Manufacturing industries continues to evolve and

improve its processes though industrial automation.

Industrial automation is the use of control systems, such as

computers or robots, and information technologies for

handling different processes and machineries in an industry

to replace a human being. It is the second step beyond

mechanization in the scope of industrialization (wiki).

Industrial manufacturing processes are automated

basically for the following reasons: (a) to increase the

labor productivity which means increasing the production

rate and grater output per hour of labor input; (b) to

increase the quality; (c) to reduce the labor cost,

consequently, higher investment in automation has become

economically justifiable to replace manual operations ; (d) to

improve worker safety means that by automating a given

operation and transferring the worker from active

participation in the process to a supervisory role, the work

is made safer; (e) 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; and (f) To accomplish processes that

cannot be done manually, certain operations cannot be

accomplished without the aid of a machine. These processes

have requirements for precision, miniaturization, or

complexity of geometry, that cannot be achieved manually.

Since about 1970 there has been a growing trend in

manufacturing firms toward the use of computers to perform

many of the functions related to design and production. The

technology associated with this trend is called CAD/CAM,

for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing.

Today it is widely recognized that the scope of computer

applications must extend beyond design and production to

include the business functions of the firm. The name given

to this more comprehensive use of computers is computer-

integrated manufacturing (CIM).

CAD/CAM is based on the capability of a computer system

to process, store, and display large amounts of data

representing part and product specifications. For mechanical

products, the data represent graphic models of the

components; for electrical products, they represent circuit

information; and so forth. CAD/CAM technology has been

applied in many industries, including machined components,

electronics products, and equipment design and fabrication

for chemical processing. CAD/CAM involves not only the

automation of the manufacturing operations but also the

automation of elements in the entire design-and-

manufacturing procedure.

Computer-aided design (CAD) makes use of computer

systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis,

and optimization of a design. The designer, working with the

CAD system rather than the traditional drafting board,

creates the lines and surfaces that form the object

(product, part, structure, etc.) and stores this model in

the computer database. By invoking the appropriate CAD

software, the designer can perform various analyses on the

object, such as heat transfer calculations. The final object

design is developed as adjustments are made on the basis of

these analyses. Once the design procedure has been

completed, the computer-aided design system can generate the

detailed drawings required to make the object.

Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) involves the use of

computer systems to assist in the planning, control, and

management of production operations. This is accomplished by

either direct or indirect connections between the computer

and production operations. In the case of the direct

connection, the computer is used to monitor or control the

processes in the factory. Computer process monitoring

involves the collection of data from the factory, the

analysis of the data, and the communication of process-

performance results to plant management. These measures

increase the efficiency of plant operations. Computer

process control entails the use of the computer system to

execute control actions to operate the plant automatically,

as described above. Indirect connections between the

computer system and the process involve applications in

which the computer supports the production operations

without actually monitoring or controlling them. These

applications include planning and management functions that

can be performed by the computer (or by humans working with

the computer) more efficiently than by humans alone.

Examples of these functions are planning the step-by-step

processes for the product, part programming in numerical

control, and scheduling the production operations in the

factory.
 Computer-integrated manufacturing includes all the

engineering functions of CAD/CAM and the business functions

of the firm as well. These business functions include order

entry, cost accounting, employee time records and payroll,

and customer billing. In an ideal CIM system, computer

technology is applied to all the operational and

information-processing functions of the company, from

customer orders through design and production (CAD/CAM) to

product shipment and customer service. The scope of the

computer system includes all activities that are concerned

with manufacturing. In many ways, CIM represents the highest

level of automation in manufacturing.i

In the past 20 years, technology has changed the nature

of manufacturing. In the old days, manufacturing and

fabrication were all done by hand by people. Now that

computers and technology have penetrated the industry,

automation has become the competitive advantage in todays

manufacturing world. Automation has allowed for companies to

mass produce products at outstanding speeds and with great

repeatability and quality. Automation has become a

determining factor in whether or not a company will remain

competitive within the manufacturing industry. Although

automation is constantly setting the standards for the

industry and has many advantages, there are also some

negative aspects about automation.

Automation Advantages

Reduction in production time having a machine that is

automated definitely speeds up the production time

 since no thinking is needed by the machine, there is

better repeatability, and less human error.

Increase in accuracy and repeatability when an

automated machine is programmed to perform a task over

and over again, the accuracy and repeatability compared

to an employee is far greater.

Less human error no one is perfect, and we are all

prone to making mistakes. Which is why a machine that

performs repeated tasks is less likely to make mistakes

than an employee.

