What Is Industrial Automation?

Industrial automation is a step on the ladder of manufacturing evolution. The first industrial revolution, or Industry 1.0, saw the discovery of water and steam power. This enabled manufacturers to build machinery that would do the work of human hands, but more cheaply and quickly. Industry 2.0 added electricity to these mechanical processes and created mass production.

Industry 3.0 introduced electronics and information technology to the mix, so that mass production processes could be fully automated. Computers or robots function as a control system, using information technologies (IT) to run the whole production process.

Industry 4.0 connects these automated industrial systems to the Internet. It combines the mechanical functions of production machinery and control systems and then merges them with the capabilities of IT. All this is then interconnected with the Internet’s reaction and feedback capabilities, resulting in what’s called the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

What’s The Impact On Manufacturing?

Industry 1.0 and 2.0 used powered machinery to replace manual labour, but humans were still needed to operate the machines. With Industry 3.0 automation replaced human involvement with the use of logical coded commands, but these still had to be programmed. In other words, humans still make the decisions, but these decisions are translated into code that the machines understand.

Industry 4.0 has even less human input, with the development of artificial intelligence, machine learning and cyber-physical systems. These advances enable total integrated automation of industrial processes. Every area and operation in a facility is equipped with connected actuating devices, field sensors and efficient control devices. Some form of PLC is used as the control device, and human interaction is confined to an HMI console or other graphical interface.

What Are Cyber-Physical Systems?

CPS are essentially systems embedded within a manufacturing or production network that have both a cyber or digital sphere and a physical sphere of operations. A continuous and iterative stream of information is exchanged between these two spheres, building up a store of big data. The physical aspect of CPS mostly consists of sensors, which record environmental conditions such as temperature, air pressure or flow and feed data back digitally to the cyber sphere for evaluation.

Using local computing power, this information can be analysed and used to adjust the operating environment of the physical sphere with actuating devices. Alternatively, the data may be shared with other entities using communication interfaces and external computing power, like the cloud. The big bonus of CPS is that they can either be completely autonomous or programmed to interact or collaborate with human beings. Enhanced connectivity means that any human monitoring can be done remotely.

Advantages Of Industrial Automation

The original purpose of automation was to keep machinery running 24/7 to increase output. It was also intended to reduce labour costs and thereby increase overall profitability. Modern industrial automation still has these goals embedded, but with additional considerations. Manufacturers want to improve product quality and safety as well as make more efficient use of raw materials and energy supply.

Increased Flexibility

Industrial automation can provide much greater flexibility in the production process. For example, introducing a new task to the assembly line, or altering an existing one, is done simply through reprogramming control commands. In contrast, human operators take longer to train and familiarise with altered processes.

Increased Accuracy and Precision

CPS and robots can be very precisely programmed to perform tasks within extremely narrow parameters. They can repeat an action endlessly with no variation in precision or accuracy, cutting error rates down to as little as 0.00001%. AI can assist in learning and refining many processes, streamlining the business from top to bottom. The automated collection of big data means you can gather more accurate production information at less cost. This enables business owners to make more accurate, fact-based decisions on matters like improving efficiency and reducing waste.

Increased Product Quality

Product uniformity and quality control can be programmed in from the inception of production processes. This can then be maintained throughout the process with automated adaptive monitoring and control.

Increased Productivity

Industrial automation provides better control of production and increases production rates. Mass production is enhanced by drastic reductions in assembly time for each unit and continuous plant operation. As well as eliminating the various hazards associated with human operation, production plants no longer require scheduled shut-down periods for holidays or maintenance.

Reduced Operational Costs

The knock-on effect of increased industrial automation is reducing operational costs. The need for human input is vastly reduced, so there are great savings to be made on wages, benefits, training and recruitment. The maintenance costs of CPS and other industrial automated systems are much lower, too, because they have a much lower failure rate. Maintenance is minimal and repairs typically only require a computer engineer or IT specialist. Closed-loop control techniques enable the automatic setting and adjustment of desired values or process variables, so no human monitoring is necessary.

Increased Safety

As well as reducing the possibility of human error in product quality, industrial automation also makes the workplace safer with the installation of many safety devices and sensors. In addition, workers in traditionally hazardous environments such as mines, underwater and aerial applications can now be replaced by industrial robots, drones and remote devices.

Disadvantages Of Industrial Automation

Despite its many positive advantages, there is a downside to industrial automation, and one that deters many business owners from conversion. The initial investment is presently very high, and there may well be a lot of work involved to convert the human-operated business to a fully automatic one. There are also substantial costs involved in recruiting and training employees with the necessary skillsets. Electronic equipment is increasingly sophisticated, and there may be an insufficient pool of potential employees who are equipped to handle it.

Looking To The Future

In brief, industrial automation is the automatic control and operation of industrial processes. Programmable control devices and connected technologies mean production can take place without significant human intervention. Despite the challenges of the transition, the upshot of these developments is that they achieve superior performance, increasing productivity and profits at less cost to the manufacturer.