Richard Joseph Sheftic

The MAP evolution continues: a 1988 user perspective

The Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP) is a local area network designed specifically for the manufacturing plant environment. Writing from a users perspective, the authors first review the reasons whey MAP was defined and how it has evolved to its existing state. Next, the components of MAP are discussed with an emphasis on the design of MAP application programs. This includes a discussion of the MAP network services and their associated user interfaces. Several examples of manufacturing system installation utilizing MAP are presented, and the characteristics of the applications are discussed. The authors conclude with a discussion of the latest MAP issues and their effect on MAP network implementations.<<ETX>>