Industrial Automation

Ms. Amina Younis,

MCE, UET, Lahore
Manufacturing
Support System

•Manufacturing support systems

are the people, procedures, and
information systems that help a
company plan, control, and
manage production.

•These systems do not directly

touch the product but are essential
for ensuring that production runs
efficiently, on time, and meets
quality standards.

•Purpose: To design processes, plan

production, control orders, and
maintain product quality.
The Information-Processing Cycle

The cycle supports the flow of

information needed for production
control.

It consists of four main functions:

• Business Functions
• Product Design
• Manufacturing Planning
• Manufacturing Control
Information Processing Cycle
 These functions connect the company with customers
— they start and end the information cycle.

Include:
• Sales and marketing
• Sales forecasting
• Order entry
• Cost accounting
• Customer billing

Business Production orders can be of three types:

• Customer-specific design → product made exactly to customer

Function requirements.
• Customer order for a standard product → made from existing product
line.
• Internal order → based on forecasted future demand.

💡 Example:

A car company receives a custom fleet order (type 1) or

builds cars for stock based on sales forecasts (type 3).
 Product Design
The product design function depends on the type of order:

• If the customer provides the design → manufacturer only produces.

• If customer provides specifications → manufacturer’s design team develops and
manufactures it.
• If it’s a proprietary product → manufacturer is fully responsible for design and development.

Departments involved:
• Research and Development (R&D)
• Design Engineering
• Drafting
• Prototype Shop

💡 Example:

Smartphone companies like Samsung or Apple use internal R&D and design
engineering for their proprietary models.
 Product Design
Converts product design information into a production plan.
Main activities include:

1. Process Planning: deciding the sequence of operations.

2. Master Scheduling: setting the overall production timetable.

3. Requirements Planning: managing material needs (MRP).

4. Capacity Planning: ensuring resources (machines, labor) are sufficient.

Departments involved:
◦ Manufacturing Engineering

◦ Industrial Engineering
💡 Example:
In an automobile plant, manufacturing planning defines each operation (e.g.,
welding, painting, assembly) and schedules their sequence.
 1. Process Planning
•Determines the sequence of operations and
assembly steps needed to make the part.
•Decides which machines, tools, and setups will
be used.
•Departments Involved: Manufacturing
Engineering and Industrial Engineering.

Main 💡 Example: Deciding the machining sequence for

Activities in an engine block — turning, drilling, grinding, etc.

MP 2. Master Scheduling
•Defines what products to make, when, and in
what quantities.
•Usually prepared for monthly or weekly
periods.
•It’s the company’s main production timetable.

💡 Example: A washing machine company may

plan to produce 5,000 units in October and 4,000
in November.
 Main Activities in MP
3. Material Requirements Planning (MRP)

•Ensures raw materials, parts, and subassemblies are available when

needed.
•Involves ordering materials, purchasing components, and scheduling
deliveries.

💡 Example: Ordering sheet metal and motors in advance for next month’s
washing machine production.
4. Capacity Planning

•Ensures that machines, labor, and facilities can meet the production
schedule.
•Prevents overloading or underutilizing resources.

💡 Example: Checking if the assembly line can handle 8-hour shifts or if

overtime is required to meet the schedule.
 Manufacturing
Control

•After planning, control ensures that

production follows the plan — including
shop-floor control, inventory control,
and quality assurance.
 Main Activities in Manufacturing Control
1. Shop Floor Control

•Monitors progress of production — tracking each job or part as it moves through

the factory.
•Ensures work is done on schedule and identifies delays or bottlenecks.

💡 Example: Tracking car doors as they pass through welding, painting, and
assembly stations.

2. Inventory Control

•Manages the materials and parts inventory — including raw materials, work-in-
process, and finished goods.
•Objective: Maintain the right balance — not too little (causing stockouts) or too
much (causing high storage cost).

💡 Example: Keeping enough steel sheets in stock for 3 days of continuous

production.
Main Activities in Manufacturing Control

3. Quality Control

•Ensures products meet design and performance standards.

•Includes inspection and testing at different stages:

1. Incoming materials inspection

2. In-process inspection
3. Final inspection and testing

💡 Example: Checking the size and finish of a machined shaft, testing the
electrical safety of a washing machine.
Information Processing Cycle
Automation in •Not all parts of a production system are automated
— some tasks are still performed manually or
Production System clerically (like paperwork or human supervision).

