Sales of servo and stepper motors with built-in positioning electronics will more than double over the coming four years, according to a new study. Although this relatively new technology currently accounts for less than 2% of the servo and stepper market, the market analyst IMS Research predicts that the European and North American markets for these products will grow far faster than sales of separate positioning motors and drives.

This growth will come at the expense of the separate components, rather than creating a new market, IMS adds.

At present, there is only a handful of suppliers of the integrated positioning motor-drives. One of the first on the market was the Swiss manufacturer Sonceboz, whose integrated stepper motors leads this sector, especially in Europe.

In North America, the Californian company Animatics has a dominant position with its integrated servo motor range. It has protected its designs with patents which it is prepared to defend vigorously as its action against Quicksilver Controls demonstrates.

Siemens has the lion`s share of the European market for integrated servo motors.

According to IMS, sectors that are likely to take advantage of these emerging technologies include printing and packaging.