Distributed I/O systems cut costs, design time

Engineered for rugged reliability, broad application suitability, and superior scalability, these distributed I/O systems help industrial organizations satisfy the ever-increasing demand for actionable sensor data, maximum uptime, and peak performance and — along with traditional in-cabinet I/O — enable hybrid I/O systems capable of paving the way to Industry 5.0.

Global industries have relied on I/O systems for data exchange since their popularization in the 1960s and 70s, and these systems have continually matured to address evolving needs.

Siemens IP6X distributed I/O systems maximize uptime, boost performance, and facilitate future-proof scalability.

Today's I/O systems are increasingly engineered to help organizations overcome challenges related to prevailing digitalization, globalization, and workforce challenges by enabling them to leverage advanced technologies, like digital simulation and artificial intelligence (AI), and laying the groundwork for the impending shift from automated to autonomous operations. This shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 will require massive amounts of data and is already fueling tremendous demand for I/O and gradually increasing the size and complexity of I/O systems.

This complexity can be a burden to manage, slowing performance and leading to quality issues. Flexible, open-standard I/O systems are the solution.

Engineered to maximize uptime, boost performance, and facilitate future-proof scalability, the Siemens IP6X machine-mounted I/O devices go right where a user’s data is to reduce labour costs, shorten design time, and make it quicker and easier to access your data, run diagnostics, expand your systems, and add new functionality.

Given their unique location, they're also ruggedized with features like IP6X sealing to protect against the ingress of dust, dirt, and liquids.

Siemens offers a comprehensive range of IP6X distributed I/O systems designed to satisfy the needs of a wide variety of industrial application environments and standardized to provide engineering and diagnostic consistency, regardless of the I/O modules, PLC, controller, and network being used, which is a big benefit for machine builders.

This capability — multi-fieldbus support — enables communication between the three primary industrial Ethernet fieldbuses - Ethernet IP, PROFINET, and Modbus TCP.

It also eases integration, allowing users to buy machines from different suppliers with no concern for communication compatibility and even to communicate with several different controllers or PLCs with different fieldbuses at the same time over the same cable — and it's available in every Siemens IP6X I/O product.

Another advantage is that diagnostics are always handled exactly the same way and look the same way when they're reported back.

Siemens IP6X distributed I/O solutions available at RS include:

• The SIMATIC ET 200eco PN I/O system. This block I/O solution is ruggedized for on-machine deployment and outdoor environments, featuring a robust and relatively compact cast zinc housing that can be mounted horizontally or vertically for maximum flexibility and IP protection ratings spanning IP65 to IP69K. It's also resistant to high levels of shock and vibration and rated for operating temperatures extending from -40°C to +60°C. Two-port Ethernet switches integrated into each block enable flexible configuration for digital and analogue inputs and outputs, mixed-configuration devices, and easy integration into line topologies, and M12 L-coded power connectors provide high current-carrying capabilities, so you can switch higher loads and run significantly greater cable lengths in the field. To support open and flexible communication, it's available with a variety of I/O-Link master devices designed to help users extract data from all the way down to your lowest field-level device, which makes it much easier to optimize overall system performance. Ideal applications extend from infrastructure and mining equipment to industrial manufacturing and material handling.
• The SIMATIC ET 200pro distributed I/O system is designed for near-universal use in harsh industrial automation environments. This modular, multifunctional, and machine-mounted IP65 or IP67 I/O system supports a wide variety of I/O modules with up to 16 channels each in a single I/O rack and reliably withstands high mechanical loads. It also supports digital, analogue, fail-safe, and other inputs and outputs all in the same system and a corresponding IO-Link master that enables hot swapping to maximize availability, prevent expensive unplanned downtime, and simplify module configuration. It's available with a CPU option for applications that require distributed intelligence, integrated drives and motor starters for automotive and conveyor applications, and integrated safety features for especially high-risk environments.
• The SIMATIC ET200AL distributed I/O system is ideally suited for machine systems with a lot of metal infrastructure, moving equipment, and space constraints, like robotic arms and gantry systems. This extremely compact and lightweight modular block I/O system makes it easy to install individual modules in even the smallest spaces on your machine or assembly line. Its digital outputs can be safely shut down within a supply line, enabling the integration of safety applications, and it can be used as an expansion of the SIMATIC ET 200SP to facilitate seamless transitions between in-cabinet and machine-mounted I/O systems in increasingly popular and future-centric hybrid I/O system configurations.