As much as people need to communicate with one another within a business or industry, industrial equipment and devices also need to communicate with one another. However, communication cannot occur if those communicating do not speak the same language. This is where communication protocols come in.

An industrial communication protocol is a set of rules that are pre-established to make up, and control the communication between two or more pieces of industrial equipment and devices. These communication protocols come in the form of hardware and software protocols. The way in which electrical signals are transmitted across a transmission link is regulated by hardware protocols. On the other hand, software protocols control the way transmission errors are handled, as well as the amount of information that is able to be transmitted from one network to the other at any given time.

In order to do this, the industrial equipment that is attempting to communicate must use the same industrial communication protocol.

Communication Protocols List: Popular Choices

At EP Normand, we supply a wide variety of communication protocols. Each of these protocols has its own unique benefits and industry applications.

• Parker SSD Link: communicating via a fiber optic cable, Link is a closed-loop network system that is event-driven and functions from peer-to-peer.
• FireWire IEEE1394: generally used for I/O, networking drives, and a variety of similar industrial field hardware, FireWire IEEE1394 is a high-speed peer-to-peer serial bus that will benefit its user.
• Profibus: often used in industrial process automation, Profibus is a communication protocol that will get the job done and do it well.
• EtherNet: there are multiple open EtherNet-based protocols that permit SSD drives to network with multiple PLC’s, HMI’s, and other devices. EtherNet-based protocols include Modbus/TCP, EtherNet/IP and Profinet.
• CANopen: used for motion-based machine protocols, CANopen is a CAN-based protocol that has more layers in its architecture, and thus has highly flexible configuration capabilities.
• ControlNet: as an open network, ControlNet transports data at high speeds via a real-time control layer network. It is based on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and is mainly used in industrial automation.
• DeviceNet: providing connections between simple and higher-level industrial devices, DeviceNet has applications in factory automation.
• Modbus RTU: commonly used to connect electronic industrial devices, Modbus RTU is a basic and efficient communication protocol that is widely used.

To find out more about which industrial communication protocol will best suit your needs, contact us at EP Normand.