Module – 4

Introduction to Automation
Introduction
• Automation is the technology by which a process or procedure is
accomplished without human assistance. It is implemented using a
program of instructions combined with a control system that executes
the instructions.
• Automated manufacturing systems operate in the factory on the
physical product. They perform operations such as processing,
assembly, inspection, or material handling, in some cases
accomplishing more than one of these operations in the same system.
Examples of automated manufacturing
systems include:
• automated machine tools that process parts
• transfer lines that perform a series of machining operations •
automated assembly systems
• manufacturing systems that use industrial robots to perform
processing or assembly operations
• automatic material handling and storage systems to integrate
manufacturing operations
• automatic inspection systems for quality control
• Thus, Automation is a technology concerned with the application of mechanical,
electronic, and computer-based systems to operate and control production. This
technology includes:
• Automatic machine tools to process parts
• Automatic assembly machines
• Industrial robots
• Automatic material handling and storage systems
• Automatic inspection systems for quality control
• Feedback control and computer process control
• Computer systems for planning, data collection, and decision making to support
manufacturing activities
ELEMENTS OF AUTOMATED SYSTEM
1. Power to accomplish the automated
process
• Electrical power is widely available at moderate cost.
• Electrical power can be readily converted to alternative energy forms:
mechanical, thermal, light, acoustic, hydraulic, and pneumatic.
• Electrical power at low levels can be used to accomplish functions
such as signal, transmission, information processing, and data storage
and communication.
• Electrical energy can be stored in long-life batteries for use in
locations where an external source of electrical power is not
conveniently available.
• Power is required in automation for the followings:
• Processing operations.
• Loading and unloading the work unit.
• Material transport between operations.
• Controller unit.
• Power to actuate the control signals.
• Data acquisition and information processing
2. Program of Instructions
• The actions performed in an automated process are defined by a
program of instructions. Each part or product style made in the
operation requires one or more processing steps that are unique to that
style, These processing steps are performed during a work cycle.
• The particular processing steps for the work cycle are specified in a
work cycle program.
• Work Cycle Programs: In the simplest automated processes, the work
cycle consists of essentially one step, which is to maintain a single
process parameter at a defined level.
• However, the system becomes complicated when the process involves a
work cycle consisting of multiple steps with more number of process
parameters are required to be controlled.
• Process parameters are inputs to the process such as temperature
setting of a furnace, coordinate axis value in a positioning system, valve
opened or closed in a fluid flow system, and motor on or off.
• process variables, which are outputs from the process; for example, the
actual temperature of the furnace, the actual position of the axis, the
actual flow rate of the fluid in the pipe, and the rotational speed of the
motor.
• process parameter values may be continuous (gradual changes during
the processing step; for example, gradually increasing temperature
during a heat treatment cycle) or discrete (stepwise changes; for
example, on/off).
• The work cycle may include manual steps, where the operator
performs certain activities during the work cycle and the automated
system performs the rest. A common example is the loading and
unloading of parts by the operator to and from a numerical control
machine between machining cycles where the machine performs the
cutting operation under part program control. Initiation of the cutting
operation of each cycle is triggered by the operator activating a
"start" button after the part has been loaded.
Decision-Making in the Programmed Work
Cycle.
• (1) the number and sequence of processing steps and
• (2) the process parameter changes in each step.
(3) Control System
• The control element of the automated system executes the program
of instructions. The control system causes the process to accomplish
its defined function which is to carry out some manufacturing
operation. The controls in an automated system can be either closed
loop or open loop.
Close loop
• The input parameter often referred to as the set point, represents the desired
value of the output. The process is the operation or function being controlled.
In particular, it is the output variable that is being controlled in the loop.
• A sensor is used to measure the output variable and close the loop between
input and output. Sensors perform the feedback function in a closed loop
control system.
• The controller compares the output with the input and makes the required
adjustment in the process to reduce the difference between them.
• The adjustment is accomplished using one or more actuators, which are the
hardware devices that physically carry out the control actions, such as an
electric motor or a flow valve.
Open loop
• Open loop systems are usually appropriate when the following
conditions apply:
• (1) The actions performed by the control system are simple.
• (2) the actuating function is very reliable and
• (3) any reaction forces opposing the actuation are small enough to
have no effect on the actuation.
• If these characteristics are not applicable, then a closed loop control
system may be more appropriate.
LEVELS OF AUTOMATION
• Device level. This is the lowest level in automation hierarchy. It includes
the actuators, sensors, and other hardware components that comprise
the machine level. The devices are combined into the individual control
loops of the machine; for example, the feedback control loop for one
axis of a CNC machine or one joint of an industrial robot.
• Machine level. Hardware at the device level is assembled into
individual machines. Examples include CNC machine tools and similar
production equipment, industrial robots, powered conveyors, and
automated guided vehicles. Control functions at this level include
performing the sequence of steps in the program of instructions in the
correct order and making sure that each step is properly executed.
• Cell or system level. This is the manufacturing cell or system level,
which operates under instructions from the plant level. A
manufacturing cell or system is a group of machines or workstations
connected and supported by a material handling system, computer
and other equipment appropriate to the manufacturing process.
Production lines are included in this level. Likely functions include part
dispatching and machine loading, coordination among machines and
