A Brief Guide to Industrial Automation and Control

Industrial automation is mainly aimed at increasing productivity and reducing the costs that are associated with the human workforce. It also contributes to the increased flexibility and quality of the automation processes. 

Innovative products, such as Schneider Electric PLC and solutions to improve industrial automation and control systems are under constant development. Industrial automation was born with the Industrial Revolution in the 1970s and received a major boost with the development of the American automotive industry. Since then, it has grown exponentially in the application and technological performance. 

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What Is Industrial Automation and Control?

The term automation indicates a tool, process, or system necessary to make one or more machines operate automatically without direct human intervention. Therefore, industrial automation includes all those technologies and systems capable of controlling and managing flows of materials, information, and energy resources in one or more industrial production processes. 

An automated system consists of a plant to be controlled, the control system via an automation computer, and the I/O systems. This environment has sensors, which collect control data, and actuators, which apply the commands. 

Functions of Industrial Automation

Every company that chooses to automate one or more processes, or even an entire production line, looks for solutions designed for their specific needs and objectives. Among these objectives, the most widespread is undoubtedly the reduction of costs and processing times against higher productivity and a lower risk for the operator. Companies like Schneider Electric are working towards bridging the gap between sustainability and progress through automation.

Automation technology systems include several key functions, including measuring and control functions. Other tasks of the system are regulation and communication. As a technical guidance system, the control center forms the area responsible for monitoring all processes. This is the so-called human-machine interface. Industrial automation systems are usually divided into four types:

• Fixed automated systems
• Programmable automated systems
• Flexible automated systems
• Integrated automated systems

Advantages of Industrial Automation

The advantages, characteristics, and peculiarities of Industrial automation are many and largely dependent on the application sectors. When working with human operators in an industry, the companies must pay the workers monthly wages. Additionally, they have to pay healthcare costs and offer paid leaves to the employees. 

This can lead to higher operational costs for the business. If the safety standards are not followed properly, or a worker gets injured, the company has to bear expenses like medical bills and compensation for the physical trauma. Implementing industrial automation can help you prevent all these costs that can lead to significant savings for the company.

Disadvantages of Industrial Automation

The initial investment required to implement industrial automation in manufacturing processes is very high. Furthermore, an additional cost would be required to arrange technical training for the employees. This will impart the necessary skills needed for handling the new equipment.

Conclusion

Originally, the aim of automation was to make the machine do repetitive actions that were previously performed by the workers. This goal has remained but has evolved, including expectations regarding resource optimization and execution speed.