If you are new to industrial automation and want to know more because you are a student or getting into the industry and know nothing about it, then this article is for you. I have been teaching Industrial Automation since June of 2006 and have a wealth of knowledge to share with you.
Industrial Automation is the industry that provides for the automation of mine sites, manufacturing, water and wastewater, power generation and distribution, food and beverage and much more. It is the use of some or all of the following hardware and software to minimise labour and increase production: Sensors, HMI’s, PLCs, SCADA, Telemetry, RTU’s and other technologies.
While this is the more technical answer of what do we mean by Industrial Automation lets look at some simpler answers that you can relate to below and see some of the common questions that get asked about Industrial Automation.
What is an example of industrial automation?
An example of Industrial Automation is a mobile phone manufacturing plant that takes in all the components to make a phone and provides a completed boxed and ready to go phone at the other end. These types of manufacturing plants work in an IPO or Input Processing and Output type model. The components and packaging materials go in one end as the inputs, the industrial automation process puts them all together and load the software and the finished package phone comes out the other end.
From when you wake up in the morning and get out of your bed you touch a hundred things that have been made in a manufacturing plant like your toothbrush, clothes, blankets, coffee mug, milk, coffee and much more.
You have also used power which is brought to you through industrial automation power generation and distribution systems. The water you brushed your teeth, had a shower and boiled in the kettle comes from a water treatment plant. And when you flush your toilet it goes to a wastewater treatment plant.
As you drive to work the traffic lights are part of a traffic control system and even the building you work in has a building management system. These are all practical examples of what industrial automation provides for you.
What are the 4 types of industrial automation?
There are many types of industrial automation but basically they are fixed, programmable, flexible and integrated. A fixed industrial Automation process is when they only create one type of product like milk where the container remains the same but the recipe may change. A programmable automation process is where the product is similar but may have different containers for example like coffee. It can come in a glass jar, tin or even a bag.
Flexible automation is where the product and packaging can change and these are generally seen in co-packers where they do automation work for many clients so the system needs to be flexible to customer needs. Generally these co-packers are category specific like meat, dairy or canned goods for instance.
Integrated automation is where the system can design and build multiple products so think of CNC or 3D printing and then build and package the product where you can change the whole process with minimal human interaction.
What is the function of industrial automation?
Industrial automation uses computers, software, PLC’s, machinery, robots and sensors to remove human involvement in manufacturing, mining, power generation and distribution, water and wastewater, oil and gas and many other industries to increase quality, performance and decrease shutdowns and slow running in plants.
So simply since the start of the industrial age where machinery was initially included where one piece of machinery replaced many people doing a task or sped up a task. Then with the introduction of computing to plants a single computer controlled many pieces of equipment. Finally we are at the age where one person as plant operator can sit in a control room and control and monitor the whole plant. So with each stage less people were required.
While full automation through AI and Big Data is definitely a possibility, you will always need a person to monitor a single or multiple plants for when things need repairing and either repair robots or maintenance staff on sight to fix the plants.
What are three examples of industrial automation?
Three types of industrial automation are:
- Manufacturing
- Mining
- Water & Wastewater
Manufacturing
This is by far the most well known of the automation industries and is normally the first to implement new technologies in the industry with a 726 billion market size. There is a massive amount of manufacturing plants such as food and beverage, cars, mobile phones or cell phones, clothing, tooth brushes and most other things we buy these days. They are typically hard wired systems so they are computerised but have direct computer networking cables and power cables everywhere. They use a lot of OEM equipment that is linked together into more complex processes. OEM equipment is just a fancy way of saying specialised machines created by a third party like a piece of equipment that puts labels on bottles for instance.
Mining
Mining is a $2.14 trillion dollar market and is the process we have to pull everything from the ground or under the oceans and is broken down into many segments like minerals, metals, stone, oil, coal, gas and many other things. The process is normally done on land but can also be done at sea and in space. On land for metals, minerals and coal it generally is an open cut mine or underground mine. Both processes involve using explosives to break into stone and retrieve and process it. This is generally done with breaking the big rocks down into small rocks and then going through a wash plant or chemical process where the ore is extracted and then stored for transport to the customers. These processes are different for oil and gas where they drill down to them and then extract them by pumping it out.
Water & Wastewater
One of the least talked about industrial automation processes but one that is critical for our survival as humans is where do we get clean drinking water and what happens when we flush the toilet or have a shower. This 295 billion dollar industry takes water from lakes, springs, rivers and oceans and removes particles, chemicals and contaminants and makes it safe for us to drink.
After we use the water it then does the reverse process to put that water back into those same places again. A little known fact is that in most countries without these systems running you only have two days of flushing the toilet before it overflows. They don’t show you that in the end of the world movies.
Why is industrial automation important in today’s life?
It simply allows us to live our current level of lifestyle without it we would have to use tank water and drop toilets. Everything would have to be locally sourced and made by hand for things like clothes, furniture, toothbrushes, cooking utensils and more. We would not have refrigeration or air conditioning. There would be no internet or power grid to power our devices.
What industry is automation used in?