Less employee costs by adding automated machines to

an operation, means less employees are needed to get

the job done. It also indicates less safety issues,

which leads to financial savings. With having less

employees, there are numerous costs that are diminished

or reduced such as payroll, benefits, sick days,

etcetera.

Increased safety having automated machines means

having less employees who perform tasks that can be

dangerous and prone to injury, which can make the work

environment safer.

Higher volume production investing in automated

equipment creates a valuable resource for large

production volumes, which in turn, will increase

profitability.

Automation Disadvantages
 Less versatility by having a machine that can perform

a certain task limits to the flexibility and variety of

tasks that an employee could do.

More pollution different types of machines operate

using motor which may require gases or chemicals in

order to operate. This can cause an increase in

pollution in the workplace.

Large initial investment automated machines can be

one of the most costly operating costs for a company.

With automated machines running anywhere between

thousands and millions of dollars depending on the type

and degree of automation.

Increase in unemployment by increasing the amount of

automation, there are less employees required causing

high unemployment rates.

Unpredictable costs there can be several

unpredictable costs that may exceed the actual cost

saved by the automation itself. Some of these costs

could include research and development costs of

automating a process, preventative maintenance costs,

and the cost of training employees to operate automated

machines.

While automation has become a resource for remaining

competitive in the manufacturing industry, there are

definitely some factors to be considered in order to be

competitive and to get a return on the investment. Depending

on the operations, automation may or may not be a good

fit. If it is a small operation with low production

 quantities, the initial investment of purchasing an

automated machine would not be economical. On the other

hand, if the operation has a larger facility with many

employees on the shop floor two fabricate medium to large

runs, automated machines would be better suited.ii

History of automation

Manual control

Pneumatic control

Hard wire logic control

Electronic control using logic gates

Programmable logic controllers

Advantages and disadvantages of automation

RELATED TOPICS

computer-integrated manufacturing
mechanization
computer
machine
computer-aided engineering (CAE)
Jacques de Vaucanson
robot
work
Hans Moravec
robotics

Advantages commonly attributed to automation include higher

production rates and increased productivity, more efficient use of
materials, better product quality, improved safety, shorter workweeks for
labour, and reduced factory lead times. Higher output and increased
productivity have been two of the biggest reasons in justifying the use of
automation. Despite the claims of high quality from good workmanship
by humans, automated systems typically perform the manufacturing
process with less variability than human workers, resulting in greater
control and consistency of product quality. Also, increased process
control makes more efficient use of materials, resulting in less scrap.
 Worker safety is an important reason for automating an industrial
operation. Automated systems often remove workers from the
workplace, thus safeguarding them against the hazards of the factory
environment. In the United States the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970 (OSHA) was enacted with the national objective of making
work safer and protecting the physical well-being of the worker. OSHA
has had the effect of promoting the use of automation and robotics in
the factory.

Another benefit of automation is the reduction in the number

of hours worked on average per week by factory workers. About 1900
the average workweek was approximately 70 hours. This has gradually
been reduced to a standard workweek in the United States of about 40
hours. Mechanization and automation have played a significant role in
this reduction. Finally, the time required to process a typical production
order through the factory is generally reduced with automation.

A main disadvantage often associated with automation, worker

displacement, has been discussed above. Despite the social benefits
that might result from retraining displaced workers for other jobs, in
almost all cases the worker whose job has been taken over by a
machine undergoes a period of emotional stress. In addition to
displacement from work, the worker may be displaced geographically. In
order to find other work, an individual may have to relocate, which is
another source of stress.

SIMILAR TOPICS

migrant labour
packaging
materials handling
production system
materials processing
organized labour
materials testing
foreign workers
contract labour
guild

Other disadvantages of automated equipment include the high capital

expenditure required to invest in automation (an automated system can
cost millions of dollars to design, fabricate, and install), a higher level of
maintenance needed than with a manually operated machine, and a
generally lower degree of flexibility in terms of the possible products as
compared with a manual system (even flexible automation is less
flexible than humans, the most versatile machines of all).

Also there are potential risks that automation technology will ultimately
subjugate rather than serve humankind. The risks include the possibility
that workers will become slaves to automated machines, that the
privacy of humans will be invaded by vast computer data networks, that
 human error in the management of technology will somehow endanger
civilization, and that society will become dependent on automation for its
economic well-being.

These dangers aside, automation technology, if used wisely and

effectively, can yield substantial opportunities for the future. There is an
opportunity to relieve humans from repetitive, hazardous, and
unpleasant labour in all forms. And there is an opportunity for future
automation technologies to provide a growing social and economic
environment in which humans can enjoy a higher standard of living and
a better way of life.

