Unit 1

Automation and Robotics

Definition of Automation

1. Automation is the technology by which a process

or procedure is performed with minimal human
assistance.
2. It is the use of various control systems for operating
equipment such as machinery, processes in factories,
boilers and heat treating ovens, switching on telephone
networks, steering and stabilization of ships, aircraft and
other applications and vehicles with minimal or reduced
human intervention.

3. Automation has been achieved by various means

including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical,
electronic devices and computers, usually in combination.

Advantages of Automation :

1. Increased productivity.
2. Improved quality or increased predictability of quality.

3. Improved robustness of processes or product.

4. Reduced direct human labour costs and expenses.

5. Reduces operation time and work handling time

significantly.
Reduces some occupational injuries.

Disadvantages of Automation :
1. Possible security threats/vulnerability due to
increased relative susceptibility for committing
 errors.
2. Unpredictable or excessive development costs.
3. High initial cost.
4. Displaces workers due to job replacement.
5. A higher level of maintenance needed.

common goals of automation

1. To speed up common tasks to lift productivity.

2. To reduce mistakes or errors.
3. To improve the safety of humans.
4. To help improve quality.
5. To reduce redundancy.

Different types of automation with their

advantages and disadvantages

Fixed Automation

1. Fixed automation refers to the use of special purpose

equipment to automate a fixed sequence of
processing or assembly operations.
2. Each of the operation in the sequence is usually
simple, involving perhaps a plain linear or rotational
motion or an uncomplicated combination of two.
3. It is relatively difficult to accommodate changes in the
product design. Therefore, this is also called hard
automation.
 Advantages

1.Automated material handling

2. High production rate.

Disadvantages
1.High initial investment.

2. Relatively inflexible in accommodating product

changes

Programmable Automation :
1. In programmable automation, the production equipment is
designed with the capability to change the sequence of
operations to accommodate different product configurations.
2. The operation sequence is controlled by a program, which is a
set of instructions coded.
3. New programs can be prepared and entered into the equipment
to produce new product, so that they can be read and
interpreted by the systems.

i. Advantages :
1. Flexible to deal with design variations.
2. Suitable for batch production.
ii. Disadvantages :
1. High investment in general purpose equipment.
2. Lower production rate than fixed automation.
b. Flexible Automation :
1. Flexible automation is an extension of programmable automation. This
is also called soft automation.
2. A flexible automation system is capable of producing a variety of parts
with virtually no time lost for changeovers from one part style to the
next.
3. There is no lost production time while reprogramming the system and
altering the physical set up.
i. Advantages :
1. Continuous production of variable mixtures of product.
2. Flexible to deal with product design variation.
ii. Disadvantages :
1. Medium production rate.
2. High investment.

difference between fixed automation and programmable

automation

Fixed Automation Programmable Automation

In this operation sequence is fixed. In this operation sequence changes a

product configurations.

It is complex system. It is simple system.

High production rates. Lower production rates than fixed au

Relatively inflexible according Flexible to deal with changes in pr

to product variety. configuration.

needs of automation

The needs of automation are as follows :

i. To Increase Labour Productivity :
1. Automating a manufacturing operation usually increases
production rate and labor productivity. This means greater
output per hour of labour input.
ii. To Reduce Labour Cost :
1. Increasing labour cost continues to be the trend in the
world's industrialized societies.
2. Consequently, higher investment in automation has
become economically justifiable to replace manual
 operations
3. Machines are increasingly being substituted for human
labour to reduce unit product cost
i. To Diminish the Effects of Labour Shortages :
1. There is a general shortage of labour in many advanced
nations, and this has stimulated the development of
automated operations as a substitute for labour.
ii. To Improve Worker’s Safety :
Automating a given operation and transferring the worker from
active participation in the process to a monitoring role, or removing
the worker from the operation altogether, makes the work safer

i. To Improve Product Quality :

1. Automation not only results in higher production rates than
manual operation, it also performs the manufacturing
process with greater uniformity and conformity to quality
specifications.
ii. To Reduce Manufacturing Lead Time :
2. Automation helps in reducing the elapsed time between
customer order and product delivery, providing a
competitive advantage to the manufacturer for future
order.
3. By reducing manufacturing lead time, the manufacturer also
reduces work-in-process inventory.
iii. To Accomplish the Processes that cannot be done
Manually :
4. Certain operations cannot be accomplished without the aid of
a machine.
5. These processes require precision, miniaturization, or
complexity of geometry that cannot be achieved manually.
iv. To Reduce or Eliminate Routine Manual and Clerical
Tasks :
1

