Pioneering TSN for Industrial Automation

Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) represents the next evolution of standard Ethernet technology, bringing deterministic data transmission, greater reliability, and enhanced security to industrial networks. As TSN takes center stage in shaping the future of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the key question remains: when will it be ready for deployment in real-world applications? The transition from theory to practice is the final step in achieving true OT-IT convergence.

The journey toward converged infrastructure began at the 2019 SPS Expo in Nuremberg, Germany, where Moxa, in collaboration with key industry partners from the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) and the OPC Foundation, showcased real automation use cases powered by TSN.

Industries need a unified infrastructure that supports both critical and non-critical data transmission to enable OT-IT convergence and flexible, future-ready manufacturing.

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Collaborating With Industry Leaders for Real TSN Solutions

Moxa’s TSN solution framework is the result of close cooperation with other leading industry players. Together, they have developed a unified network infrastructure capable of handling both critical and non-critical data transmissions over a single, converged network. A joint demonstration with Mitsubishi Electric featured a TSN-based infrastructure integrating CC-Link IE TSN devices, designed to support demanding applications that require real-time communication, high bandwidth, and precise motion control—proving that TSN is ready for real-world industrial automation.

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Enabling More Flexible Industrial Network Management

Within the same network, the TSN solution framework was further enhanced through collaboration with B&R Industrial Automation to integrate standardized OPC UA over TSN. This integration allows for seamless communication across all levels of industrial operations—from controller-to-controller to controller-to-field devices. By supporting standardized OPC UA over TSN, the framework enables more flexible and scalable network management, laying a solid foundation for plug-and-produce flexible manufacturing and smarter, more adaptive production environments.

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Furthermore, TSN software developed by acontis technologies GmbH plays a crucial role in integrating edge intelligence into the TSN framework. By extending real-time transmission capabilities up to the application layer, this software ensures deterministic and intelligent communication between hardware and applications. This advancement enables edge devices to participate in time-sensitive data exchange, bringing smart, real-time networking to the edge of industrial systems.

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Participation in TSN Interoperability Testbeds

The development of the TSN solution framework is the result of extensive collaboration between Moxa and leading industrial partners. To ensure TSN’s readiness for real-world deployment, Moxa has actively participated in some of the world’s most significant TSN interoperability testbeds. These efforts aim to validate the stability, reliability, and compatibility of the technology across various vendors and use cases. With the launch of this framework, Moxa and its partners are demonstrating that a unified, highly flexible automation network—seamlessly converging OT and IT—is no longer just a vision, but a practical reality today.