material handling system, and collecting and evaluating inspection
data.
• Plant level. This is the factory or production systems level. It receives
instructions from corporate information system and translates them
into operational plans for production. Likely functions include: order
processing, process planning, inventory control, purchasing, material
requirements planning, shop floor control, and quality control.
• Enterprise level. This is the highest level consisting of the corporate
information system. It is concerned with all of the functions necessary
to manage the company: marketing and sales, accounting, design,
research, aggregate planning, and master production scheduling.
TYPES OF AUTOMATION
• Fixed automation:
Fixed automation is a system in which the sequence of processing (or
assembly) operations is fixed by the equipment configuration. The
operations in the sequence are usually simple. It is the integration and
coordination of many such operations into one piece of equipment that
makes the system complex.
The typical features of fixed automation are:
• High initial investment for custom-engineered equipment
• High production rates
• Relatively inflexible in accommodating product changes
• Programmable automation:
• In programmable automation, the production equipment is designed with the
capability to change the sequence of operations to accommodate different
product configurations.
• New programs can be prepared and entered into the equipment to produce new
products.
• Some of the features that characterize programmable automation include:
• • High investment in general-purpose equipment
• • Low production rates relative to fixed automation
• • Flexibility to deal with changes in product configuration
• • Most suitable for batch production
• Flexible automation:
• Flexible automation is an extension of programmable automation.
• A flexible automated system is one that is capable of producing a
variety of products (or parts) with virtually no time lost for
changeovers from one product to the next. There is no production
time lost while reprogramming the system and altering the physical
setup (tooling, fixtures and machine settings).
• Consequently, the system can produce various combinations and
schedules of products, instead of requiring that they be made in
separate batches.
• The features of flexible automation can be summarized as follow:
• High investment for a custom-engineered system.
• Continuous production of variable mixtures of products.
• Medium production rates.
• Flexibility to deal with product design variations.
The relative positions of the three types of automation
for different production volumes and product varieties
REASONS FOR AUTOMATING
• Increased productivity:
• High cost of labor:
• Labor shortages:
• Trend of labor toward the service sector:
• Safety:
• High cost of raw materials:
• Improved product quality:
• Reduced manufacturing lead time
• Reduction of in-process inventory:
PRODUCTION CONCEPTS AND
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
• (1) Manufacturing lead time:
• The activities in production are divided into two main categories,
operations and non-operation elements. An operation on a product
(or work part) takes place when it is at the production machine. The
non-operation elements are the handling, storage, inspections, and
other sources of delay.
• For mass production, where a large number of units are made on a
single machine, the MLT simply becomes the operation time for the
machine after the setup has been completed and production begins.
• For flow type mass production, the entire production line is set up in
advance. Also, the non- operation time between processing steps
consists simply of the time to transfer the product (or part) from one
machine or workstation to the next. If the workstations are integrated
so that parts are being processed simultaneously at each station, the
station with the longest operation time will determine the MLT value.
Hence,
Problem: 1
• A certain part is produced in a batch size of 50 units and requires a
sequence of eight operations in the plant. The average setup time is 3
h, and the average operation time per machine is 6 min. The average
non operation time due to handling, delays, inspections, and so on, is
7 h. compute how many days it will take to produce a batch, assuming
that the plant operates on a 7-hh shift per day
(2) Production Rate
• The production rate ( Rp ) for an individual manufacturing process or
assembly operation is usually expressed as an hourly rate (e.g. units of
product per hour). Considering a batch production scenario;
Components of the operation time
• The operation time (To ) is the time an individual workpart spends on
a machine, but not all of this time is productive. Let us try to relate
the operation time to a specific process. Operation time for a
machining operation is composed of three elements such as the
actual machining time (Tm ), the workpiece handling time (Th ), and
any tool handling time per workpiece (Tth ). Hence,
• The tool handling time represents all the time spent in changing tools
when they wear out, changing from one tool to the next for successive
operations performed on a turret lathe, changing between the drill bit
and tap in a drill-and-tap sequence performed at one drill press, and so
on.
• Tth is the average time per workpiece for any and all of these tool
handling activities.
• There is a portion of the operation cycle, when the material is actually
being worked (Tm ), and there is a portion of the cycle when either the
work part is being handled (Th ) or the tooling is being adjusted or
changed (Tth)
(3) Capacity
• The term capacity, or plant capacity, is used to define the maximum
rate of output that a plant is able to produce under a given set of
assumed operating conditions.
• The assumed operating conditions refer to the number of shifts per
day (one, two, or three), number of days in the week (or month) that
the plant operates, employment levels, whether or not overtime is
included, and so on. For continuous chemical production, the plant
may be operated 24 h per day, 7 days per week.
• Capacity will be measured as the number of good units produced per
week.
• Let W is the number of work centers. A work center is a production
system in the plant typically consisting of one worker and one
machine. It might also be one automated machine with no worker, or
several workers acting together on a production line.
• It is capable of producing at a rate Rp units per hour. Each work center
operates for H hours per shift. H is an average that excludes time for
machine breakdowns and repairs, maintenance, operator delays, and
so on. Provision for setup time is also included in Rp . Let wS be the
shifts per week. Hence, the plant capacity can be given
• If there is a possibility that in a batch production plant, each product
is routed through m n machines, the plant capacity equation must be
amended as follows:

