Motor and drives research on purchasing, challenges, future

Motor-drive research insights

• Control Engineering 2024 Motors and Drives Audience Research Report reveals that technical and customer support and product quality are among factors highly considered in selecting motors and drives.
• Desired features in motors and drives include sustainability, durability and better controls.
• Write-in advice from motor-drive survey respondents includes cost, efficiency, harmonics mitigation and friendly programming.

The Control Engineering 2024 Motors and Drives Audience Research Report reveals key trends about motor and drives purchasing behaviors, challenges with motor and drive selection, integration and use and subscribers’ desires for future features in motors and drives. Some results are summarized below with more advice and two more graphics online; a 22-page downloadable report is available free with this article at www.controleng.com, part of WTWH Media.

Motor and drive purchasing trends: Control Engineering 2024 research

“When selecting motors and drives, respondents are most influenced by technical and customer support, product quality, previous experience with the brand, and alignment of the brand’s product/service with their project’s requirements,” said Amanda Pelliccione, marketing research manager, WTWH Media and Control Engineering, in the report (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Technical and customer support, product quality, previous experience with the brand, and alignment of the brand’s product/service with their project’s requirements were the leading factors influencing brand preference, according to the Control Engineering 2024 Motors and Drives Audience Research Report. Courtesy: Control Engineering

Those were the top four answers on top factors influencing brand preference, providing statistically differentiation among other answers. With 160 respondents, the margin of error for the report is plus or minus 7.7%. Interestingly, these four factors, ranging from 60% to 53%, were significantly higher than initial product cost in the next tier of responses statistically tied with seven other factors (38% to 31%) including company specifications, easier integration with existing network capabilities and lifetime product value (which would include energy efficiency considerations). Later questions showed that 96% of respondents are open to exploring new brands for their next motor or drive purchase, with 57% respondents expressing preference for motors and drives that are easier to program/configure, Pelliccione said.

Motor and drive challenges: Control Engineering 2024 research

That data point supports another finding in the research: “Programming or configuration tops the list of significant challenges respondents face when working with motors and drives in control systems. Other challenges include system integration with existing automation and/or networks and control complexity,” Pelliccione said (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Programming or configuration, system integration and control complexity are the three greatest challenges with existing motors and drives, according to the Control Engineering 2024 Motors and Drives Audience Research Report. Courtesy: Control Engineering

Motor and drive desired features: Control Engineering 2024 research

Desired features in motors and drives include sustainability, durability and better controls. “Respondents are looking forward to energy-saving motor and drive technologies in the next few years,” Pelliccione said, “along with enhanced durability features and advanced control algorithms, among other innovations.”

Motor and drive advice: Control Engineering 2024 research

More than 20 respondents to the survey offered to help their peers in an open-ended question seeking “advice on motor and drive topics for automation and controls.” Key advice follows with more in the online article, lightly edited for style.

Consider initial cost, efficiency, harmonics mitigation and friendly programming.

Automation and controls are no longer optional. Energy efficiency and process optimization are significant factors in the food processing industry because margins are very tight. Whether or not your processes are optimized is often the difference between failure and success for many processors (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Energy savings and durability are the top two anticipated improvements in future motors and drives, according to the Control Engineering 2024 Motors and Drives Audience Research Report. Courtesy: Control Engineering

One of the more difficult topics/projects is the attempted shift from air cylinders with PLC control to a motor drive with the same type of control without excessive costs.

Metallurgical advancement is rarely communicated. The industry should do a better job communicating even the smallest enhancements to the most fundamental motor configurations. Drives have become more compact and efficient over time. How much more is expected to be baked into these drive improvements without the end user knowing? How does the market ensure that old versions of drives are properly retired or offered at a discount to ensure customers know they are not buying the latest and greatest models?

• Return on investment (ROI) is becoming a critical factor in considering potential candidates motors and drives regarding lifetime operations, sustainability and overall costs.
• Provide more about code compliance requirements and applications contingent upon high temperatures and exposure to corrosive environments.
• Today’s motors and drives are very useful with fast and continuous movements and great precision.
• Consider thermal characteristics, harmonics and power.
• Consideration of when to upgrade based on the installed base’s support/availability status.
• I’m interested in artificial intelligence (AI) tools for motors and drives and communication to the cloud/edge.
• We need improved drive reliability and motor reliability along with improved efficiency of drives and motors.
• With motors and drives, consider distance, displacement, speed, velocity, time and acceleration.
• Reduction of harmonics and providing better thermal management continue to be key issues. Thermal management for drives installed outdoors on smaller equipment continues to be a challenge.
• Integrated solutions for drives and motors from the same manufacturer can enhance success.
• Need motor reliability design improvements with simplified controls.
• Application-oriented motor selection for an automation project.
• Predictive maintenance is very important for motor and drive operators.
• Ease of programming helps.

Mark T. Hoske is editor-in-chief, Control Engineering, WTWH Media, mhoske@wtwhmedia.com.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learn that motor and drive research reveals technical and customer support and product quality are among factors highly considered in selecting motors and drives.

Understand that desired features in motors and drives include sustainability, durability and better controls.

Explore considerable write-in advice from motor-drive survey respondents including cost, efficiency, harmonics mitigation and friendly programming.

CONSIDER THIS

Are your motor-drive investments based on metrics beyond initial cost?

ONLINE

https://www.controleng.com/motors-drives/

www.controleng.com/research

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