Market survey in machinery industry about engineering

The market shares of mechatronic machines in the German machinery industry

The extent, at which mechatronics at the machines is implemented in the German machinery industry in 2014, discovers the current market survey by Quest TechnoMarketing about the engineering of the machine automation.

 

October 15th, 2014 - Mechatronics indicates the narrow connection of mechanics, electrotechnology and information technology at the machine.  

 

97% of the machine-builders assess mechatronics being already implemented to larger or lower extent at the machines. For 1% of the machine-builders mechatronics is not an issue, further 2% see mechatronics depending on the type of machine, so can be realized or not.  

 

The diagram shows to which extent mechatronics is implemented at the machines, i.e. which are the market shares of mechatronic machines.

50% of the machine-builders produce mechatronic machines

For 50% of the machine-builders mechatronics is realized for all or most functional areas of the machine.  

Further 26% of the machine-builders implemented mechatronics for approximately half of the functional areas of the machine.  

And with 21% of the machine-builders individual functional areas of the machine are organized in mechatronic manner.  

Mechatronics is crossing all ten investigated, automation-relevant sectors of the German machinery industry. Of course, there are sectors with above average and such with below average degree of mechatronic machines. These differences we do not deal with in greater detail at this point.

• „(Mechatronics) with the separation in recycling systems separating shredded PET bottles from their paper labels by means of sensors and control technology.“ (Building/glass/ceramic machines)
  
  
• „Everything that makes today the mechanics is supported by electrotechnology/informatics.“ (Food processing machines)
  
  
• „Whether assembling, checking or packaging are concerned mechanics is always combined with software, both do not work separately.“ (Robotics and automation)
  
  
• „Much motion control runs via electrical cam discs and movement profiles.“ (Printing/paper handling machines)
  
  
• "All functions from the mechanical movement over the hydraulic drive up to the valve pilot everything runs by electronic control instructions“. (Conveyer)
  
  
• „That does not go at all differently with our 5-axes-milling-machines (than with mechatronics)“ (Machine tools).

Mechatronics changing the construction process of machines

Mechatronics is changing the construction process of machines, which is only suggested at this point:

• „From the beginning we differently organized our company structure. The electrical design is directly combined with the mechanics operating commonly the core of the machine making together the development; that is not separated with us. Then electro-technology makes also the software.“ (Food processing machines)
  
  
• „For new components the developer approaches differently than in former times. Today software is building the functions based on mechanics assigning the electrical and mechanical components. At this point the weights of the mechanics as leading factor, as in former times, shifted to the IT. Therefore today such things are only developable in a cooperative manner with us. When it comes to determine the specifications all are present. Usually the IT-specialist is the one who describes the machine.“ (Wood processing machines)

Do not make the trend to mechatronic machines an absolute

Mechatronic organization of the machines is the main trend but not the sole trend and not the right trend for all applications.  

Machine-builders are stressing costs and the situation with the end-users:

• „This topic is to be regarded more strongly from costs related to the conventional solutions. Also as far as maintenance and repairs in the operations are concerned, service man power get easier along with simple gears, clutches etc. In contrast mechatronic solutions demand specialists.“ (Textile machines)

Another textile machine-builder implemented mechatronics gradually:

• „There is a basic version of the machine providing less “mechatronics” regarding function range and the mainly sold machine with full configuration. The competitive advantage of this machine is based on mechatronics.“  

Or mechatronics is limited in regard to subordinated function units or manual machines:

• „For subordinated function units and manual machines (mechatronics is) not provided.“ (Packaging machines)  

More details provide the Quest study „The engineering of the automation technology at the machines until 2017 in the German machinery industry“. Quest TechnoMarketing investigated 23% of the machine-builders in 10 sectors with 100 and more employees in the mid of 2014.