Notes

What is Industrial Automation & How it Evolved
What is industrial Automation

Industrial Automation is a technique where we make hand over human control to machines. In industrial automation machines are developed to accomplish the tasks which individuals utilized to achieve. Why it is done? Because of Programmable logic controller :

Through Industrial automation we could do mass production with less manpower
Quality in the technique is increased
Safety of man & products are increased
More accurate process control
Since human intervention is less so reliability from the system is higher
Systems operate is low power, more electronic control so equipment our 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 process at each step. Human intervention was there each and every step. Drawbacks were substandard quality output, errors involved with 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 at the begining of 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 in the logic was very complex procedure since lots of rework was required to accomplish alternation in logic. So time taken up 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 task, electronic logic gates were chosen for achieving logical operations. they replaced switching devices like relays and contactors inside control circuits. Electronic times & counters replaced mechanical timers & counters. Due to use of electronics space as well as requirements reduced, maintenance requirement reduced & systems were more reliable.
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