To meet the requirements concerning industrial applications placed in explosive atmospheres, Pepperl+Fuchs, the German manufacturer of sensors and electronic components dedicated to industrial automation, has adopted the hardened Ethernet Switch developed by Amphenol, which complies with the ATEX Zone 2 regulations.

For the Bourget 2009 Aeronautics and Space Show, Amphenol is proposing a new range of Ethernet switches, perfectly adapted to the specific requirements of the aeronautic and military sectors.

This new 5-port Ethernet switch innovates as the only sealed ATEX solution, while remaining affordable. It has the further advantage of being available with connectors that are also sealed and ATEX. Using this particularly rugged switch, with full ’plug and play’ functionality, it is easy to set up redundant rings with 30 ms recovery times and 100 Mbps data rates.

In order to reduce the weight and to optimise information processing, the architecture of onboard electronic calculators has evolved from control units dedicated to a single function (integration of sensor signals, data fusion, image processing, etc.), to a multifunctional control unit. Connectors had to be adapted.

Amphenol, recognized leader for its reinforced Ethernet solutions for severe environments, announces the introduction of the first ATEX Ethernet connectors for applications in zone 2 and Class I Division 2 explosive environments. This new range has been designed as a response to the current trend in the ATEX market towards limiting the equipment in zone 1 (which is very expensive) and installing it in zone 2, where constraints are much less demanding, leading to very substantial reduction of overall plant costs.