Automation Is a Part of Our Daily Lives

An attempt to describe automation can be like the five blind men in the proverbial story encountering an elephant for the first time – each explores one aspect of the animal and narrates his experience accurately, yet all the narratives together do not yield an overall picture. We can look at automation in the following ways:

• Automation is a subject that can be examined in terms of components
• Automation can be examined in terms of the system software, application software, and libraries
• Significantly, automation can be understood by understanding the algorithms and the products

When we stack up these views, we are able to build a realistic 3D image of automation.

Control challenges in the production of objects of everyday use are many. A close look at the kind of challenges that are encountered opens an interesting puzzle. Problem categories are few because the object parameters that need to be controlled are few. These could be, for example, the physical dimensions of the object, weight, thickness, and surface finish. Corresponding control variables are nearly always the same—speed, rate, tension, position, thickness, pressure, level, temperature, and so on. Control algorithms themselves are notably limited, for example, proportional control, integral control, and proportional, integral, derivative (PID) control. What is the puzzle that we mentioned at the beginning of the paragraph? The puzzle involves so many of the challenges that arise during implementation in an industry situation. These challenges arise from less-than-ideal measurements, control responses, imperfect earthing, and other problems. In spite of all these shortcomings, the machine must function properly and deliver good products. This is the magic achieved by clever control algorithms. Control schemes and algorithms are the solutions to the puzzle.

This book is meant for students but even more for faculty. There is always a gap between learning theory from textbooks or classrooms and learning from a hands-on lab experiment. A lab experiment is oriented to deepening your understanding of the theory. Too frequently, we encounter the opinion that academic design is not useful in industry practice, and that there is a gap between the lab and the shop floor. This book express the views of the industry and hopes to bridge this gap. Each chapter can be a starting point for creating a lab setup for investigating actual issues in industrialized automated machines. We do not delve into theoretical aspects of control loops and control design. The storyline is from an industrial implementation point of view.

Moving on to the focus of this chapter, would you be surprised if I told you that we are surrounded by elements, products, or goods that are an outcome of automation? Manufacturing is the backbone for producing these everyday products that we so often take for granted. As an engineer or a technical person, you learn so many aspects of engineering but can sometimes fail to understand how these translate or are applied to manufacturing products. We will introduce you to a typical manufacturing setup and demonstrate how machines and lines are built to enable a factory to produce the necessary products. We will also introduce the basic elements of a factory and manufacturing line. In addition, we will also introduce the aspects of how automation, control systems, robotics, and mechanics are instrumental in building up a machine. This will help you understand the finer elements of an entire manufacturing setup. You will be able to envision this setup, which forms the basis of the book, and also start relating various daily used products with manufacturing and automation setups. We will take you through the automation components and structures, helping you understand these elements in detail that will also be carried forward throughout the book.

This chapter will cover the following main topics:

• Understanding our daily rituals and the products we use
• Probing how consumer demands and needs are drivers
• Analyzing the elements of a factory – production lines and machines
• Analyzing the elements of automation – components and structures