Monitor data cables at risk of failure with ETHERLINE® GUARD.
A data-driven approach to maintenance is making reactive maintenance a thing of yesterday, as plant managers and engineers pre-empt problems and make informed assessments of equipment health, thanks to advances in digitalisation.
An innovative addition to LAPP's trusted arsenal of connectivity solutions, the ETHERLINE® GUARD is capable of monitoring the service life of data cables at risk of failure in Ethernet-based automation technology networks.
Though cables usually last for many years, it is advantageous and cost-effective to monitor the connection systems in highly dynamic, demanding applications operating under high speeds and strong torsion, to avoid unexpected downtimes and even personal injury in some instances. Bridging this gap is the novel ETHERLINE® GUARD, which detects a decline in data cable performance and avoids unplanned downtime.
Using data based on the cable's physical properties and data transmitted via sensors, ETHERLINE® GUARD displays this critical information through an easy-to-read, real-time status display. This enables detection of the wear limit of a cable and allows optimised downtime planning, thus reducing productivity gaps and monetary losses.
Transmission Standards
ETHERLINE® GUARD supports data cables compliant with the transmission standard 100BASE-TX (at 100 Mbit/s) and IEEE 802.3, and is suitable for EtherCAT, EtherNET/IP and 2-pair PROFINET applications.
Widely used across a spectrum of industries in the last few metres, or at the process level of an application, these cables are often part of cable chains or torsion-proof cable routing, such as those found in robot arms. Its protection class IP 20 also allows it to be mounted on top-hat rails and used in control cabinets.
Each RJ45 port features three centrally arranged multi-colour diagnostic LEDs.
Simple diagnostic and adjustment options on the device allows commissioning to be carried out in just a few minutes by simply pressing a button or using the web interface. Expect easy integration and anytime upgrading of the existing network - no new data cables or changes to the cable design are required for the application, as it allows monitoring of data cables that have already been installed!
The patented predictive maintenance algorithms from LAPP make it easy to detect irregularities in the analysed data. Continuously calculating the cable state as a percentage, the ETHERLINE® GUARD triggers an alarm if the performance or transmission properties of a cable deteriorates. Set to 80%, as an ex-factory setting, the alarm threshold can be individually adjusted between 99% and 21%.
Truly a seamless diagnostic tool, ETHERLINE® GUARD empowers customers to take another step towards the Smart Factory!
Slightly smaller than a standard deck of cards, this innovative guard for data cables boasts a space-saving and compact design of 49mm (W ) x 76.5mm (H) x 36mm (D) that is easily applicable in any control cabinet.
The wired LAN version "PM03T" allows maintenance data to be transmitted to a higher-level controller by connecting a third data cable to the LAN socket, while the wireless WLAN version "PM02TWA" uses the antenna connection for WiFi (PM02TWA will be introduced at a later date into the Asian region). Both variants can be configured for cloud communication with MQTT.
- Increase plant availability and lower maintainence costs through plannable machine downtimes
- Space-saving, uniquely compact design
- Simple set-up with automated parameterisation ("teach-in" in just a few minutes)
- Integration into existing network structure and anytime upgrade
- Reliable cloud communication with MQTT protocol
Contact your regional sales manager for first-hand updates on local stock availability, or click on the button below to find out more!