Industrial Automation

Industrial automation

Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services.

Definition:

Automation has been defined as “the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production and delivery of products and services.”

In earlier days to automate the system, they were using electro-mechanical control devices, such as relays and Mechanical timers and counters with human feedback to perform the logic.


Industrial automation

Defined as the use of control devices and technologies that results in the automated operation and control of industrial processes to achieve superior performance.

Automation device includes PLC’s, HMI’s, VFD’s, INDUSTRIAL PC’s, etc. and technology includes various industrial communication systems.


Objective

The main objective of Automation Control System used in the industry are:

To increase productivity
To improve the quality of the product
To reduce the manufacturing time and production cost
Increasing safety in working conditions
Industrial Revolution


Types Of Automation In The Industry

1. Permanent/Fixed Automation

Designed to do a specific task.

The functions of the control circuit is fixed and permanent.
It will be complicated if we want to do another task apart from the existing task
High volume at low cost, inflexible
Example –conveyor system, assembly machines, etc.,

2. Programmable/Flexible Automation

Reprogrammed to do many different tasks

Programmable automation or flexible automation is a complex control system that can perform several tasks
Functions of the control circuit programmed by the user and can be modified.
When the task to be performed by machines changed, changes only need to be done by making modifications to the machine control program.
Lower volume/ higher variety, very flexible
Example: Welding Process, automatic guided vehicles, automobiles, and multipurpose CNC machines

Advantages

Replacing human operators in tasks that involve hard physical work.
Replacing humans in tasks done in dangerous environments (i.e. fire, space, volcanoes, nuclear facilities, underwater, etc.)
Performing tasks that are beyond human capabilities of size, weight, speed, endurance, etc.
Economy improvement
Reduces operation time and work handling time significantly
Disadvantages

High initial cost
High development costs
A skilled maintenance department is often required to service and maintain the automation system in proper working order. Failure to maintain the automation system will ultimately result in lost production and/or bad parts being produced
Security Threats/Vulnerability
Industrial Control Systems

Industrial control system or ICS has different types of control systems that are currently used in various industries, are Embedded System, PLC, DCS, and SCADA

Embedded System – In this control system, small components are attached to the industrial computer system with the help of a network and controls. It’s applicable in smaller applications
PLC – These devices are computer-based and are used to control various processes and equipment’s within a facility.
DCS – Distributed Control Systems consist of decentralized elements and all the processes are controlled by these elements. Human interaction is minimized so the labor costs and injuries can be reduced
SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition refers to a centralized system and this system is composed of various subsystems like RTUs, HMI, PLC, and Communications
Hierarchy of Industrial Automation System

The five levels of industrial automation systems are

Management Level
Planning Level
Supervisory Level
Control Level
Field Level

Field Level is the lowest level of the automation industry, all field devices like sensors, motors, actuators and field instruments, all electrical and mechanical components are connected in this level

The main task of these field devices is to transfer the data of processes and machines to the next higher level for monitoring and analysis.

Control Level consists of various automation devices like CNC, PLC, PAC, DCS, etc. To monitor and controls the process parameter based on the program or control technique

In Supervisory Level is a centralized database which includes all the various parameter to monitor and records of various parameters, alarms, historical information, machine start and stops information.

Management Level and Planning Level these are the top level of automation which manages the whole system, The tasks of this level include production planning, customer and market analysis, orders and sales, etc.

The main task of these levels is to control the production from the beginning to the final product to improve the production and All the decision will be taken at the management level. So it deals more with commercial activities and less with technical aspects.