Industrial Automation: definition and applications

Industrial automation systems allow machinery to operate at a productive pace and a high degree of efficiency, bringing significant benefits to companies.

This article explores the applications of industry 4.0 and then completes the picture with a definition of automation in the technological field in recent years.

What is Industrial Automation?

Automation primarily involves automating industrial production processes. It can be defined as a branch of engineering, a discipline, or a technology.

Its application field is closely connected to the use of machines, computer systems, and electronic devices through automatic procedures. The process is completed partially and/or entirely automatically and autonomously, thus without human intervention.

Some scholars trace the birth of automation back to the 18th century, as a consequence of the industrial revolution. Born as technical support to integrate new systems alongside human manual activity, it has undergone various changes over time. In the past, the term mechanization was used interchangeably to also indicate automation.

This is because both represented the use of machines with mechanical devices operated by humans for a long time. Only later was human operation replaced with mechanical operation, allowing the automation process to be enriched with more detailed specifications.

It implies the use of other machinery within a much more complex regulation and control system, like industry 4.0.

Industrial Automation Systems: Types and Advantages

There are mainly two types: rigid and flexible. The former refers to process operations, assembly, and verification.

In particular, those activities that require completion using a specific machine, programmed to carry out a single operation. For flexible automation, on the other hand, we refer to the management of materials and components, where machinery can move without limitations.

For example, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), automated guided vehicles used for product movement in industrial facilities.

Why Can Automation and Control Systems Bring Benefits to Companies?

The reasons are essentially linked to optimizing the productivity of machinery and people, as well as improving internal processes.

A significant benefit is related to reducing labor and limiting costs related to the manual operation of machinery. Production areas, thanks to the implementation of automation systems, record more reliable execution and high-level performances.

In addition, they manage to save on execution times and contribute to making the workflow smoother. Here's how process control and automation systems become essential tools to support companies intending to expand their business production capacity

New Management Systems in Industry 4.0

The need to manage new industrial processes has led to the creation of fast and reliable systems to make industrial automation more efficient. The automation sector in recent years has referred to a set of software and robotic technologies to allow the automatic operation of industrial machinery.

What are These Tools?

• Programmable Logic Controllers, better known as PLCs, are digitized control systems that, thanks to pre-programming, perform automatic operations. Thanks to a control system, it is possible to monitor and receive real-time updates from sensors, which process and process the information
  
  
• SCADA systems, very useful for supervising and acquiring data necessary for optimizing industrial processes.
  
  
• HMI software applications for the interaction between human operators and machinery.
  
  
• Distributed Control System (DCS) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN).

Looking back, it's interesting to note how already 20 years ago there was talk of hybrid and digital process control. Motion control technologies from analog were increasingly making way for digital solutions, which allowed remote control already thanks to a local intranet network.

Now, control through autonomous machinery and sophisticated technologies allows the term automation to assume nuances similar to robotics. The integration of informative processes in production and data processing through process control allows unprecedented work optimization.

The use of predictive analytics and big data enables greater efficiency and safety in maintenance, thanks to machine condition monitoring.

In Priver we believe automation is a fundamental part of the process of optimizing operational activities, especially if it includes the industrial application of IoT. We want to propose innovation as an opportunity to make industrial companies more competitive.

That's why we work to provide innovative solutions to our clients, thanks to the integration of intelligent and optimized technologies.