Podcast: A practical look at implementing time-sensitive networking in manufacturing

As manufacturers increasingly adopt Industry 4.0 principles and deploy more connected devices on their shop floors, the need for deterministic, real-time communication keeps growing. Time-sensitive networking (TSN) addresses this need by extending standard Ethernet capabilities to support time-synchronized, prioritized data transmission—essential for complex manufacturing processes. In this episode of the Great Question: A Manufacturing podcast, New Equipment Digest editor-in-chief Laura Davis discusses the challenges that arise from implementing time-sensitive networking and how to overcome them for successful integration.

This information was originally written by Moxa, a company that manufactures industrial communication and networking devices for the IoT and is leading the way in time-sensitive networking. Whether you're actively planning a TSN integration, exploring its potential for your facility, or simply seeking to understand this technology, this episode provides the insights needed to make TSN work in real-world environments.

Below is an excerpt from the podcast:

TSN's transformative power is evident. For example, let's look at how a major home appliance manufacturer saw significant improvements across several key areas when they implemented TSN.

The first area is deterministic communication. The low-latency, deterministic traffic scheduling of TSN allowed for precise control and synchronization of production line devices. This improved real-time control and overall system responsiveness, which is important for maintaining high performance in data-intensive environments.

The second is interoperability. TSN allowed for an integration of diverse production equipment from different vendors, simplifying and streamlining network management and optimization. This ensured compatibility and performance were consistent throughout the production line.

The third is combining IT and OT. By unifying IT and OT systems on a single network, TSN streamlined operations, reduced overhead, and enabled faster decision-making.

The fourth is a simplified network.TSN consolidated the network into a single, simplified architecture based on standard Ethernet, reducing complexity and costs while creating easy scalability.

And number five is enhanced productivity. TSN's ability to prioritize control data and ensure timely transmission enhanced productivity for the manufacturer, resulting in reduced downtime, faster response times, and increased equipment effectiveness.

The cumulative effect of these enhancements resulted in improved operational efficiency, higher productivity, and substantial progress toward the manufacturer's goals for efficiency and precision.

Now that we know the benefits, let's talk about three possible challenges that can arise from adopting TSN technology. TSN offers convincing benefits that make it appealing for manufacturers to integrate their systems and assets into a unified TSN-powered network. While there are benefits to combining critical and non-critical networks, integrating a new technology such as TSN will introduce additional challenges.

The first challenge is data volume. As you add more devices and applications to networks, the amount of data traffic surges, requiring high-bandwidth capabilities to handle this increased demand. While Gigabit and 10G connections are needed for speed, they also come with increased costs and complexities. Effectively handling bandwidth becomes even more critical as applications like AI and machine learning continue to put a strain on these systems.

The second challenge is network management. As connected devices in a TSN network grow, managing the network becomes more complex. There are sophisticated management and configuration tools, such as central network controllers, which can be essential for simplifying this process. However, businesses may feel overwhelmed when implementing these solutions, given the increased technology investment, training, and maintenance.

About the Podcast
Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers from chemical producers to automakers to machine shops can listen for critical insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to best run facilities to reach operational excellence.