JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN

MEKANIKAL
POLITEKNIK UNGKU OMAR
JM506 PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER
INTRODUCTION TO AUTOMATION SYSTEM

RUSMAY ABDULLAH

Industry
In a general sense the term Industry is defined
as follows.
Definition: Systematic Economic Activity that
could be related to Manufacture/Service/ Trade.
In this course, we shall be concerned with
Manufacturing Industries only.
a general sense the term Industry is defined as shall
be concerned with Manufacturing Industries only.

Automation
The word Automation is derived from Greek
words Auto (self) and Matos (moving).
Automation therefore is the mechanism for
systems that move by itself.
Automation can be defined as a technology
concerned with the application of mechanical,
electronic, and computer-based systems to
operate and control production.

Reasons for Automating

1. To increase labor productivity.
Automating a manufacturing operation usually
increases production rate and labor productivity. This
means greater output per hour of labor input.
2. To reduce labor cost.
Ever-increasing labor cost has been and continues
to be the trend in the worlds industrialized societies.
Consequently, higher investment in automation has
become economically justifiable to replace manual
operations.
Machines
are
increasingly
being
substituted for human labor to reduce unit product
cost.

Reasons for Automating

3. To mitigate the effects of labor shortages.
There is a general shortage of labor in many
advanced nations, and this has stimulated the
development of automated operations as a substitute
for labor.
4. To reduce or eliminate routine manual and clerical
tasks.
An argument can be put forth that there is social
value in automating operations that are routine,
boring, fatiguing, and possibly irksome. Automating
such tasks serves a purpose of improving the general
level of working conditions.

Reasons for Automating

5. To improve worker safety.
By automating a given operation and transferring
the worker from active participation in the process to
a supervisory role, the work is made safer. The safety
and physical well-being of the worker has become a
national objective with the enactment of the OSHA in
1970. This has provided an impetus for automation.
6. To improve product quality.
Automation not only results in higher production
rates than manual operations; it also performs the
manufacturing process with greater uniformity and
conformity to quality specifications. Reduction of
fraction defect rate is one of the chief benefits of
automation.

Reasons for Automating

7. To reduce manufacturing lead time.
Automation helps to reduce the elapsed time
between customer order and product delivery,
providing a competitive advantage to the
manufacturer for future orders. By reducing
manufacturing lead time, the manufacturer also
reduces work-in-process inventory.
8. To accomplish processes that cannot be done
manually.
Certain operations cannot
without the aid of a machine.

be

accomplished

Reasons for Automating

These processes have requirements for precision,
miniaturization, or complexity of geometry, that
cannot be achieved manually.
Examples include certain integrated circuit fabrication
operations, rapid prototyping processes based on
computer graphics (CAD) models, and the machining
of complex, mathematically defined surfaces using
computer numerical control. These processes can
only be realized by computer controlled systems.

9. To avoid the high cost of not automating.

There is a significant competitive advantage
gained in automating a manufacturing plant.

Reasons for Automating

The advantage cannot easily be demonstrated on a
companys project authorization form.
The benefits of automation often show up in
unexpected and intangible ways, such as in improved
quality, higher sales, better labor relations, and better
company image. Companies that do not automate
are likely to find themselves at a competitive
disadvantage with their customers, their employees,
and the general public.

Classification Of Automation:
A. Fixed automation
B. Programmable automation
C. Flexible automation

A. FIXED AUTOMATION
This control system is designed to perform a
specific task
Functions of control circuit is fixed and permanent.

It will be complicated if we want to do other task

apart from the existing task
Examples:
Mechanized assembly lines.
Mechanical lines.

A. FIXED AUTOMATION
Example : Fixed Automation

Assembly lines

Mechanical lines

A. FIXED AUTOMATION
Characteristics:
Justified/used where production rates/volumes are
high.
High initial investment for custom engineered
equipment

Normally cannot accommodate product changes.

Depend largely on skill to organize the operations.
Produces large numbers of nearly identical parts
Product design must be stable over its life

B. PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION:
the production equipment is designed with the capability to
change the sequence of operations to accommodate

different product configurations.

The operation sequence is controlled by a program which is a
set of instructions coded so that they can be read and
interpreted by the system.

New programs can be prepared and entered in to the

equipment to produce new products.
Examples:
Numerically controlled (NC) machines.

Industrial robots

B. PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION:
Example : Programmable Automation

B. PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION:
Characteristics:
Sequence controlled by a program
High investment in general purpose equipment

Lower production rates

Flexibility to deal with variation
Suitable for batch production
Smaller volumes (than fixed) of many different parts

More flexible than fixed automation

Major disadvantage: setup prior to each new part
Large batch size (due to setups)

Speed sacrificed for flexibility

C. FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION:
A flexible system consists of a group of processing
stations (CNC), interconnected by means of an
automated material handling and storage system, and
controlled by an integrated computer system.

