PROFINET Cabling

Overview and Implementation

Considerations

Introduction
A PROFINET network is built on standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet. Even though wireless access points are
becoming more popular, most of today’s network connections are wired and require cabling.
PROFINET cable manufacturers offer a range of cable types and classes for different applications,
including those with special properties. These cables come in two flavors: copper and fiber optics. This
paper will give an overview of each, use cases, and implementation.

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 PROFINET Copper Cables
A typical PROFINET copper cable is a 4-core, shielded copper cable (star quad). 8-core cables have been
specified for high transmission rates (1000 Mbit/s). The different classes of cables vary in the structure
of the wires (solid core, stranded core for fixed / flexible applications, and/or variations in the jacket
material and construction). The table below lists the minimum requirements for a wired copper
physical layer, although a PROFINET node may implement additional protocols which may require
additional features.

Physical Layer feature IEEE Standard

MAC Address 802-2001

100Base TX Full Duplex Transmission 802.3-2008 (Clause 24,25)

MAC Bridging and Switching functions 802.1D-2004

Support VLAN Priority tags 802.1Q-2011

LLDP Neighborhood Detection 802.1AB-2005

The cores of the cable are always color-coded. In a 4-core cable, wire-pair-1 is yellow and orange and
wire-pair-2 is white and blue. Figure 1 shows a typical 4-wire PROFINET cable schema, with the cores in
each wire pair arranged diametrically opposite within the cable. 8-core PROFINET copper cables consist
of 4 wire-pairs, with green, blue, orange and brown wires plus a corresponding white wire for each. As
in standard Ethernet applications, the maximum distance between two endpoints of communication is
100 m when using copper cabling.

Figure 1 PROFINET Copper Cable 4-Quad

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PROFINET Copper Cable Types

There are three main PROFINET copper cable types, mainly differentiated by the relevant applications:

Type A: Cables designed for fixed installations. They should not undergo motion after
installation.

Type B: Cables designed for flexible installations. This cable type allows for occasional motion or
vibrations.

Type C: Cables designed for special applications. Type C cables can withstand movement and
dynamic environments, i.e. trailing chains or rotary machines.

In addition, several special cable classes are available for PROFINET. The most common special cable
classes are listed below with their respective applications:

PE cables: Constant humidity areas

Buried cables: Underground communication

Flame retardant non-corrosive cables: Suitable for installation in areas with special fire
protection regulations, e.g. halls with public access

Trailing cable: Moving machine parts

Festoon cable: Cranes and lift cable systems

Ship wiring cable: Onboard ships and offshore units

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 PROFINET Fiber Cables
Fiber optic cables offer specific benefits over copper. They are usually implemented in areas with
electromagnetic interference or significant ground potential differences. Fiber optic connections can
completely remove problems caused by electromagnetic interference and ground equalization
currents flowing in copper cable shields/screens. Some benefits of optical fibers are:

Optical fiber cables can cover longer distances than copper cables (up to 2 orders of
magnitude).
Fiber optic cables provide total electrical isolation between plant areas.
Fiber optic cables are totally immune to electromagnetic interference.

The PROFINET fiber optic cable schematic in Figure 2 shows the general structure of such a cable,
which consists of two parallel wires. The wires are ready for the direct assembly of connectors. The
orange wire has printed directional arrows to facilitate the assignment of wires to the transmit and
receive connections. The requirements for a fiber optic interface are nearly the same as those for a
copper interface. Instead, the 100Base FX Full Duplex Transmission features have different
requirements.

Figure 2 PROFINET FO Cable

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PROFINET Fiber Optics Types and Parameters

Fiber type selection should be based on the requirements given by the automation project. In general,
there are two types of optical fiber cables: Type B and Type C. Type B optical fiber cables are for
stationary or flexible use. Type C optical fiber cables are used mainly for special applications e.g.
permanent movement or vibration or torsion. Four different fiber classes can be employed when using
optical fibers for PROFINET. Those four classes are Plastic optical fiber (POF), Glass fiber (multi-mode),
Glass fiber (single-mode), and Glass fiber with a plastic jacket (hard-coated silica fiber (HCF) or plastic
coated fiber (PCF)). The table below summarizes some fiber class factors.

Fiber Classes Transmission Max PROFINET Wavelength Core diameter Main cable
path end-to-end link connectors
(typical values) attenuation
POF Up to 50 m 12.5 dB 650 nm 980 µm SC-RJ
HCF/ PCF Up to 100 m 11.3 dB or 6.3 dB 1300 nm 200 µm SC-RJ
Multi-mode Up to 2000 m 10.3 dB 1310 nm 50 or 62.5 µm LC
Single-mode Up to 1400 m 4.75 dB 650 nm 9 to 10 µm LC

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 Copper vs Fiber Installation Considerations

Copper cables were introduced in the 19th century and became widely popular as the
telecommunication industry developed. Nowadays, copper cables are the most popular choice in
industrial networks, but fiber cables are a common choice within certain applications. This section will
go over specific items to consider during selection.

Distance
Depending on the factory environment, a network may require cabling over short or long distances
between different sections. Since individual copper segments are limited to 100 m, longer distances
can be covered by adding a switch. Fiber optic segments can run over longer distances without a
switch, up to 2 km with multi-mode fiber.

Cost
Cable cost varies depending on the type and special features, but the cost per meter is not the only
factor to consider. During installation, each cable will require testing equipment, connectors, and
adapters (consider minimizing different cable transitions). Also, different cables may require
installation and termination training.

Environment
Copper and fiber have a type classification (Type A, Type B, and Type C) that ensures proper
functioning and decreases failure risk. Always choose the appropriate type depending on the
environment: fixed installations, flexible installations, or dynamic installations.

Bandwidth
Although copper is adequate for most applications, fiber usually offers higher bandwidth performance.
Bandwidth performance will also depend on the different cable classes. Previously, copper was limited
to 10 Mbps, but now most types can reach Gigabit performance.

Special Applications
In previous sections, we described special application cables. The most common existing special
applications have been listed above, but not all. Even though some specialized solutions may be
targeted toward niche markets, others are directed toward manufacturing environments.

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 Summary

PROFINET is based on standard unmodified Ethernet, giving the opportunity to take advantage of new
technologies, such as physical layer improvements. Copper and fiber PROFINET cables have a specific
classification to allow proper functioning and special groups for specific applications. Depending on the
network complexity, you may require copper and fiber cables, plus several types of each. All PROFINET
cables can seamlessly interface in a network and provide additional benefits thanks to their multiple
features.

Imprint
Nelly Ayllon
PI North America
www.us.profinet.com
Doc 10-101 v2