Mr. Ermel, what role do DIN rail power supplies play in Industry 4.0?

Ulrich Ermel: Digitalization has a huge appetite for energy; more and more components need to be reliably supplied with power at the same time. As a result, the demand and requirements for power supplies are increasing. Users need a larger number of power supply units and are therefore increasingly looking for devices that are as efficient, compact and durable as possible. These basic requirements are precisely. Industry 4.0 thrives on the two-way technology transfer between IT and industrial automation, making new device types possible and even necessary. Power over Ethernet, for example, is a classic IT technology that is increasingly finding its way into industry. However, most PoE injectors with IT origins are designed for this environment. Many users do not even realize that the power supply - due to its central position in the system - can also act as a data supplier!

Are you thinking of power supply units with connectivity?

Ulrich Ermel: Exactly. Industry 4.0 thrives on the two-way technology transfer between IT and industrial automation, which makes new types of devices possible and even necessary. Power over Ethernet, for example, is a classic IT technology that is increasingly finding its way into industry. However, most PoE injectors with IT origins are not made for this environment - it is often too hot, too dusty and the network quality too poor for them in industrial buildings. In addition, very few injectors are suitable for mounting on the DIN rail in the control cabinet. As a result, many users cannot use PoE in their system, even though they would like to. With our 4- and 8-channel PoE injectors, we therefore combine PoE technology with the electrical and mechanical robustness of our DIN rail power supplies so that the devices function without any problems in industrial environments.

The same applies to the increasing security requirements for industrial systems, as manifested in IEC 62443, for example: Classic IT devices quickly reach their limits here. Our industrial PoE devices, on the other hand, are already prepared to meet the IEC 62443 requirements and can also be used in safety-critical areas.

You have a new power supply unit with an IO-Link interface in your portfolio. Why IO-Link and not one of the common fieldbus systems?

Ulrich Ermel: Our customers all use different fieldbus systems or Industrial Ethernet protocols. The effort involved in generating a separate solution for all these variants is high. In addition, a lot of data from the power supply unit is comparable with sensor data. Even in the field of sensor technology, a complete Industrial Ethernet node is rarely provided. With IO-Link, we therefore use a fieldbus-neutral approach at the sensor level and place our power supply unit one level below the control level. We benefit from the fact that IO-Link is compatible with all common protocols via the master, such as Profinet, Ethercat, Modbus TCP or Ethernet/IP.

To what extent can users benefit from the data of a power supply?

Ulrich Ermel: The information provided by our 960 W power supply unit 'QT40.241-B2', for example, helps to optimize system availability. The user is immediately warned of irregularities, such as input voltage that is too low or too high, an overload or excessive temperatures, and can therefore react quickly. This reduces the downtime of the system. In addition, the data enables preventive maintenance of the systems - i.e. before a fault even occurs.

So the device provides information about its remaining service life?

Ulrich Ermel: That's right. But this is only the first step, which supports the maintenance of the power supply unit itself. The values from the power supply unit can also be used to create and describe digital load profiles for the connected loads. Based on the information on the output current, for example, it is possible to recognize whether a load changes over a longer period of time and gradually consumes more and more power. This deviation from the normal profile can be an indication of signs of wear in the system. In the case of worn profiles, a sinusoidal curve could then be recognized as an example. This knowledge offers great added value if you want to increase the efficiency of the system and maintenance work.

Industry 4.0 is also always about data security - how do you protect your devices against unauthorized access?

Ulrich Ermel: Our devices are secured to a high degree on both the hardware and software side. IO-Link, for example, is based on serial, bidirectional point-to-point communication between the IO-Link master and the IO-Link device. The system is therefore considered robust and also has a high level of security. Our PoE injectors are protected against digital manipulation attempts by an ASIC in the circuit design that cannot be manipulated from the outside. External tampering is therefore practically impossible.