Rockwell and Pepperl+Fuchs

With its well-known brand ecom, Pepperl+Fuchs offers a wide portfolio of mobile devices such as feature phones, smartphones, and tablets for use in hard industrial environments. Versions with global ATEX/IECEx certifications for Zone 1/21, Div. 1 and Zone 2/22, Div. 2, mining, country-specific, and radio approvals are also available.

Industrial-grade displays and enclosures provide additional safety by protecting the devices from dust and water ingress and making them resistant to impact and vibration. Individual configuration options, service level agreements combined with digital products and services, and comprehensive service provided by trained personnel round out the range of solutions for mobile computing and communication.

Smart, safe, powerful: The new 5G smartphone Smart-Ex® 03 takes the digitalization of processes in hazardous areas to the next level. Equipped with 5G and Wi-Fi® 6, the Smart-Ex 03 sets new standards for flexible deployment in public and private networks of mobile network providers or the companies themselves.

This provides users at company locations around the globe with state-of-the-art communication and collaboration capabilities through fast and secure transmission of large volumes of data: from remote support to video conferencing, digital radio communications with minimal latency via push-to-talk (PTT), and combination with an extensive range of peripherals.

Pepperl+Fuchs offers a convenient enclosure solution for Rockwell's Allen Bradley® 1718 Ex I/O modules that meets ATEX/IECEx standards for hazardous environments. The certified enclosures are made from stainless steel or glass fiber reinforced polyester (GRP) and include an installed chassis and any required extension cable.

With six standard enclosure variations, all certified for use with 1718 Ex I/O, customers have the flexibility to choose precisely according to their application requirements. In order to design the optimal solution, experienced project engineers in Pepperl+Fuchs' Solution Engineering Centers are in close contact with the customer for the duration of the project. Each solution is shipped to the location of operation with full certification and documentation.

As the leaders in Purging Technology®, Pepperl+Fuchs' portfolio of Bebco EPS® purge and pressurization systems has a proven track record of quality and dependability across the process automation industry. By leveraging these UL-listed, cabinet and enclosure solutions, Rockwell's Allen-Bradley® 1719 modules, which are by default built for use in Class I, Div. 2 can be safely used in Class I, Div. 1 hazardous environments as well.

Apart from basic design configurations such as rack size, enclosure size, and wiring preference, various configurations and options are available, including power distribution and branch circuit protection.

The innovative VisuNet GXP offers a compact, modular design that allows easy setup and maintenance. GXP systems consist of three main components that can be replaced in the field: display, power supply, and computing unit (PC or remote monitor). With a stainless steel housing, GXP components are resistant to all chemicals and detergents commonly found in the life sciences sector—and the GXP is the industry’s lightest remote monitor for Zone 1/21 and Div. 2 life science applications.

Specifically designed for manufacturing environments where dust, bacteria, water, and other undesirable materials might accumulate, the VisuNet FLX Edge with its sloped enclosure provides an easy-to-clean solution by ensuring proper drainage of water. The formed lip enclosure opening prevents liquids or contaminants from entering the enclosure. VisuNet FLX Edge HMI solutions are available with an optional integrated 6000 Series Type X purge and pressurization system that meets the requiremenets for Div. 1 hazardous locations. Configurable options for display size, function, and mounting allow excact customization to the specific application.

Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things—what has quickly gained traction in factory automation has not yet been possible in process automation due to the lack of a standard for the fast transmission of large amounts of data and end-to-end, seamless communication from the field level to higher-level information systems.

This gap of an Ethernet suitable for the process industry is now closed with Ethernet-APL: a project of well-known manufacturers and associations—unique in the process industry to date—with the goal to standardize the physical layer of the communication system. For the first time, Ethernet-APL opens up Ethernet as a basic communication technology for the field of process plants and implements the use of Ethernet-based components even in hazardous areas up to Zone 0 / Class 1, Div.1.

The Ethernet-APL rail field switch from Pepperl+Fuchs' FieldConnex® is the first switch in process automation to combine common communication technology with Ethernet-APL. It is suited for DIN rail mouting and simultaneously transmits power and data on an Ethernet wire into hazardous areas of the process plant. This makes migration from fieldbus to Ethernet not only easy for users, but also cost-effective.

In addition to Ethernet-APL, the switch is the only product worldwide which can optionally handle the Manchester bus-powered physical layer (MBP), and it can be flexibly configured to connect to an existing PROFIBUS PA instrument base.