MAP 3. 0 Product Overview

Abstract

MAP - the Manufacturing Automation Protocol - came a long way from the early eighties, when General Motors formed its “MAP Task Force” to find ways of reducing the high cost of manufacturing automation, to MAP Version 3.0 which is based on ISO international standards supporting all seven layers of the OSI Reference Model. Now MAP is recognized as the international standard for industrial communication networks by the leading industrial regions in the world: North-America, Europe (East and West), Japan and Australia.

With the debut of MAP 3.0 at the Enterprise Networking Event in Baltimore in June of 1988, the intend to keep MAP 3.0 stable for 6 years and prices for MAP products reduced, MAP reached a level of maturity such that it can now be used for the implementation of manufacturing automation projects. The most important feature of MAP 3.0 is MMS, the Manufacturing Message Specification, which is a powerful application protocol or language for computer to factory floor device communications. MMS actually makes MAP usable.

Currently, MAP 3.0 is supported by more than 30 vendor companies from the USA, Japan and Europe with products available for most relevant computers and for some important controls covering the area controller, cell controller and device levels of manufacturing applications. The wait for MAP is over now after Digital Equipment, IBM and Siemens finally announced MAP 3.0 support for their products.

Although the set of MAP 3.0 products is still small, it is sufficient to start MAP implementation projects as is evidenced by major installations in North-America (e.g. General Motors, Dupont, Xerox), Japan (e.g. Isuzu Motors, Omron) and in Europe (e.g. Vauxhall, Renault, Volkswagen).

However, before MAP can be used on a larger scale by a wider variety of companies and industries, the following conditions must be met:

• 1. More PLC, NC machine tool, robot and other automation equipment companies must follow the lead of computer companies and integrate MAP 3.0 and the appropriate functionality of MMS into their products,

• 2. All MAP products must be conformance tested and tested for interoperability institutions tested for interoperability with key MAP with other MAP products to minimize systems integration costs,

• 3. Finally, users must include MAP in their strategic networking plans, must make MAP and MMS the basis for their factory automation projects, and must demand MAP products from their favored equipment suppliers.