Automation And Society

Over the years, the social merits of automation have been argued by
labour leaders, business executives, government officials, and college
professors. The biggest controversy has focused on how automation
affects employment. There are other important aspects of automation,
including its effect on productivity, economic competition, education,
and quality of life. These issues are explored here.

Impact on the individual

Nearly all industrial installations of automation, and in particular robotics,
involve a replacement of human labour by an automated system. Therefore, one
of the direct effects of automation in factory operations is the dislocation of
human labour from the workplace. The long-term effects of automation on
employment and unemployment rates are debatable. Most studies in this area
have been controversial and inconclusive. Workers have indeed lost jobs
through automation, but population increases and consumer demand for the
products of automation have compensated for these losses. Labour unions have
argued, and many companies have adopted the policy, that workers displaced
by automation should be retrained for other positions, perhaps increasing their
skill levels in the process. This argument succeeds so long as the company and
the economy in general are growing at a rate fast enough to create new
positions as the jobs replaced by automation are lost.

SIMILAR TOPICS

migrant labour
packaging
materials handling
production system
materials processing
organized labour
materials testing
foreign workers
 contract labour
guild

Of particular concern for many labour specialists is the impact of industrial

robots on the work force, since robot installations involve a direct substitution
of machines for humans, sometimes at a ratio of two to three humans per robot.
The opposing argument within the United States is that robots can increase
productivity in American factories, thereby making these firms more
competitive and ensuring that jobs are not lost to overseas companies. The
effect of robotics on labour has been relatively minor, because the number of
robots in the United States is small compared with the number of human
workers. As of the early 1990s, there were fewer than 100,000 robots installed
in American factories, compared with a total work force of more than 100
million persons, about 20 million of whom work in factories.

Automation affects not only the number of workers in factories but also the
type of work that is done. The automated factory is oriented toward the use of
computer systems and sophisticated programmable machines rather than
manual labour. Greater emphasis is placed on knowledge-based work and
technical skill rather than physical work. The types of jobs found in modern
factories include more machine maintenance, improved scheduling and process
optimization, systems analysis, and computer programming and operation.
Consequently, workers in automated facilities must be technologically
proficient to perform these jobs. Professional and semiprofessional positions, as
well as traditional labour jobs, are affected by this shift in emphasis toward
factory automation.
Impact on society

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

A Study of Writers

Besides affecting individual workers, automation has an impact on society in

general. Productivity is a fundamental economic issue that is influenced by
automation. The productivity of a process is traditionally defined as the ratio of
output units to the units of labour input. A properly justified automation project
 will increase productivity owing to increases in production rate and reductions
in labour content. Over the years, productivity gains have led to reduced prices
for products and increased prosperity for society.

BRITANNICA STORIES

IN THE NEWS / ARTS & CULTURE

The Everyday Beauty of Wolfgang Tillmans

DEMYSTIFIED / SPORTS & RECREATION

Why Are Basketball Hoops 10 Feet High?

SPOTLIGHT / HISTORY

The Legacy of Order 9066 and Japanese American Internment

IN THE NEWS / SCIENCE

Dinosaur Relative Gave Birth to Live Young

A number of issues related to education and training have been raised by the
increased use of automation, robotics, computer systems, and related
technologies. As automation has increased, there has developed a shortage of
technically trained personnel to implement these technologies competently.
This shortage has had a direct influence on the rate at which automated systems
can be introduced. The shortage of skilled staffing in automation technologies
raises the need for vocational and technical training to develop the required work-
force skills. Unfortunately the educational system is also in need of technically
qualified instructors to teach these subjects, and the laboratory equipment
available in schools does not always represent the state-of-the-art technology
typically used in industry.
 +

+A process automation or automation system is used to

automatically control a process such as chemical, oil

refineries, paper and pulp factories. The PAS often uses a

network to interconnect sensors, controllers, operator

terminals and actuators.

Automation[1] or automatic control, 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. Some

processes have been completely automated.

The biggest benefit of automation is that it saves labor;

however, it is also used to save energy and materials and to

improve quality, accuracy and precision.

The term automation, inspired by the earlier

word automatic (coming from automaton), was not widely used

before 1947, when Ford established an automation department.

[1]
It was during this time that industry was rapidly

adopting feedback controllers, which were introduced in the

1930s.[2]

Automation has been achieved by various means including

mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic

devices and computers, usually in combination. Complicated

systems, such as modern factories, airplanes and ships

typically use all these combined techniques.

i www.britannica.com/technology/automation/Computer-integrated-manufacturing

ii http://www.vista-industrial.com/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-automation-in-
manufacturing/