WHAT IS AUTOMATION

PRESENTED BY
U AUNG NAING OO
DEFINITION OF AUTOMATION

• “the technique of making an

apparatus, a process, or a system
operate automatically.”
• "the creation and application of
technology to monitor and control the
production and delivery of products
and services.”
• “the use of self-regulating machinery,
electronic equipment, etc. to make a
manufacturing system or process
operate at greater speed and with little
or no human intervention.”
 HISTORY OF AUTOMATION

• 1st Century BC: Water Wheels

• 9th Century: Mill Machinery Advancements
• 17th to 18th Century: Industrial Revolution
• 1900 to 1950s: Electrification & Industrial
Controllers
• 20th to 21st Century: Computers & Robotics
TYPES OF CONTROL SYSTEMS
Open loop control systems (non-
feedback control systems)
• If in a physical system, there is no
automatic correction of the variation in
its output, it is called an open loop
control system.
Closed loop control systems
(feedback control systems)
• A closed loop control system is a system
where the output has an effect upon the
input quantity in such a manner as to
maintain the desired output value.
 TYPES OF AUTOMATION

1. FIXED AUTOMATION
• high levels of production

• consistent quality in production

• low cost per unit produced

2. PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION
• flexibility to change products if needed

• suitable if batch production is required

3. FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION
• flexibility of products

• no time lost with new changes to production

 PROS AND CONS OF AUTOMATION

The advantages The disadvantages

• Productivity is increased
• The sensors or robots that is used in
• Improved quality automation can’t take any judgment calls
• Cost is reduced
• It takes time to repair
• Safety in working conditions
• It could be hazardous and also can cause
• It replaces human operators in tedious tasks problems
• Accuracy
• The initial cost will be high for installing
• Reliability machines and equipment
• Quality • High maintenance is required for automated
• It can do tasks which is beyond human capability machines
 AUTOMATION PYRAMID
• Level 5: Management level for the general
production planning and order management via
the ERP system

• Level 4: Planning level (MES) serving as

interfaces for the detailed production planning,
quality management as well as data collection and
material management .

• Level 3: Supervisory level for the monitoring,

operational purposes as well as the recipe
management via SCADA and HMI.

• Level 2: Control level carrying the structure for

controlling the production process by means of
PLC, PID and DCS.

• Level 1: Field level with sensors and actuators for

collecting production data and executing
commands.
 FIELD LEVEL
The field level is made up of field devices such as sensors
and actuators.

• The field devices have a core task of transferring

machines and processes data to the next level for
monitoring and analysis.

• Sensors include; proximity sensors, flow meters,

thermocouple, RTDs among others. Real time process
parameters such as level, flow, temperature, and
pressure are converted into electrical signals by the
field level sensors.

• Actuators include; pneumatic actuators, flow control

valves, relays, solenoid valves, servo motors, and Dc
motors among others. Actuators are used to control the
process parameters
 CONTROL LEVEL
• The control level is made up of
automation devices such as PLCs, PIDs
and DCS that derive ideal process
parameters from the different sensors.
• Industrial automated controllers trigger
the actuators as per the processed sensor
signals, control techniques, or programs.
• PLCs allow industrial automation
operators to program control functions to
execute automatic process operations.
 SUPERVISORY LEVEL
• Automatic monitoring systems and devices
are used to facilitate the intervention and
control of functions such as; setting of
production targets, supervising different
parameters, supervisory control and data
acquisition (SCADA), setting machine start
and stop periods, and Human Machine
Interface (HMI).
• Visualize the whole process, see alarms,
generate reports, run batches, and control
the operator’s action through the audit trail.
• To integrate the whole network with
SCADA, various communication topologies
which are used with the PLC systems.
 PLANNING LEVEL
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES), is an information
system which monitors and tracks the process of producing
manufactured goods on the factory floor.

The overall goal of MES is to make certain that manufacturing

operations are effectively executed to improve production
output. That goal is achieved by tracking and gathering real-time
and accurate data about a complete production lifecycle.

MES’ core functions include:

• Data collection and acquisition

• Scheduling
• Staff and resource management
• Process management
• Performance analysis
• Document management
• Benefits of a Manufacturing
 MANAGEMENT LEVEL

• Often referred to as Enterprise Resource Planning

(ERP), is tasked with management of the entire
industrial automation system.

• Tasked executed at this level include; market and

customer analysis, sales, orders, and production
planning just to mention a few.

• This level is geared towards supporting

commercial industrial activities as opposed to
technical industrial aspects.

• All industrial automation hierarchy levels comprise

of industrial communication networks that transfer
information from one hierarchy level to another.