There are certain key objectives that must be dealt with in order to make the smart factories of the future operate successfully. Among the most important of these are putting effective safety mechanisms in place and maximising security to prevent data/control breaches. Another increasingly important area to be addressed, is keeping the power consumption of factory sites as low as possible.
The IEC 61508 standard has been established to make certain that electrical and electronic equipment is aligned with the necessary functional safety requirements - so that any potential hazards that could result in lives being put in danger or equipment being damaged are identified and subsequently addressed.
learn moreEBV stocks numerous microcontrollers and other digital ICs, plus a wide range of sensors, that are all aligned with IEC 61508. Here are some examples:
With regard to security, the IEC 62443 encompasses a series of standards to protect industrial systems from cyber attacks. These present a framework onto which appropriate security solutions can be implemented - from the connected nodes to the cloud. Depending on how critical particular aspects of the system are, different security levels (SLs) can be chosen. These range from 0 up to 4. SLs 0 and 1 offer no protection and protection against unintentional errors respectively, while SLs 3 to 5 address malicious third-party attacks with increasingly higher degrees of sophistication. Another aspect of the IEC 62443 standard series is the maturity levels (MLs) that it defines. These indicate how well prepared an industrial site is to deal with prospective attacks - whether it is reactive or proactive, and whether efforts are being made to constantly improve the processes in place.
To address the vulnerabilities of industrial systems, and ensure they have sufficient protection against hacking and industrial espionage, EBV offers secure element chips from the leading suppliers in this area. These include:
- Through ongoing collaborative efforts with the Fraunhofer Institute and the OWL University of Applied Sciences, have been able to make a major contribution to the smart factory lab in North West Germany. This has 2000 square meters of production area in which different examples of digital transformation beneficial to the industrial sector can be showcased. It also provides a conducive environment for knowledge transfer.
- We also work closely with other academic bodies such as the Technical University of Cologne, in relation to making motor control more energy efficient and improving functional safety.
Broadcom industrial fiber solutions
Enabling the Green energy transition
Broadcom’s industrial fiber products are used widely in green energy applications. These products are highly reliable in harsh industrial environments, providing mission-critical system control and communications, high-voltage isolation and protection, and accurate optical sensing and measurement.
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