Here are some industries automation is used in:
- Mining
- Manufacturing
- Water and Wastewater
- Power generation and distribution
- Nuclear
- Coal Fired Power Plants
- Renewables
- Fuel Cells
- Oil and Gas
- Building management systems (Stadiums, High rises and more)
- Transportation systems (Planes, Trains, Car Tunnels, Traffic Control and more)
- Naval Craft (Cruise Liners, War Ships and Science Vessels)
- Dams and other water storage
- Rockets, Space Craft, Moon and Mars Landers
- Home Automation
What are 10 disadvantages of automation?
Here are 10 disadvantage of automation:
- Job displacement
- Ongoing staff training
- Dependence on the technologies
- Implementation Costs
- Maintenance Costs
- Higher employee skill level required
- Harder to find skilled workers
- Physical and Cyber Security Concerns
- Rapidly updating technologies
- Upgrading existing systems
What is a PLC in automation?
A PLC is a Programmable Logic Controller and is basically a ruggedised modular computer used in industrial settings. It is normally programmed using 5 special IEC coding languages such as Instruction List (IL), Function Block Diagram (FBD), Ladder, Sequential Function Chart (SFC) and Structured Text (ST). It repeats the code inside until it is told to stop or is turned off.
By ruggedised it means that PLC’s are designed for harsh industrial environments and can handle much more than your normal desktop or laptop computer. As well as being able to be in higher heat environments they are also conformally coated which makes them dust, dirt, chemical, moisture, rust, abrasion and mechanical resistant. So in simple terms your normal desktop computer would fail in an industrial plant while a PLC can last many years without failure due to environmental conditions.
How does a PLC work in automation?
The role of the PLC is to control the startup, running, shutdown and failure of a process or plant and act like the brain controlling multiple pieces of equipment. So if we are making soft drink bottles then it would control the operation of the bottle filler, bottle capper, bottle labeller and packaging. They do this with input and output modules most commonly digital or analogue in nature.
As in the section above there are 5 IEC programming languages used to program a PLC and it runs in a loop reading from the plant or process inputs, processing the code in the PLC and then writing to plant or process outputs. It does this at extremely high speed with each IPO (Input, processing, output) cycle typically being only a few milliseconds.
A group of PLC’s can have a master PLC that sends commands to them and whether the individual or master PLC’s also communicate with software up the automation stack like SCADA software. SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition software that is the software most commonly seen in control rooms in plants or processes that provide a single person or operator full visibility and control of the plant or process.
PLC’s use Input and output modules to send and receive boolean or analogue signals to other equipment or sensors and actuators in the plant. Boolean means a zero or one and analogue are just a ranging number typically from 0 to 10000 or 0 to 32767. An example of a boolean input would be whether a piece of equipment is on or off. An Analogue input may be something like an Oven Temperature.
For more information on PLCs check out this article:
ARTICLE: How To Learn PLC Programming At Home For Free
What is automation in simple words?
The simplest definition of automation is the removal of human or manual processes with computers and equipment to make a plant or process more efficient and repeatable with better quality and higher output. Automation has an expensive up front cost but means you minimise labour cost, rejects and waste.
What is the highest level of industrial automation?
In the Automation stack the ERP is the highest level of automation but practically in plants and processes it is currently the MES level for most of the industry at the moment. ERP is the Enterprise Resource Planning which are the business functions like supply chain logistics, HR and Sales. MES is the Manufacturing Execution Systems which is where current automation stops and where Big Data and AI are implemented.
Why is industry 4.0 known as automation?
Industry 4.0 is known as automation because it is the 4th industrial revolution that includes not only mechanisation but computers, networks, software and more advanced things like AI, Big Data and MES systems to optimise plants and processes.
If you want to know more about MES systems check out this article:
ARTICLE: What is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)?
What are the three essential elements of automation?
Three essential elements of automation are controllable equipment, sensors and actuators and controllers. The equipment needs to be able to have functions like being able to be told to stop, start or change. These changes are then monitored by the sensors and relayed to the controller typically a PLC or RTU.
The control signals and sensor feedback go through typically a 4 to 20 mA electrical cable between the equipment and a local, distributed or remote IO module where they are converted to a digital signal. That is then used in the program running in the controller like a PLC or RTU to then decide if there are any changes required to the plant process.
What are the skills required for industrial automation?
The common skills required for industrial automation regardless of job role are:
- Installation and Maintenance of Instrumentation
- Industrial Communication Protocols (Hart, Profibus, Modbus ect)
- Basic Computer Networking
- Programming PLC’s and / or RTU’s
- Programming SCADA systems and HMI’s
- Typically a Low Voltage Electrical License (optional)
There are many other skills you may require depending on the specific job role that you have but having these basic skills will definitely have to be employed and in high demand for future jobs.
Is automation in high demand?
Yes, automation is in high demand and is only getting greater as Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technologies (OT) become more and more integrated. The application of the Internet of Things, Big Data, AI and other modern technologies will also increase this demand as the need for data to drive them and provide visibility for competitive advantage for companies becomes greater.
Is industrial automation a good career?
Yes, industrial automation is a great career for those that like varied work, technology, great pay and a constant challenge. The industry is always evolving with new things to learn and technologies to play with and implement into the processes and systems. Whether you decide to take a technical career path or a managerial one there is plenty of opportunity.
What is the highest salary in automation?
How much do you make in automation? The highest salary in the USA at the writing of this article on Indeed was $252,000 USD for the Head of Automation role. The roles in automation are varied and can be both technical, managerial or business support staff.
For the latest highest salary on Indeed in the USA you can go here: