What is industrial Automation

Industrial Automation is often a technique where we make give human control to machines. In continue reading this are designed to accomplish the tasks which human beings utilized to achieve. Why it is done? Because of its advantages:

Through Industrial automation we will do mass production with less manpower
Quality in the technique is increased
Safety of individual & devices are increased
More accurate process control
Since human intervention is less so reliability with the system is higher
Systems operate is low power source, more electronic control so equipment life is higher
Changes in process logic becomes easier since logics are changed mostly through software

Principal Industrial Automation MNCs

L & T • ALSTOM

Schneider • FESTO

Siemens • Fuji Electric

Allen Bradley • Toshiba

Messung • TATA Honeywell

Modicon • Omron

Mitsubishi • Fanuc

Asia Automation • Delta

How industrial automation control system Evolved?

Initially automation was achieved through manual control, operators utilized to control the method at each and every step. Human intervention was there at each and every step. Drawbacks were inferior output, errors linked to human involvement affected compromised safety, wastage of raw material, and accuracy of human action.

Then came Pneumatic Control: Industrial automation with this era was achieved through invention of pneumatic controllers noisy . 1920s. Automation was achieved by controlling air to pneumatic valves, which were actually switched on/off by relays and switches. They were very bulky and changing of the logic was very complex procedure since a lot of rework was forced to accomplish difference in logic. So time delivered to complete task changes was very high

Hard wired logic control: contactors, relays (for switching), timers and counters (for timing and counting) were used for achieving desired industrial automation. But these systems also resulted into bulky panels. A lot of wiring was involved so time taken up complete task was higher. Defect investigation & troubleshooting was complex.

Electronic Control using Logic Gates: In early 60s electronics dominated the method, electronic logic gates were utilized for achieving logical operations. they replaced switching devices like relays and contactors inside the control circuits. Electronic times & counters replaced mechanical timers & counters. Due to usage of electronics space and requirements reduced, maintenance requirement reduced & systems were more reliable.