Industrial automation is the control of machinery and processes used in various industries by autonomous systems through the use of technologies like robotics and computer software.
Industries implement automation to increase productivity and reduce costs related to employees, their benefits and other associated expenses, while increasing precision and flexibility.
With the Industrial Revolution came mechanization, which brought cheaper and more plentiful goods. Generally, the mechanical processes in industries were faster and produced greater quantities of goods but still required skilled workers. Not only did machines require operators but when errors occurred, they would waste materials, cause production issues and even damage equipment.
With the arrival of automation, control loops were added to machine operation. These can be open control loops that allow for human input or closed loops which are fully automated. Industrial control systems (ICS) allow for monitoring and control locally and remotely. With these increasingly advanced control mechanisms, industries can operate 24 hours a day. Productivity has increased, errors are reduced and quality is improved. However, automation does have some negative impact, including high initial costs, reduced worker employment and the elimination of some ethical human oversight. As automation continues to advance and gain popularity in new industries, it is possible to see these events increase.
Recent advancements in automation in industrial production are focused on flexibility and quality. Manufacturing flexibility not only allows for more product types, but also lets consumers order customized products that are automatically produced.
Source: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/industrial-automation
Industrial automation is the use of control devices such as PC/PLCs/PACs etc. to control industrial processes and machinery by removing as much labor intervention as possible, and replacing dangerous assembly operations with automated ones. Industrial automation is closely linked to control engineering.
Automation is a broad term applied to any mechanism that moves by itself or is self dictated. The word ‘automation’ is derived from ancient Greek words of Auto (means ‘self’) Matos (means ‘moving’). As compared with manual systems, automation systems provide superior performance in terms of precision, power, and speed of operation.
In industrial automation control, a wide number of process variables such as temperature, flow, pressure, distance, and liquid levels can be sensed simultaneously. All these variables are acquired, processed and controlled by complex microprocessor systems or PC based data processing controllers.
Industrial Automation is the replacement with computers and machines to that of human thinking. The word Automation gives the meaning ‘self dictating’ or ‘a mechanism move by itself’ that derived from the Greek words Auto and Matos where auto means self while Matos means moving.
In a brief, industrial automation can be defined as the use of set technologies and automatic control devices that results the automatic operation and control of industrial processes without significant human intervention and achieving superior performance than manual control. These automation devices include PLCs, PCs, PACs, etc. and technologies include various industrial communication systems.
Source: https://www.electricaltechnology.org/2015/09/what-is-industrial-automation.html
To resolve the automation and control issues, industries use the ever-changing technologies in control systems for efficient production or manufacturing processes. These requires the high quality and reliable control systems. New trends in industrial automation deals with latest control devices and communication protocols to control field devices like control valves and other final control elements. Some of the smart devices or instruments used in automated industry has the ability to control the processes and also communication capabilities without interfacing to other field level control devices like PLC’s.
Source: https://www.elprocus.com/an-overview-on-industrial-automation/
A process automation or automation system (PAS) is used to automatically control a process such as chemical, oil refineries, paper and pulp factories. The PAS often uses a network to interconnect sensors, controllers, operator terminals and actuators. A PAS is often based on open standards in contrast to a DCS (distributed control system), which is traditionally proprietary. However in recent times the PAS is considered to be more associated with SCADA systems.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_automation_system
Automation may be defined as a set of technologies that results in operation of machines and systems without significant human intervention and achieves performance superior to manual operation.
Source: http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/resource/view.php?id=4719
he mining industry has made slow but steady progress toward the automation of mineral processing plants over the last 35 years. The stimulus to automate is associated with important economic and hidden benefits, so that today, the latest in instrumentation and technology is being employed.This chapter assesses the status of instrumentation justified economically, defines levels of control and certain fundamentals of feedback control loops, describes typical sensors employed in concentrator circuits, summarizes control strategies employed therein, and briefly highlights trends in integrated plant control.Current Status of AutomationAs early as 1948, the mining industry began to show interest in automation, probably because of its close association with the petroleum industry. By 1958, some regulatory control had been achieved in various sections of a concentrator, particularly in crushing circuits. Successes were attributed primarily to the reliability of sensors employed in the corresponding control scheme. By 1961, computers had appeared on the scene, initially, for data logging purposes.From 1958 to 1965, very few new control strategies had been implemented. Guidelines in vogue at this time appeared to be:- Install proven automation, unless a good instrumentation department exists at the concentrator.- Do not bite off too much instrumentation at one time.- Do not purchase on price alone; instrumentation must function in the concentrator environment.- Do not purchase automatic control equipment to be fashionable.Such guidelines were employed1 because of a lack of: (a) quantitative process knowledge, (b) reliable primary sensors, (c) initiative to try something new, (d) trained personnel, and (e) understanding that older concentrators could justify automation in many situations.
Source: https://www.onemine.org/document/abstract.cfm?docid=229943
A variety of electronic instrumentation is used to monitor flows, pressures, temperatures and other features in chemical plants, in real-time, to ensure that the production processes are working properly and to avoid breakdown of machinery and accidents. As chemical plants in the developed world become older, because of the lack of investment in new capacity, it is even more important to be constantly on the alert for the first signs of failing equipment, which can be costly and stop production.
Source: https://www.soci.org/chemistry-and-industry/cni-data/2011/12/automation-on-the-up
The technology used in mining processes has changed little over the past twenty years. However, rising cost and fierce competition have stimulated global consolidation and the incessant search for new opportunities in operating the mine of the future, increasing effectiveness, and reducing operational cost. Fluctuating markets, cost control, and low-grade complex mineral deposits have driven the need for delivering increased productivity, reliability, and utilization. Automation was necessary to maintain continuous safe production of mining plants .............
Source: https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/The-minerals-plant-of-the-future-Leveraging-automation-and-using-intelligent-colloborative-environment.pdf
Automating mineral processing operations can increase safety, optimise performance, improve system reliability and help to detect problems early. In mining, autonomous technology is now applied to haul trucks, trains, drill rigs, drone-based monitoring and other simple systems, but not yet to processing plants. Industry 4.0 brings the opportunity for a step change in processing automation as a new range of technologies address challenges that have stood for 50 years.
Source: https://www.ausimmbulletin.com/feature/the-path-to-autonomous-mineral-processing-operations/