Switches at sea!

Three products in Harting's range of Fast Track Switches have been approved for use on board ships.

Types FTS 3100s-A, FTS 3100-A and FTS 3060-A have been tested and certified to Det Norske Veritas (DNV) requirements. The type approval is granted according to special guidelines that have been developed to meet the needs of international shipping.

Their Fast Track Switching is an innovative Ethernet-based switching technology which recognises, prioritises and accelerates precisely those frames that are particularly important for the user in specific automation applications. The switches recognise important frames, which are then accelerated by way of the cut-through method, allowing them to overtake other frames blocking their path. As a result, important automation data frames always reach their destination on time, regardless of the remaining network load.

This prioritisation of automation protocols also plays an important role in the marine sector, where the ability to create a deterministic, high-performance Ethernet-based network is key to many shipborne equipment applications.