Industrial Engineer · phase 5 of 16
EtherNet/IP
ODVA industrial Ethernet network that uses the Common Industrial Protocol over standard Ethernet, TCP/IP, and UDP.
The Explain card
- Plain English
- EtherNet/IP is the industrial network that runs the CIP protocol over ordinary Ethernet hardware. The IP stands for Industrial Protocol, and the cables and switches are the same ones an office uses.
- Example
- A ControlLogix controller owns a connection to a remote I/O block and to a PowerFlex drive over the same switch. The I/O block updates every 20 milliseconds and the drive takes its speed reference and returns status the same way.
- Why it matters
- It is the default network in Rockwell plants for I/O, drives and HMIs alike, so drive command words, references and parameter reads all travel on it. Its weak point is that every connection counts against a limit, and an over subscribed controller drops devices without much warning.
- Hook
- The office cable, carrying the factory.
Where it sits in the deck
Phase 5: PLC Industrial Communications
The protocols that let controllers, drives and operator panels talk, plus the addressing and description files that make them agree on what was said.