•However, automation plays a key role in modern

manufacturing by improving efficiency, consistency,
and control.
 •Automation can be divided into two main
categories:
Categories of 1. Automation of Manufacturing Systems
Automation
in •Refers to the factory floor — the actual machines
and equipment that perform production tasks.
Production •Includes:
Systems • Automatic machines (e.g., CNC machines,
robots, transfer lines)
• Material handling systems (e.g.,
conveyors, AGVs)
• Inspection systems (e.g., vision systems,
sensors)

💡 Example:
An automated assembly line where robots weld
car bodies and conveyor systems move parts
between stations.
 2. Computerization of Manufacturing Support
Systems

Categories of •Refers to the information and management

side of production.
Automation •Computers are used to plan, schedule,
in monitor, and control production operations.
•Includes:
Production • Computer-Aided Design (CAD) – for
product design
Systems • Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
– for process planning and machine
control
• Manufacturing Resource Planning
(MRP/MRP II)
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
💡 Example:
A company uses a computer system to
automatically generate production schedules,
order materials, and track inventory.
 In modern factories, both categories are
interconnected.

Overlap The machines on the shop floor are controlled by

computers, and these computers are connected
Between the to management systems.

Two
Categories
This integration allows real-time data exchange
between operations and planning.

💡 Example:
A CNC machine sends its production status to the
central computer system, which automatically
updates the production schedule.
Automation in Production System
 Automated Manufacturing System

Automated manufacturing systems can be classified into three basic types

(1) FIXED (2) PROGRAMMABLE (3) FLEXIBLE

AUTOMATION. AUTOMATION AUTOMATION
Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is the
complete integration of all computer-based systems
in a manufacturing enterprise — from product design
to business operations.

CIM covers:
•Product Design – using Computer-Aided Design
(CAD)
•Manufacturing Engineering – using Computer-Aided
Manufacturing (CAM)
•Planning & Control – using Production and Resource
Planning Systems
•Business Functions – using Management
Information Systems (MIS)

Example:
In a modern car factory, design engineers use CAD to
model car parts, CAM systems generate CNC
programs, production planning software schedules
operations, and the ERP system manages costs,
orders, and inventory — all linked in one network.
 The Role of Parts
Feeding in
Automation

• Parts feeding is a critical stage in

automation and robotic systems.
• It involves delivering parts to
machines or assembly stations in
the correct orientation, position,
and sequence.
• Without effective parts feeding,
automated systems cannot
function efficiently, since robots
or machines rely on consistently
placed parts.
 The Problem
• In a manual process, a human operator can
easily pick and orient a part from a storage bin.

• However, robots cannot easily handle

randomly oriented parts — this problem is
known as “bin-picking.”

• Even with machine vision, bin-picking remains

difficult, expensive, and unreliable for most
industrial robots.
Why Proper Orientation is
Essential

Automated systems
Each part arrives
depend on uniform
part presentation. correctly positioned.

Feeding and
orientation Cycle time remains
mechanisms ensure short and consistent.
that:

The system avoids

jamming or misfeeds.
 Parts Feeding

• The process of transporting,

selecting, orienting, and positioning
parts for automatic handling,
assembly, or further processing.

• This means parts are not only

delivered but also made ready for
assembly — aligned, oriented, and
properly spaced.
 Parts Feeding

Ideal case: Parts arrive already oriented

and positioned for
assembly.

Reality: Parts from subcontractors or

other departments are usually jumbled
together in hoppers or boxes.
Therefore, before automated assembly,
feeding systems must prepare these parts.
 First principle of automation in parts
fabrication:

“Parts source compatibility.”

How should parts be packaged or presented

when writing purchase specifications or
Parts Source vendor agreements?
Compatibility
For example, parts may be supplied:

 In magazines
 In continuous feed strips
 In presorted trays or pallets

•These arrangements make the automation

process much smoother and faster.
When to avoid
•Sometimes the arranged or molded parts are costly for the industry
because industry has to separate these manually or robotically that
increase the cost.
 Electrical resistors are often supplied in
Example continuous strips - this allows automatic
insertion machines to handle them
easily.
 Motion and Transfer
• The first requisite to automatic feeding of parts is to get them start
moving.

• The motion can be imparted to parts by gravity, vibration, tumbling,

centrifugal force, air pressure.
 Example
Plastic injection moldings may be
produced on a skeleton strip
(frame).

