightforward distributed cabling for interlinked production cells.
