Trends to Ethernet in the machinery industry
Changing field buses focused on Ethernet marked the most frequent actions made by the machine-builders in 2009. 39% of the machine-builders intended related changes. At the same time machine-builders encounter obstacles with the use of Ethernet during the last four years.
Ethernet – planning and reality
March 1st, 2010 - In 2005 9% of the machines were equipped with Ethernet, of it 8% with TCP/IP and 1% with real time Ethernet.
In the 3 years from 2005 to 2008 the machine-builders wanted to implement Ethernet at 30% of the machines. And what about the reality in 2008? Really 30% of the machines were equipped with Ethernet! However, the bar chart shows a substantial discrepancy.
In 2008 the portion of real time Ethernet is not 18% as intended but about 8%. Accordingly the portion of TCP/IP is not 12% as planned but 22% of the machines.
What is the reason for this discrepancy?
Use of real time Ethernet encounters obstacles
This discrepancy is caused by the fact that components being crucial for the implementation of real time Ethernet did not fulfil sufficiently substantial expectations of the machine-builders. This concerns
- Safety version
- Gigabit transmission
- Line structure
- Power over Ethernet
- Manageable layer-3-devices
- Integrated Ethernet connection for sensors
- Wireless.
Further points show up concerning application engineering, equipment and costs of real time Ethernet. Related to these aspects the machine-builders see likewise substantial expectations not sufficiently fulfilled, i.e.
- to be able of projecting more simply and faster
- to be able of using just one single Ethernet field bus
- to be able to benefit from a better price performance ratio.
Overcoming obstacles by innovations
These not sufficiently fulfilled but as substantial regarded expectations of the machine-builders explain the reason why the implementation of real time Ethernet has been taken place restrained and more slowly than intended.
At the same time these disappointments could work as the starting points for innovations of products and applications to real time Ethernet by the Ethernet suppliers.