• If purchased this way, the

moldings can be easily
separated robotically or
manually while keeping
orientation intact.

• However, if the skeleton is

removed before delivery, the
parts arrive loose and
disorganized — increasing
handling problems.
 Vibratory
Bowl Feeder
• The vibratory bowl feeder is
the most common and
versatile small parts feeder
used in industry.
 Working Principle
 It is a bowl-shaped device with a spiral track winding upward along its
inner wall.
 The bowl vibrates, causing small parts to travel up the track and
eventually reach the exit in a properly oriented position.
 The bowl is mounted on a vibratory drive unit that produces
controlled vibrations.
 Working Principle
Vibrations cause parts to move upward along the
spiral track due to a combination of horizontal and
vertical motion components.

Vibration direction: has two components

 One parallel to the track (moves parts forward)
 One perpendicular (vertical) (lifts parts slightly to
reduce friction)

Variation in acceleration causes parts to hop upward

on each vibration cycle.
- Parts move forward and up the spiral track in small
jumps.
 Feed rate (how fast parts move)
depends on vibration frequency and
amplitude.
Frequency
Increasing vibration frequency →
and Feed faster feed rate (up to an optimum
Rate point).

Beyond that, excessive frequency →

less control and slower feed.
 Orientation and Recycling
• At the top of the track, an orientation mechanism ensures that all parts
face the correct direction.
• Parts that are incorrectly oriented or fall off are recycled back into the
bowl to try again.
• This self-correcting mechanism ensures continuous operation.
 Videos
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m27oD1wfQ0Y
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSVCmpcmaHI (centrifugal)
 Vibratory Spiral
Elevator
The vibratory spiral elevator moves parts
vertically upward along a spiral track using
vibration.

• It can feed, orient, or reject misoriented

parts.
• Often used for small electronic or
mechanical parts that need to be heated,
cooled, or inspected during travel.

Example: Feeding metal caps through a

heating chamber while moving upward.
Vibratory Spiral Elevator
 Three Ways to Feed Cylindrical Parts

Centerboard Hopper
• Motion type: Reciprocating
(back-and-forth).
• The blade reciprocates through
the parts gently to align them
and feed one at a time.
• Used for moderate-sized
cylindrical parts.

Simple mechanism, but not suitable

for delicate or very small parts.
 Centrifugal
Hopper

• Motion type: Rotational

(spinning).
• Uses centrifugal force to fling
parts outward onto a guide
track.
• Misaligned parts fall back into
the hopper.
• Best for high-speed feeding of
sturdy parts (e.g., screws,
caps).

Not gentle — not used for fragile

components.
 Rotary Disk Feeder
(Gentle Feeder)
• Works like a turntable where parts
slide outward by gravity as the
disk slowly rotates.

• Suitable for delicate or polished

parts that must not be damaged
or scratched.

• Often used in electronics or

medical device assembly.
Rotary Disk
Feeder

For more gentle feeding

of delicate parts rotary
base hooper is used.
 Feeders for
Cylindrical Parts

Bladed Wheel Hopper

• Has vanes (blades) on a rotating

drum.
• As the drum rotates, the blades lift
parts and drop them into a track.
• The design ensures that parts
already aligned stay in the slot,
while others are stirred up for
reorientation.
• Gravity feed device: The blade
wheel simply lifts and releases parts.
 Tumbling Barrel
Hopper

• Similar to a clothes dryer — a

rotating drum that tumbles parts.
• As the barrel rotates, parts mix and
realign, falling into proper
orientation slots.
• Simple and low-cost, but not
suitable for fragile or precision
parts.
Rotary Centerboard
Hopper

• Similar to the bladed wheel, but

the blade is U-shaped and picks
up parts gently.

• Parts travel around by gravity on

the slowly turning blade until
dropped into the delivery track.

• Used when gentle handling is

important (e.g., plastic, glass, or
precision machined parts).
 Feeders for Disk-
Shaped Parts

• Revolving hook hopper is used.

• A rotating hook picks up and

guides disk parts onto the delivery
track.

• Common for flat components,

such as washers, caps, or coins.
•Figure a and b: Two types of magnetic feed
hoppers for ferrous parts that are relatively flat
Vibratory Feeder
Vibratory Feeder
Vibratory Feeder
Rotary Drum