openSAFETY with great market potential

 

openSAFETY, the first open and fieldbus-independent safety protocol, has the potential of becoming the standard protocol for safety-oriented data transfer in automation networks. Apart from openSAFETY over POWERLINK, the Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) has implemented fully functional openSAFETY solutions based on Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, and SERCOS III, which will likely lead to a quick establishment and growth of the safety protocol on the market. In April, Factory magazine cited a recent study by the renowned independent market research institute IMS Research, which examined the market shares of Industrial Ethernet systems. According to that, EtherNet/IP has the biggest share of the market at 30%, with PROFINET at 28% as a close second. 22% of the applications use Modbus TCP/IP. 11% use POWERLINK, a fieldbus protocol which is especially well-suited for hard real-time applications. All other systems together make up a share of 9%. The openSAFETY solutions existing to date already open up a potential share of 63% of the applications. Solutions for further Industrial Ethernet standards will follow. Thus, the software provides the chance of a common standard for safety systems, especially since the development of safety-oriented technology is very cost-intensive and manufacturers and plant operators can drastically reduce their development efforts thanks to openSAFETY.

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