Industrial Ethernet is now demanding more performance and a new architecture. The new industrial Ethernet networks are getting more and more specialized which requires a lot from a network processor to handle the translation between different networks and protocols. Users need to get the speed and accuracy for demanding applications, and the flexibility to adapt to different networks.

HMS Industrial Networks is a company that develops and manufactures state-of-the-art hardware and software for industrial communications.  The Anybus NP40 is a new technology from HMS that enables network connectivity for high-performance applications.

The Anybus NP40 is a network processor that handles communications between an industrial device and any industrial network. The new technology makes life easier for device manufacturers since they can install a communications interface into a product and then simply download the firmware they need before sending their products off to the end customer.

The new processor is the core of HMS´s Anybus CompactCom 40-series in chip, brick and module formats. It is designed for demanding applications, especially targeting real-time industrial Ethernet.

Jörgen Palmhager, chief operating officer at HMS noted that the new Anybus NP40 combines a powerful ARM (News - Alert) Cortex M3 core with an FPGA fabric on the same chip, allowing both fast data transfer and real-time synchronization in hardware/FPGA. The solution is based on MicroSemi SmartFusion technology but integrates HMS´s unique blocks like our RTATM (Real Time Accelerator) for industrial communications.

HMS recently signed a development- and supply agreement with one of the leading Japanese manufacturer in industrial automation and frequency converters. The agreement includes customization and deliveries of the Anybus network cards for several various industrial communication protocols.

Industrial Ethernet is an important and growing part of the networking landscape as companies in all sectors move toward high-performance all-IP architectures and extend Ethernet as the preferred way to offer such capabilities end-to-end.

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