Examples:
Use of pallet fixtures for holding parts.
Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS)
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) for material
handling

C. FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION:
Example : Flexible Automation

AGV

FMS

C. FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION:
Characteristics:
It is extension of programmable automation
No time lost for change over
High investment in custom-engineered systems
Production of product mix
Flexibility to deal with design variations
Low to medium quantities
Compromise between fixed and programmable automation
in speed and flexibility

COMPARE THE TYPES OF AUTOMATION

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF

AUTOMATION CONTROL IN INDUSTRY
The main advantages of automation are:
1. Replacing human operators in tasks that involve
hard physical work.
2. Replacing humans in tasks done in dangerous
environments (i.e. fire, space, volcanoes, nuclear
facilities, underwater, etc.)
3. Performing tasks that are beyond human
capabilities of size, weight, speed, endurance, etc.

4. Economy improvement: Automation may improve

in economy of enterprises, society or most of
humanity. For example, when an enterprise invests
in automation, technology recovers its investment;
or when a state or country increases its income
due to automation like Germany or Japan in the
20th Century.

5. Reduces operation time and work handling time

significantly.

The main disadvantages of automation are:

1. Unemployment rate increases due to machines
replacing humans and putting those humans out
of their jobs.
2. Technical Limitation: Current technology is unable
to automate all the desired tasks.
3. Security Threats/Vulnerability: An automated
system may have limited level of intelligence,
hence it is most likely susceptible to commit error.

4. Unpredictable development costs: The research

and development cost of automating a process
may exceed the cost saved by the automation
itself.
5. High initial cost: The automation of a new product
or plant requires a huge initial investment in
comparison with the unit cost of the product,
although the cost of automation is spread in
many product batches of things.

CONTROL SYSTEM BASED ON SUPPLY

There are five (5) of the control system based on

supply. These systems are as follows:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

Electric Control System

Pneumatic Control System
Hydraulic Control System
Electro-Pneumatic Control System
Electro- Hydraulic Control System

I. ELECTRIC CONTROL SYSTEM

System can be controlled manually and
automatically.
Manual Electric
Control System

Automatic Electric
Control System

II. PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Pneumatic control system is a system that uses
compressed air to produce power/energy to
perform any task.
Pneumatic systems found in many industrial
systems such as food industry, petrochemical
and industrial involves robotics.
Pneumatic systems requires:
Compressed air supply
Control valve
Connecting tube
Transducer

II. PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Basic circuit design for single cylinder:

Direct Method

Indirect Method

III. HYDRAULIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Hydraulic control system is a system that uses
fluid to generate power/energy.
The hydraulic system used in the automobile
industry such as power systems, braking
systems, cranes, car jack, satellite and others.
The fluid used is oil.
The hydraulic system requires:
Hydraulic fluid supply
Control Valve
Cylinder

III. HYDRAULIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Basic hydraulic circuit system:

IV. ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM

The primary levels of an electro-pneumatic
system structure are:

Energy supply (compressed air and

electricity)
Input elements (limit switches /
pushbuttons / proximity sensors)
Processing elements (switching logic,
solenoid valves, pneumatic to electric
converters)
Actuators and final control elements
(cylinders, motors, directional control
valves, indicators)

IV. ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Electro-pneumatic circuit diagram

IV. ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC CONTROL SYSTEM

The primary levels of an electro-pneumatic
system structure are:

Energy supply (hydraulic motor and

electricity)
Input elements (limit switches /
pushbuttons / proximity sensors)
Processing elements (switching logic,
solenoid valves)
Actuators and final control elements
(cylinders, motors, directional control
valves, indicators)

IV. ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Schematic diagram of the electro-hydraulic
position control system.

Relays

A relay is a switch that is turned on or off using electricity.

Relays allow a low-power signal to control a large amount
of power.
Most relays work by energizing a small electromagnet which
causes the contacts of a switch to close, as shown below.

Passing a small current through the coil causes the iron core to
become magnetized; the magnetized iron core attracts an iron
mass attached to the moveable contacts, causing the contacts to
close.
Relays are designed so that a SMALL current flowing through the
coil leads switches a LARGER current through the contact leads.
There are many different types of relays (not all use
electromagnets).

Types of Relays

Single Pole relay have 1 common

Double Pole relay have 2 common
Single Throw relay have NC or NO
Double Throw relay have NC and NO

Relay Building Diagram

A simple electromagnetic relay consists of a coil of
wire wrapped around a soft iron core,
an iron yoke which
provides a low
reluctance path for
magnetic flux, a
movable iron
armature, and one or
more sets of contacts.

CONTACTORS
A contactor is used to control an electric load in a control systems.

Contactors make or break a set of contacts that control the

voltage applied to some load in cooling systems.

How the contactor works

When current passes through the electromagnet, a magnetic

field is produced, which attracts the moving core of the
contactor.
The electromagnet coil draws
more current initially, until its
inductance increases when the
metal core enters the coil. The
moving contact is propelled by
the moving core; the force
developed by the
electromagnet holds the
moving and fixed contacts
together.
When the contactor coil is deenergized, gravity or a spring
returns the electromagnet core
to its initial position and opens
the contacts.

MOTOR STARTER.

Main Contact.
Main contact of the contactor are normally open
contact and usually use to connect power load to the
main supply.
Auxiliary Contacts
Auxiliary contacts are secondary switching devices
which work in conjunction with primary switching
equipment such as circuit breakers, relays, and
contactors. These contacts are physically linked to the
main switching mechanism and activate at the same
time it does.

Examples of contactor use in motor control

system

Relay vs Contactor

THANKS YOU