ADIGRAT UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Industrial Automation

By Berihu B.

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 What is industrial automation?
Industry: In a general sense the term “Industry” is defined as
follows.

Definition: Systematic Economic Activity that could be related to

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 What is industrial automation?
 The word ‘Automation’ is derived from Greek
 “Auto”(self) and “Matos” (moving).

 Automation: is the mechanism for systems that “move by itself”.

Definition: Automation is a set of technologies that results in operation

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 What is industrial automation?
Industrial Automation: is the use of control systems and information
technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods
and services in industries.
 It is the implementation of automatic means in an industry.
 It is a technique that can be used:
• To reduce costs and
• To improve quality.
• To save time

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Overview of Industrial Automation
Pneumatic
and Hydraulic
Power
Switchgear, electronics
Contactors
and Relays

Sensors Closed Loop

Electronic
Controls and Programmable
Microcontroller Logic Controller

Motors

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 Main Advantages of Automation
 Replacing human operator in tasks when things are beyond human
capabilities of size, weight, speed.

 Improving in economy of enterprise, society or most of humankind.

 Replacing human operators in tasks that involve hard physical work.

 Replacing humans in tasks done in dangerous environments.

 Reduces operation time and work handling time significantly.

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 Main Disadvantage of Automation
 Technical Limitation: Current technology is unable to automate all
the desired tasks

 Unemployment rate increases due to machines replacing humans

 High initial cost

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 Types of Automation
Conventional Automation: uses relays as decision makers.
 Basic elements of conventional industrial control system.
i. Logical sensors
ii. Relays
iii. logical actuators
 Because of the relays, conventional industrial control systems are:
• bulky • troubleshooting is difficult
• costly • not reliable
• not flexible
• complex

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Types of Automation

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 Logical Sensors
 They are very important in any industrial control system.
 Can only detect a state that is either true or false.
 Sensor allows a relay or PLC to detect the state of a process.
Physical phenomena detected by logical sensors are:
• Inductive proximity
• Capacitive proximity
• Optical presence
• Mechanical contact

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Logical Sensors

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 Relays as logical decision makers
 Relays help us to switch on and off circuits without a mechanical
switch.
 They are used to implement logics.
 When current goes through the coil:
• A magnetic field is created
• The iron core becomes magnetic
• The electromagnetic force pools the switch
• A current can go through the switch

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 Relays as logical decision makers
 The coil has a core (1) and winding (3) with inputs terminals (A1,
A2); the contacts consist of a flipper (4), a return spring (2) and a
contact assembly with a changeover contact (5) and output terminals
(COM, NO, NC).

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Relays as logical decision makers

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 Logical Actuator
 Actuators are usually sources of motions.
 Some examples of actuators are:
• Solenoids
• Motors
• Valves
• Cylinders
• Hydraulics

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 Modern Industrial Automation
 Modern industrial control systems use PLCs as decision makers.
 PLCs are capable of:
• Storing instructions
• Sequencing
• Timing
• Counting
• Arithmetic control functions

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 Modern Industrial Automation
 PLC is an electronic device which uses programmable memory to
perform special functions such as logic sequencing, timing, counting
and computation through digital or analog input/output modules,
which controls variety of machines and processes.

 Most widely used industrial process control technology

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