Acceptance for application-optimized I/O modules have been increasing for three years
Application-optimized I/O modules have been gaining increasing acceptance among machine-builders for three years.
Increasing acceptance since 2009
March 12th, 2012 - From 2009 to 2011 Quest TechnoMarketing had been pursuing the use of application-optimized I/O modules in the machinery industry.
In this period the portion of the machine-builders implementing application-optimized I/O modules or extending their use had doubled from 8% in 2009 to 16% in 2011.
Application-optimized I/O modules…
…are determined for this survey as I/O modules
- that are adapted to the machines application
- integrating cost-reduced analogue or digital I/Os completed by pre-processing
- optimizing size, type of protection, wiring method
- lowering assembling times and additionally protecting against product piracy.
Implementation across the board
2011 application-optimized I/O modules were introduced across all ten investigated sectors of the machinery industry. 2009 and 2010 they were implemented in each case in eight sectors of the machinery industry. So they are definitely not limited to individually specific applications.
Cost reduction as a goal
Cost reduction is an important motive to insert application-optimized I/O modules:
- „Special pre-processing is important for the I/O modules because the machine modules are interlaced all over the I/Os. When it comes to the decision the costs are crucial while size and type of protection is not important. Important, however, is to build up a very simple networking.“ (Building/glass/ceramic machines)
- „By now the field buses have centrally been originating from the control cabinet. Now one would like to implement simpler systems installing intelligent bus terminals at the machine modules. One is hoping for less installation effort and thus also shorter start-up times at the building site.“ (Food processing machines)
- „With the I/O modules one wants to change from X-modules to Y-modules. This is to ensure that no I/Os is vacant in order to save costs thereby.“ (Printing/paper handling machines)
Classifying into the automation trend
Application-optimized I/O modules correspond to the main trend of an ever higher degree of integration of automation. This shows up in integrated total solutions as well as in integrated partial solutions.
Representative results
These results are based on the market study of Quest TechnoMarketing in the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 „What the machine-builders want to change in the automation technology“. More than 30% of the machine-builders with 100 and more employees in 10 sectors took part in each case providing representative results.