Industrial Ethernet
"Industrial Hardened" and "Industrial Ethernet" describe communications products designed to operate in industrial process control environments or geographical locations where harsh conditions are common. Typical installations include Power Substations, Utilities, Manufacturing Plants, Oil & Gas Installations, Water Treatment Plants, Traffic Signal Control Systems, etc.
To meet this level of durability, “Industrial” grade (synonyms for “industrial” commonly include “rugged,” “outdoor,” “hardened,” and “substation hardened”) communications products are manufactured with special components, connectors and circuitry. This ensures reliable operation in the event of wide temperature swings, electromagnetic interference (EMI), radio interference, vibrations, or moisture and humidity fluctuations.
TC Communications Industrial Grade products are designed to exceed pertinent industry specifications. For example, communications equipment used in power substations are subject to extremes of temperature and humidity, as well as electrical transients from high voltage switching. These environmental conditions are described in industrial standard specifications IEC 61850-3 and IEEE 1613 for networking devices. Similarly, equipment used for traffic control applications are required to withstand roadside vibration in addition to high/low heat and humidity. Testing standards pertinent to traffic control are described in the environmental requirements of the NEMA TS-2 standard.
TC Communications’ extensive Engineering Department features a variety of sophisticated on-site testing equipment to verify that its Industrial Grade products meet the most demanding environmental and EMI requirements.
Every TC Communications product passes through “live operating temperature” testing (unlike randomly selected products for statistical sampling) before it is shipped. Each unit is connected to an operating BER tester to ensure error-free operation while the temperature chamber cycles from -40° C to 80 C° during the 24 hour testing period.