Team Tech consultants are PROFINET certified engineers. Our dedication to providing the most reliable network possible requires our engineers to be trained on each protocol. Team Tech’s certified engineers are up-to-date on all the best practices set in place by PROFIBUS & PROFINET International.

There are several types of cable that can be used for PROFINET. How do you know which cable is best for your application? This is a question we get often. The best answer is…it depends. There are many different criteria that should be considered in order to choose the correct cable for the application. PROFINET defines 4 copper and 2 fiber cable categories.

Copper Categories are defined as the following per the PI documentation.

  • Type A cables are for fixed installations. They should not undergo motion after commissioning.
  • Type B cables are for installations where flexing may be present. These cables can withstand occasional motion or vibrations.
  • Type R cables are for robot applications and are tailored for that specific usage.
  • Type C cables are for other specialized applications. They can withstand movement and dynamic environments, for example, rotary machines.

Fiber cables are split into 2 categories:

  • Type B cables are for stationary or flexible use.
  • Type C cables are designed for special applications such as permanent movement, vibration, or torsion, for example.

Each of these categories are further broken down into many different cables. For help finding the correct type of cable for your application contact us here.

PROFINET does a great job certifying the devices that use the PROFINET name. One of the first steps in choosing the equipment for your network should be to ensure that it has undergone the PROFINET certification process. The PI certificate will show the firmware version that was used for testing as well. This can be important as F/W updates have been known to solve and/or create network reliability issues.

If you are trying to decide if PROFINET is the right protocol for your network, troubleshooting an error, or just have a question about your PROFINET network, reach out to us today here. A Team Tech expert is here to help