Kvaser joined Axiomatic, Intercontrol, and Sontheim on the CAN in Automation (CiA) booth at CONEXPO in March in Las Vegas, USA, where interest in CAN, J1939, and CAN FD remained strong among construction‑equipment engineers and OEMs. The booth focused on CANopen and J1939 networks in construction, earth‑moving equipment and the industry’s migration toward CANopen FD and J1939‑22. It also focused on ongoing discussions around cybersecurity, functional safety, and how CAN complements emerging embedded‑AI applications.
News
28/04/2026
by Kvaser
Kvaser highlights from CONEXPO 2026
With many machines still built around distributed electronics and CAN‑based control, attendees arrived looking for tools and guidance to simplify day‑to‑day engineering work. According to Dan Kasamis, head of Kvaser US, conversation was frequently about three recurring challenges: the difficulty of maintaining reliable wireless connectivity in rugged environments, growing curiosity about the new J1939‑22 standard, and a strong preference for simple engineering loggers over full telematics systems.
“A lot of engineers just want a straightforward way to capture and understand what’s happening on the network, without the overhead of a full telematics stack,” Dan noted.
Kvaser demonstrated CanKing 7 throughout the show, drawing steady interest, particularly around its new signal‑plotting capabilities, which is available through a CanKing Extension. “People really appreciated having a free, lightweight tool that still gives them meaningful visualization,” Dan said. “When you compare that to paid alternatives that run $500 to $1500, it definitely stands out.”
A move towards software‑defined machines
While most OEMs described their CAN architectures as stable and familiar, Dan saw a different trajectory in the autonomy space. Companies retrofitting autonomous systems onto existing machines, such as Built Robotics, are driving demand for better data visualization and more software‑centered workflows, requiring deep visibility into CAN and J1939 data, faster iteration, and tools that help validate complex machine behaviour in real time.
Left to right: Daniel Kasamis, Tammy Purdy from Kvaser and Reiner Zitzmann, General Manager at CiA
linkedin
twitter
youtube
youku
weixin
1...2...3...