1. An argument can be put forth that there is social value in automating

operations that are routine, boring, fatiguing.
2. Automating such tasks improves the general level of working conditions

USA principle of automation

1. The USA principle is a commonsense approach to automation and

process improvement projects.
2. USA stands for :
a. Understand the Existing Process :
1. The first step in the USA approach is to comprehend the current
process in all of its details. What are the inputs ? What are the
outputs ? What exactly happens to the work unit between input and
output ? What is the function of the process ? How does it add value to
the product ? What are the upstream and downstream operations in
the production sequence, and can they be combined with the process
under consideration.
2. Some of the traditional industrial engineering charting tools used in
methods analysis are useful in this regard, such as the operation chart
and the flow process chart.
3. Application of these tools to the existing process provides a model of
the process that can be analyzed and searched for weakness
4. The number of steps in the process, the number and placement of
inspections, the number of moves and delays experienced by the work
unit, and the time spent in storage can be ascertained by these charting
techniques.
b. Simplify the Process :
1. Once the existing process is understood, then the search begins for
ways to simplify.
2. This often involves a checklist of questions about the existing process.
What is the purpose of this step or this transport ? Is the step necessary
? Can it be eliminated ? Does it use the most appropriate technology ?
How can it be simplified ? Are there unnecessary steps in the process
that might be eliminated without detracting from function ?
c. Automate the Process :
1. Once the process has been reduced to its simplest form, then
automation can be considered. It can be done by using automation
strategies.
2. An automation migration strategy might be implemented for a new
product that has not yet proven itself.

the ten strategies for automation

1. networked; such a network can control an entire production line.
2. PLC can be adapted to monitor and control many sensors and
actuators they process electrical signals and use them to carry out pre-
programmed commands for almost any application.
3. PLCs are used in industrial automation to increase reliability, system
stability and performance, minimizing the need for human operators
and the chances of human error.
Various Elements of Automation

Power

(2) (3)
a. Power to Accomplish the Process :
Process
An automatedProgram
system of Control
1. is used to operate some processes, and power is
instructions system
required to drive the processes as well as the controls.
2. The principal source of power in automated systems is electricity.
b. Program of Instructions :
1. The action performed by an automated process is defined by a
program of instructions.
2. Whether the manufacturing operation involves low, medium, or high
production, each part or product made in the operation requires one
or more processing steps that are unique to that part or product.
3. These processing steps are performed during a work cycle.
4. A new part is completed during each work cycle (in some manufacturing
operations, more than one part is produced during the work cycle, e.g.
a plastic injection molding operation may produce multiple parts in each
cycle using a multiple cavity mould).
c. Control System :
1. The instructions of a program are executed by the control element of
the automated system.
2. The control system causes the process to accomplish its defined function
to carry out some manufacturing operations.
3. The controls in an automated system can be either closed loop or open
loop.
,
Fluid Power Systems:

1. Fluid power is the use of fluids under pressure to generate, control,

and transmit power.
2. Fluid power systems can produce high power and high forces in small
volumes, compared with electrically driven systems.
3. The forces that are exerted can be easily monitored within a system by
gauges and meters.
4. Fluid power systems are susceptible to pressure and flow losses within
pipes and control devices.
5. Fluid power systems are equipped with filters and other measures to
preserve the cleanliness of the working fluid.

Advantages of Fluid Power Systems :

6. An easy means of multiplying and controlling force and torque.
7. Infinitely variable speed control for both linear and rotary motion.
8. It provides an easy means of accurately controlling the speed of
machines and/or machine parts.

9. Systems easily adapt to accommodate a range of machine sizes and

designs.
10. Systems readily adapt to external control methods, including mechanical,
pneumatic, electrical, and electronic systems.

Disadvantages of Fluid Power Systems:

1. Higher safety factors associated with high pressure oil and compressed
air.
2. Susceptibility to dirty environments which can cause extreme
component wears without careful filtration.
3. Fire hazards with hydraulic systems using combustible oils.
Noise level of pneumatic systems when air is directly exhausted to the
atmosphere from components