What is Safety Over Ethernet?
Smarter, Leaner, Future-Ready Automation
Moving from bulky hardwired safety circuits to Safety over Ethernet brings both elegance and functional power to modern automated systems. In manufacturing and robotics, this protocol-based approach—tightly integrated with Ethernet—ensures robust safety while keeping your system lean, flexible, and traceable.
What Is “Safety over Ethernet”?
Instead of dedicated wires for emergency stops or interlocks, safety data is sent securely over standard Ethernet networks, using protocols like:
CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP
PROFIsafe over PROFINET/Profibus
Fail-Safe over EtherCAT (FSoE)
openSAFETY (black-channel compatible across multiple Ethernet types)
SafetyNETp for SIL-3 real-time applications
These embed safety frames within regular Ethernet, protected by redundancy, checksums, and timing logic—delivering safety integrity without custom cabling.
Why it fits U.S. standards
By following the black-channel principle (e.g., IEC 61508 SIL-3), safety information remains reliable even over regular network components—meaning you don’t need every switch or cable to be safety-certified .
This aligns well with U.S. industry practices emphasizing functional safety, risk reduction, and compliance through well-documented safety lifecycles (such as ANSI/RIA R15.06 and ISO 10218)
Why Use It?
Less wiring, more visibility — safety and standard I/O can share the same network: easier wiring, easier diagnostics.
Reusability and flexibility — integrate safety I/O, robots, drives, light curtains, and safety PLCs across multiple devices and vendors
Scalable performance — protocols support demanding performance requirements, from simple interlocks up to SIL-3 rated, real-time control
FANUC & CIP Safety (EtherNet/IP)
FANUC robots support EtherNet/IP Safety (CIP Safety) for seamless safety integration with, say, Rockwell GuardLogix PLCs:
No extra hardware required, just the EtherNet/IP Safety software option within the robot controller
Supports Category-4 PLe functionality
Up to 8 bytes safety I/O in/out, routed via the robot’s Ethernet port—safe and non-safe traffic can coexist.
Design Tips & U.S. Safety Best Practices
Risk assessment first — follow ISO 10218 (and ANSI/RIA R15.06) workflows for safety lifecycle design.
Use certified safety protocols, matching application SIL requirements.
Design redundancy — include heartbeat checks, fail-safe defaults, and robust I/O mapping.
Network design — segmentation (even virtual VLANs) can help, but safety devices themselves manage fault modes
In summary, Safety over Ethernet shifts your automation from bulky hard-wired safety into smart, integrated, traceable architectures—especially fitting for modern U.S. robotic safety standards. It leans on proven protocols, robust risk design principles, and simplifies future-proof builds. Let me know if you’d like a diagram or infographic to go along with this piece—visuals really help clarify network-based safety!
