Overview:
Machine control is a critical factor in factory automation. The types and levels of factory automation available to a company in the years 2002 and 2007 are being determined by the trends for industrial machine control. Planners and implementers of factory automation need to know what these trends are.
An in-depth survey of 343 top marketing, engineering and management persons in the machine control industry has been conducted to determine the trends of machine control. The major areas covered by the in-depth survey of machine control experts include:
- General automation trends
- Programming languages
- Open architecture
- PC based control.
- Artificial intelligence
- Drives and motors
- The Internet (www)
- I/O Networks.
Respondent Profile
The survey was sent only to control vendors, OEM machine builders and large automation end users. Responses were sought from the top marketing, engineering and management persons in these organizations. Over 80% of the respondents who contributed to the study were:
- Control vendors 22.9%
- OEM machine builders 24.7%
- Systems Integrators 26.2%
- Automation end users 9.1%
Presentation of Results
The report starts with an executive summary for the person who wants a concise overview. The body of the report explains the methodology of the study and presents the analysis and conclusions of the survey data. The total report is 293 pages with 125 color charts and graphs. Appendixes are attached which list all the comments and the primary data tables.
Cross-Correlations
Cross-correlations* have been done on the major questions. The cross-correlations determine how answers varied among different classes of respondents. For each major question asked, cross-correlations were done to see if answers varied based on:
- Industry served.
- General managers vs. marketers vs. engineers.
- Application involvement.
- Sales volume of the organization.
- Years of experience of the respondent.
- Vendors vs. users.
- Type of control product involved.
Significant variations are pointed out and conclusions are drawn from such variations.
*There is a 95% confidence level that the survey data will be in a ± range of 5.4%.
Table of Contents
Section 1 Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Estimates of Machine Control Market Shares
- General Automation Questions
- Programming Languages
- Open Architecture
- PC based Control
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Drives and Motors
- The Internet (www)
- I/O Networks
- Demographic Profile
Chapter 1 Introduction
- Overview
- Methodology
- Limitations
Chapter 2 Estimates of Machine Control Market Shares
- Machine Control Market Estimates
- Estimates by Company Classification
- Estimates by Application and Industry
- Estimates by Job Function
- Estimates by Size
- Estimates by Experience
- Why do you Feel Certain Types of Control Will
- Prosper While Others Will not in the Coming
- 5-10 year Period?
Chapter 3 General Automation Questions
- Machine Vision
- High Growth Area by Company
- Classification
- High Growth Area by Application Product
- High Growth Area by Industries Served
- High Growth Area by Job Function
- Machine Vision by Number of Employees
- Machine Vision by Annual Sales
Chapter 3 Machine Vision
- Machine Vision by years Involved with
- Industrial Machine Control
- Fiber Optics
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industries Served
- By Job Function
- By Number of Employees
- By Size and Experience
- By Years Involved with Industrial Machine Control
- Operator Empowerment (Decision Making)
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Job Function
- By Number of Employees
- By Annual Sales
- By Years Involved with Industrial Machine Control
- Industrial Computers as the Control’s
- Hardware Core
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industries Served
- By Number of Employees
- By Annual Sales
- Software as a Control Vendor’s Differentiating Factor.
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industries Served
- By Job Function
- By Number of Employees
- By Annual Sales
- By Years Involved with Industrial Machine Control
- Issues Machine Control Vendors Have Not
- Addressed
Chapter 4 Programming Languages
- Familiarity of programming languages
- Preference for programming languages
- Programming languages preferred in 10 years
- Why certain languages will survive and others Will not
Chapter 5 Open Architecture
- Support of Open Architecture in Machine Controls
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industries Served
- By Job Function
- By Number of Employees
- By Annual Sales
- By Years Involved with Industrial Machine Control
- Open Architecture Will be a Necessity to
- Compete in 10 Years By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industries Served
- By Job Function
- By Number of Employees
- By Annual Sales
- By Years Involved with Industrial Machine Control
- Software Open to Third parties, but Hardware
- Single Sourced
Chapter 5
- Hardware Open to Third parties, but Software
- Single Sourced
- Software/Hardware Open
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industry Served
- By Job Function
- By Size
- By Experience
- Open Architecture Will Never Succeed in the
- Manufacturing Environment
- Open Architecture Will never succeed
- Cross-correlations
- Open Architecture
- Why Open Architecture Will Either Survive or
- Not Survive in the Manufacturing Environment
- Where Open Architecture for Machine Control is Headed in the Coming 10 Year Period
Chapter 6 PC Based Control
- Support for PC based machine controls
- Offering a PC based control will be a necessity to compete in 10 years
- Reliability of PCs for machine control
- Success of PC based control in the Manufacturing environment
- Why PC based controls will or will not Survive in the manufacturing environment
Chapter 6
- PCs Role in Machine Control
- PCs used for diagnosis/troubleshooting Of controllers
- PCs as the primary operator interface
- PCs used for programming controllers
- PCs used for the execution of logic to Replace PLCs
- PCs used for the real-time control of servos
- PCs used for machine tool controls
- Where PC based control is headed
Chapter 7 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Awareness, Familiarity, and Impact of AI
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industry Served
- By Job Description
- By Size
- By Experience
- Where and Why Factory Automation will be Impacted By AI
Chapter 8 Drives and Motors
- Power Blocks and Intelligent Drives
- Preference for Intelligent/Power Blocks
- Advantage(s) of an All-Purpose Drive
- Premium the All-Purpose Drive is Worth
- SERCOS
- Familiarity with SERCOS
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industry Served
- By Job Function
- By Company Size
Chapter 8
- Company Adoption of SERCOS within 10 Years
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- By Job Function
- By Size and Experience
- SERCOS becoming the Standard
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- By Job Function
- By Size and Experience
- A Better Standard Than SERCOS Will Come Along
- Likes and Dislikes of SERCOS
- Possible Alternatives to SERCOS
- The Future of Motors and Drives
- More Intelligence in the Drive
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- By Job Function
- By Size and Experience
- AC Brushless Servos Will Dominate Over
- DC Servos
- Stepping Motors Will Dominate in Fractional
- HP Applications
- Linear Motors Have a Bright Future
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- By Size and Experience
Chapter 8
- Switched Reluctance Motors Have a Bright Future
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- By Job Function
- By Company Size
- By Experience
- Frameless Motors Have a Bright Future
- By Company Classification
- By Job Function
- By Size and Experience
Chapter 9 The Internet (www)
- The 10 year outlook for Internet Usage
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products
- By Industry
- By Job Function
- By Size
- By Experience
Chapter 10 I/O Networks
- I/O Networks Overview
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- Company Use of I/O Networks
- By Company Classification
- By Application Product and Industry
- By Job Description
- By Size and Experience
- Company Plans to use I/O Networks
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- By Job Description
- By Size and Experience
Chapter 10
- Future of I/O Networks
- By Company Classification
- By Application Products and Industry
- By Job Function
- By Size and Experience
Chapter 11 Demographic Profile
- Company Classification
- Control Application and Involvement
- Industries in which Respondents do business
- Respondent’s Primary Job Function
- Number of Employees in Respondent’s Division
- Years Experience with Industrial Machine
- Control for Factory Automation
Appendix A Sample Size Calculation
Survey Questionnaire
Appendix B Summary of Survey Data
Appendix C Listing of Open Ended Survey Responses
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