Another way of using the production capacity equation is for

determining how resources might be allocated to meet a certain
weekly demand rate requirement. Let Dw be the demand rate for the
week in terms of number of units required. Replacing PC by Dw and
rearranging,
Problem 2:
• The turret lathe section has six machines, all devoted to production of
the same pad. The section operates 10 shifts per week. The number
of hours per shift averages 6.4 because of operator delays and
machine breakdowns. The average production rate is 17 units/h.
Determine the production capacity of the turret lathe section.
Problem 3:
• Three products are to be processed through a certain type of work
center. Pertinent data are given in the following table.

• Determine the number of work centers required to satisfy this demand,

given that the plant works 10 shifts per week and there are 6.5 h
available for production on each work center for each shift. The value of
m n = 1.
(4) Utilization and Availability
• Utilization (U) refers to the amount of output of a production facility
relative to its capacity. It can be expressed by;
• Availability is defined using two other reliability terms, the mean time
between failures (MTBF) and the mean time to repair (MTTR). The
MTBF indicates the average length of time between breakdowns of
the piece of equipment. The MTTR indicates the average time
required to service the equipment and place it back into operation
when a breakdown does occur:
Problem 4:
• A production machine is operated 65 h/week at full capacity. Its
production rate is 20 units/hr. During a certain week, the machine
produced 1000 good parts and was idle the remaining time.
• (a) Determine the production capacity of the machine.
• (b) What was the utilization of the machine during the week under
consideration?
AUTOMATION PRINCIPLES AND
STRATEGIES
• (A) the USA Principle,
• (B) the Ten Strategies for Automation and Production Systems, and
• (C) an Automation Migration Strategy.
(A) USA Principle
• 1. Understand the existing process
• 2. Simplify the process
• 3. Automate the process.
Understand the existing process

• comprehend the current process in all of its details:

• Input, output, value, sequence
• Some of the basic charting tools used in methods analysis are useful:
• Operation and process flow charts
• Mathematical models of the process may also be useful to indicate
relationships between input parameters and output variables:
• Input variables, output variables, feedback
Simplify the Process
• Once the existing process is understood, then the search can begin for
ways to simplify. This often involves a checklist of Questions about the
existing process. What is the purpose of this step or this transport? Is
this step necessary? Can this step be eliminated? Is the most
appropriate technology being used in this step? How can this step be
simplified? Are there unnecessary steps in the process that might be
eliminated without detracting from function?
Automate the Process
• Once the process has been reduced to its simplest form, then
automation can be considered.
• The possible forms of automation include those listed in the ten
strategies discussed in the following section. An automation migration
strategy might be implemented for a new product that has not yet
proven itself.
(B) Ten Strategies for Automation
1. Specialization of operations:
2. Combined operations
3. Simultaneous operations
4. Integration of operations
5. Increased flexibility
6. Improved material handling and storage
7. On-line inspection
8. Process control and optimization
9. Plant operations control
10. Computer integrated manufacturing