|
Automation
Automation has long been the machine manufacturers lifeblood and is key to Machine Information Systems
The term could've well have been
Automatic control is fairly easily achievable in today's world in all of the various disciplines, including computers, PLC's, electrical, electronic, mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic. Moreover it's usually achieved using a combination of two or more of these. Many modern day complex control systems, such as factories, warehouse buildings, vehicles, aircraft, ships etc, will need to use most or all these combined technologies and techniques.
In my opinion, the best and correct incentive for its application is to provide an increase in productivity and/or reproducible quality that's not possible with human labor levels, (something Rockwell has known for quite some time, being one of the pioneers of PLC's).
One of the single biggest benefits of automatic control systems is the saving it gives on labor cost, further pros include saving waste and hence energy, raw materials and improved quality, reproducible accuracy and precision.
Within the scope of industrialization, automated implementation is a step beyond the earlier mechanization levels. Where the mechanization level provided human operators with (often bespoke) machinery to help them with the muscular requirements of work.
One of the main driving purposes of automating on the other hand is intended to remove human presence entirely or at least to greatly decreases the need for human sensory and mental requirements. Or alternatively, to increase load capacity, speed and repeatability using the same number of operatives, it has played and will continue to play an increasingly important role in the realms of manufacturing, processes and economy.
Automated machines and processes have historically had a very notable impact in a wide range of other seemingly unrelated industries beyond manufacturing, where it originated from. ATM's (automated teller machines) have almost removed the need for people to visit the bank counters to obtain and deposit cash, carry out various transactions like topping up cell phone credit and make payments. The amount of humble telephone exchange operators have been massively reduced reduced over the years by automated telephone exchanges, switchboards and answering machines.
Generally speaking, increasing automated implementation has been responsible for the notable shift in the world economy from industrial jobs to service jobs in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The term "automation", was not widely used before 1947, when General Motors established the 'Automation' department. At that time automated technologies were electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic, no computers of course. Still, between 1957 and 1964 factory output nearly doubled while the number of blue collar workers started to decline.
In a brief definition of automation, the word was first used in the manufacturing sense, coined by Ford Motor Company VP, Delmar S. Harder. He first used the word, in the meaning as is now accepted, around 1946.
(An earlier term circa 1838, was automatism, which was conveyed as "quality of being automatic" in the classical sense)
He used the word to describe a collection of automated systems using feedback, with the use of which there was a marked substitution of mechanical, electrical/electronic (and later computerized) operations for human input, know how and monitoring.
Within the general usage therms, it can be defined as a technology concerned with performing a process by means of programmed commands, combined with automatic feedback control (see control system) to ensure proper execution of the instructions. The resulting system is capable of operating without human intervention. The process of having a machine or machines accomplish tasks hitherto performed wholly or partly by humans. As used here, a machine refers to any inanimate electromechanical device, such as a robot or computer.
As a technology, automatic motion can be applied to almost any human endeavor, from manufacturing to clerical and administrative tasks. An example of automation is the heating and air-conditioning system in the modern office and households.
After setting up the initial time control programming normally by the house owner (the end user), these systems keep the house at a constant desired temperature irrespective of the weather conditions outside. Most modern designs all incorporate a structured control loop, using using feedback values for Proportional, Integral and Derivative error signals. This type of control is more commonly know as a PID loop and can be tuned to give a very high degree of control.
The fundamental (or core) components that make up any automated process consist of a power source, some type of feedback control mechanism and a programmable command structure. Program-ability does not necessarily imply an electronic computer. It may mean just an electric or even physical type of feedback.
As an example, the inventor of Loom, Jacquard Loom, at the beginning of the nineteenth century developed a control system using metal plates with a pattern of holes to control the weaving process. Even so, World War II and the subsequent advances made in electronics, computation and feedback then and since have certainly played a major part in contributing to the snowballing growth of automation.
While feedback is usually associated with more advanced forms of automation, so-called open-loop automated tasks are possible. Here, the automated process proceeds without any direct and continuous assessment of the effect of the automated activity. For example, an automated car wash typically completes its task with no continuous or even final assessment of the cleanliness of the automobile. Yes... room for improvement there I think! Advantages: With every improvement process, the advantages must outweigh the disadvantages otherwise it's dead in the water before starting, the cost of implementation would make the improvement non economical, no one would bother. Clearly from the above this is the case.
The main advantages of automated implementation are:
Increased speed, implementation to reduce unit cycle time of productivity. As stated above, with every improvement process, the advantages must outweigh the disadvantages, with every successful automated process, they do. However the disadvantages must be given equal if not more consideration than the advantages, so they can be minimized if not eliminated.
The main disadvantages of automated implementation are:
Increased speed, implementation to reduce unit cycle time of productivity.
See the Definition of Management Information Systems.
Fast forward your production on the production page
Return from Definition of Management Information System to Home
|
