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• Holds 3 LGX® panels
• Supports 72 fibers (LC)
• 20 gauge steel
• Slide-out tray
• Removable covers
• Built-in windows
P/N: ICFORE31RM Installer’s cost*
Big Brand
January/February/March 2020 I 29
the TIA or ISO standards, even though it may be found
on the factory floor (typically on machine as part of
a prepackaged machine control system). Wireless design
and implementation for an industrial Ethernet network
demands the attention of another written article on the
topic. It is vulnerable to link loss due to physical and/or
RF changes within the serviced area. These are often
difficult to control effectively.
The access level portion of the physical connectivity
requires a significant investment of the infrastructure
designer’s time, since it is where the media must directly
interface with the equipment and environment of the
factory floor. The TIA-1005-A standard includes a rating
system that is a comprehensive guideline for categorizing
various areas of a factory floor to help specify the appropriate
physical layer infrastructure components. Consider the
following example to introduce the concept.
The ANSI/TIA-1005-A standard recommends the use
of four basic categories to assist in selecting components
that will suit the environment: Mechanical, Ingress,
Chemical/Climatic, Electromagnetic (MICE). Each are
rated in ascending severity from 1 to 3. As part of this
process, it must be determined whether any in-house or
third party material specifications exist that may denote
the pathway types prior to moving to media selection.
• Do any temperature or humidity extremes exist?
• Is there any mobile equipment that requires
wireless connectivity?
• Are there any remotely located end devices (beyond
90 m) that require wireless connectivity consideration?
Consider the following example in which it is assumed
that there is an existing local industrial network zone
enclosure with the required access level switches, in order
to focus on the physical media from end device to the
access level switch.
The client is upgrading a portion of the plant floor
control system to Ethernet connectivity. This system
includes four control panels, an operator control station
inside a control room, three production monitoring
IP/power over Ethernet (PoE) cameras, and a display
monitor for the cameras also located in the control room.
The control panels house programmable logic controllers
(PLCs), associated remote input-output (I/O) racks, and
variable frequency drives (VFDs) which will be connected
in a ring topology utilizing embedded switch technology
within the hardware components. Each of the cameras
will be connected back to the network zone enclosure
in the typical star topology.
Fiber Optic Enclosure, 1 RMS
$110
801.484.5238
Utah
800.238.0787
Nebraska
800.309.2322
California
800.422.6191
Ohio
888.792.7463
Maryland
800.847.5629
Texas
Available at:
$229
icc.com/fiber1 *Based on various online surveys.
mpr-0445 - ICT JOURNAL Jan-Mar 2020 Quarter Ad.indd 1 11/25/2019 8:51:27 AM
Some questions to ask include:
• Are any areas denoted as classified
under NEC/CEC regulations
(e.g., dust, mists, or vapors with
potential for explosion)?
• Are any areas regulated under the
hazard analysis critical control
point (HACCP) principles for
food safety?
• Do any areas have corrosive
environments to certain metals
and plastics that will require
specific pathway materials?
• Are there wash down areas that
require water and/or other
cleaning agents?
• Are there areas with high potential
for physical damage (e.g., vehicle
traffic or moving machinery)?
/fiber1