ESE 3217
Instrumentation and Control
Lecture 01- Overview of automation
Khaza Shahriar
Lecturer
Department of Energy Science and Engineering
Khulna University of Engineering and Technology
References
1. Industrial Automation from Scratch - Olushola Akande
2. Programmable Logic Controllers - W. Bolton
3. Programmable Logic Controllers - Frank D. Petruzella
4. A Real-Time Approach to Process Control - William Y.
Svrcek, Donald P. Mahoney, Brent R. Young
Instrumentation Automation
Functional elements of a Introduction of PLC, PLC Hardware,
measurement system; Sensors for Definitions of Allen-Bradley conditional
temperature, flow, velocity, linear inputs and outputs, I/O configuration,
distance, level, pressure, force, pH Programming Terminals and
measurement; Control valve sizing Peripherals, Application of PLC in
and selection; Control signal Automation, Automation system
transmission and related industry components, Industrial communications,
standards; Study of piping Continuous control, overview of SCADA
instrument diagram (P&ID); Basic and DCS systems; Microcontroller
basics, classification, basic Architecture,
components of Data acquisition
memory, registers, I/O ports.
system, Error analysis and
calibrations.
Understanding Process Control & Automation
● PLCs, and other forms of controllers replace human decision-making
● Sensors replace the eyes and ears
● The actuators replace the hands, as explained previously
Industrial Automation
Definition
❖ Automation is the use of logical programming commands and mechanized equipment to replace the
decision making and manual command-response activities of human beings.
❖ Industrial automation is where computers, robots, and other control devices are used to operate machines
and equipment that's used in manufacturing or processing plant with little human intervention.
Evolution
● Before industrial automation, items were hand-made by individual craftsmen and women and it could
take hours or days to manufacture a single item.
● There was a development in the 18th century where items were produced by machines. These
machines/tools were operated by humans.
● A further shift in manufacturing was the introduction of assembly lines/production lines in the 19th
century, which further reduced production time and costs as different workers could operate different
machines in different sections of the production or assembly lines, leading to mass production.
● Nowadays, many factories have machines/tools in the production line being operated automatically by
devices and control systems. Repetitive tasks such as filling, capping, and stamping are now
automated.
● With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), machines that can even think like humans are being
developed to handle human operations that we could not previously even imagine being handled by a
machine.
Automation System Block DIagram
Types of industrial automation
• Fixed automation system
• Programmable automation system
• Flexible automation system
• Integrated automation system
Ref: 01 chap 01
Types of industrial automation
Fixed automation system
➔ The series of operations that must be performed on the raw material are fixed.
➔ The machines involved are programmed or configured to produce a specific design for a product.
➔ Characterized by a high production rate, high efficiency, and high initial cost and is suitable for
manufacturing a large volume of products that will have a low cost per product.
Examples of fixed automation systems are as follows:
• Paint and coating automation process
• Automatic assembly machines
• Bread production lines
Programmable automation system
➔ The machines involved can be used to manufacture different styles of products.
➔ However, this requires reprogramming and changeover for each new style of product, which takes time
to accomplish and creates downtime in production.
➔ Suitable for manufacturing where identical or similar styles of products are produced within a certain
time frame.
➔ This is usually referred to as batch production.
Examples of programmable automation systems are as follows:
• Industrial robot
• Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine
Types of industrial automation
Flexible automation system
➔ An advanced form of programmable automation systems.
➔ Also require reprogramming and changeover for each new style of product, but does not take time to
accomplish as it is done in a programmable automation system.
➔ The product styles that a flexible automation system can produce are sufficiently limited so that the
changeover can be accomplished very quickly and automatically.
➔ A flexible automation system allows a different range of products to flow through the line with little
downtime.
Examples of flexible automation systems are as follows:
• Automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
• Flexible Assembly System (FAS)
Integrated automation system
➔ An integrated automation system integrates various machines and tools such as CAD, robots, cranes,
conveyors and other automated machineries to work under a single control system to execute an
automation system of a production process.
➔ It allows the entire manufacturing plant to be automated and controlled by computers with less human
intervention.
Examples: computer integrated manufacturing (CIM)
Levels of industrial automation
The simplest way to describe the
levels/hierarchy of industrial
automation is by using a three-level
representation, as shown here:
Laps that raise me
Hands that teach me
Shoulders that support me
Arms that embrace me
Forces that tame me
The nature that reminds me–
"There are no inventions, only discoveries!"
