Cutaway view of typical industrial Ethernet cable. Source: Turck
One of the primary drivers behind the growing adoption of Ethernet on the plant floor is the simple fact that everyone is familiar with it. But not all Ethernet is the same. There are some distinct differences at the physical layer — cabling and connectors — that set industrial Ethernet apart from its commercial counterparts.
工业以太网电缆的一些更常见的方面包括：4x22 AWG，TC辫子和箔板盾，PVC和TPU夹克以及滞留和坚固的导体。电缆内部的接线可以分为两对，也可以作为两对四分之一的对。
除了电缆的物理分层外，商业和工业以太网之间的最大区别是连接器级别。尽管商业应用中使用的常见RJ45连接器也可以在工业以太网中找到，但该连接器通常以某种方式得到加固。男性和女性配置都使用了8销和4针类型，可在模制或归档版本中使用。它们也通常在IP20和IP67级版本中提供。
IP67级RJ45上的刺刀式交配界面为连接器提供工业强度保护。另外，将电缆连接到节点配偶所需的四分之一转弯，将RJ45插头连接到插座，并确保其正确锁定并密封。
Beyond RJ45 connectors, M12 and M8 style connectors are also used for industrial Ethernet connections. The M12 connector is available as a 4- or 8-pole connector and can offer IP67/IP69K protection. Like RJ45, M8 and M12 connectors are available as molded or field wireable connections.
One of the more recent developments to emerge on the industrial Ethernet connector scene is the X-Code connector. X-Code connectors are distinguishable by the way in which the 8 wires in the Ethernet cable are segmented into 4 shielded pairs. This connector types has developed to keep pace with the increasing use of Gigabit Ethernet on the plant floor. Harting, Phoenix Contact, Metz and Escha have released this type of connector andTurckexpects to release M12 and RJ45 field wireable X-Code connectors in Q3 2012.
Companies in this article
