Electronic drive technology until 2016 at packaging machines
Packaging machines - dynamic engine for automation technology
High growth expectations and a dynamic increasing use of electronic drive technology, in particular servo drives, make this sector to a driving engine for the automation technology.
Packaging machines belong to the most drive-intensive sectors
May 6th, 2014 - The different situation in production and export of the packaging machine-builders on the one hand leads unified on the other hand to a dynamic adaptation of the automation technology at the packaging machines in the future.
Packaging machines belong to the most drive-intensive sectors of the machinery industry. They are in second place in the ranking of the ten investigated sectors of the German machinery industry. 16% of the electronic drive technology in these ten sectors will alone be implemented with packaging machines until 2016.
The projected growth packaging machines’ production consists of 9% per year to 2016 as mentioned. This adds up for four years from 2013 to 2016 to a plus of 42%. So dynamically will also grow the number of electronic drive components at packaging machines, i.e. by 41%.
- Source: Market survey by Quest TechoMarketing "The future of the use of servo drives until 2016 in the German machinery industry".
Accelerated use of servo drives in the future
The focal point of this dynamic development is the servo drive, the king discipline of the drive technology.
In the ranking of the ten servo-intensive sectors packaging machines impose the second rank. 17% of all servo-drives will be implemented at packaging machines until 2016. So the number of servo-drives at packaging machines will increase by 58% until 2016. This value ranges noticeably over the increase of the number of electronic drive components at packaging machines by 41%. So packaging machine-builders will force the use of servo drives in the future both at new machines and in the substitution of other drive systems at the current machine program.
Using servo drives the packaging machine-builders feel confident of the classical servo drive for positioning tasks. Afterwards servo drives with technology functions follow for high-end applications. Packaging machine-builders rarely use servo drives with integrated PLC.
The average equipment of packaging machines with electronic drive technology in the year 2016 shows the following diagram.
- Source: Market survey by Quest TechoMarketing "The future of the use of servo drives until 2016 in the German machinery industry".
Servo-similar converters, frequency converters and other drives until 2016
Right behind the servo drive servo-similar converters are on the agenda of the packaging machine-builders. We call servo-similar converters as frequency converters with field-oriented closed-loop control at asynchronous or permanent-field synchronous motors. Also for this drive technology packaging machines are in second place in the related ranking of the ten sectors. 19% of all servo-similar converters in the ten sectors will alone be implemented at packaging machines 2016.
The use of servo-similar converters by packaging machine-builders will grow only below average with 28% until 2016. So the servo-drive will remain first choice.
That applies also to the frequency converter with U/f characteristic. In the related ranking packaging machines will take the fourth place. 12% of all frequency converters in the ten sectors will be used at packaging machines in 2016.
The use of frequency converters will only rise below average with 11% until 2016. This works together with the dynamic development of the servo use as a sign for the fact that frequency converters will in the tendency be substituted by servo drives.
Stepper motors at packaging machines form an important special application. 17% of all stepper motors will be used 2016 at packaging machines imposing third place third in the suitable ranking.
Until 2016 packaging machine-builders intend to double the applications for stepper motors - a development opposite to that in the machinery industry indicating a decrease in the use of stepper motors to 2016.
Finally a glance at the special drive technologies such as DC drive, linear drives and torque motors.
DC drives are very rarely used with 1% share at packaging machines. However, this drive system has found its application at packaging machines because its use will remain unchanged until 2016.
Also direct linear drives are rarely used at packaging machines. Also this drive system has found stable applications at packaging machines expressed in a proportionally growing use until 2016.
For torque motors packaging machines see many new applications in the future. That is why their use is to triple until 2016 on the base of low use numbers. That ties in with the general tendency in the machinery industry that favors torque motors. Packaging machines will be in third place within the ten sectors regarding use of torque motors.
