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In the battlefield of industrial automation, the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) is known as the most reliable “control hub”. It functions like a precise neural network, executing complex commands from starting and stopping production lines to coordinating equipment with millisecond-level responses. Its anti-interference capability allows it to operate stably for over ten years even in high-temperature and dusty environments. From automotive welding lines to cement mixing stations, the modular design of PLCs enables engineers to build control systems like stacking blocks, while products from different tiers such as Siemens S7-1500 and Inovance are showcasing the eternal game between technical performance and cost control.
Technical Benchmark: International Giants Dominate the High-End Market
- Siemens: The “all-rounder” in the field of industrial automation, with a global market share of nearly 50%. The S7-1500 series supports AI integration, improving programming efficiency by 5-8 times, and is nearly monopolistic in complex scenarios such as automotive and chemical industries. However, the high technical threshold and expensive price have led the industry to joke that it is “buying software and getting hardware for free”.
- Mitsubishi Electric: The “fine craftsman” in the Asian market, the FX series small PLC is known for its100kHz high-speed pulse output and multi-axis linkage, making it a standard for CNC machine tools and electronic devices. Its ladder diagram programming is highly compatible, allowing engineers to get started quickly, but the closed ecosystem limits its expandability.
Domestic Rise: Breaking Through with Cost Performance and Specialized Technology
- Delta: The “king of cost performance”, priced at only 1/32 of Siemens’ comparable products! It supports EtherCAT protocol, has strong anti-interference capabilities, and is the “go-to” for small and medium projects. The EH2 series has a pulse frequency of up to 500kHz, making it a cost-saving tool for small and medium manufacturing enterprises.
- Inovance: A “dark horse” in the new energy sector, the Inothink series has a response speed ofmicroseconds and supports EtherCAT/CANopen multi-bus. In servo control for lithium battery production lines, its cost performance surpasses that of Mitsubishi’s similar products.
- XINJE: The “bargain price” for small and medium enterprises, priced at only 70% of Delta’s. The XD series supports 10-axis pulse output, and its user-friendly interface lowers the threshold for engineers, making it a safe choice in the textile machinery field.
- HollySys: A “lone warrior” in high-end domestic PLCs, the LK series large PLC is100% independently controllable, with performance comparable to Siemens S7-1500, already applied in national projects such as the Three Gorges Hydropower Station.
- Huazhong Xunda: The JIC PLC 8010 based on the Loongson 3A5000 chip achieves100% localization, with a 2ms task cycle driving 512 servo axes, outperforming foreign counterparts and solving the “bottleneck” problem.
⚖️ King of PLC Cost Performance: Scenario-Based Showdown
🔍 1. Small and Medium Projects: Domestic Products Win
- Delta/XINJE: The first choice for limited budgets. For example, in a packaging machine renovation project, the Delta DVP series controls costs at the thousand-yuan level, while the XINJE XD5 supports 4-axis motion control, further reducing costs by 30%.
- Inovance: Preferred for motion control scenarios. Its H5U small PLC supports EtherCAT bus, with 6-axis synchronous control priced at only 60% of Mitsubishi’s similar models.
🏗️ 2. Large Systems: Domestic vs. Foreign
- Siemens: Still dominant in complex systems such as chemical and automotive production lines, with the stability of the S7-1500 verified over 20 years, but the cost per set often exceeds 100,000 yuan.
- HollySys/Huazhong Xunda: The first choice for scenarios requiring independent control. The Huazhong JIC PLC 8010 has been used in wind power control, priced 40% lower than Siemens, with no risk of supply chain shortages.
🤖 3. High-Precision Fields: Differentiated Choices
- Mitsubishi: Still the first choice for precision injection molding machine control, with a repeat positioning accuracy of 0.1μm that is hard to replace.
- Inovance: A dark horse in the new energy lithium battery production line, with motion control response speedsurpassing Japanese brands, and costs reduced by another 25%.
Future Trends: Acceleration of Domestic Substitution and Differentiation of Technical Routes
- Localization of Foreign Brands: Mitsubishi has launched the “Ringing” brand in China, while Siemens may introduce a simplified version to cater to the small and medium market.
- High-End Domestic Products: Domestic PLCs have partially surpassed foreign brands inAI integration (such as dynamic path planning), with the HollySys LK series receiving orders in the defense sector.
- Ongoing Price Wars: Delta, XINJE, and others have squeezed 30% of the premium space from foreign brands, and prices for small and medium PLCs may drop another 20% in the next three years.
Popular Sayings in the Engineer Community: “For small and medium projects, choose Delta, XINJE, and Inovance; for major national projects, choose Huazhong and HollySys.” “If the budget is tight, go for domestic; if precision is critical, choose Mitsubishi.”
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