Industrial Automation at Kanta King

Automation can be termed as something that eases the human labor. At the initial level, Industrial Automation means cutting down on human labor in industrial scale operations. When we talk about the practicality aspect of it, Industrial Automation has created another industry within itself. And at a macro level, it is defined by using a control system comprising of computers and/or robots, with a custom- built software for managing and handling various processes. Its aim is to replace the human beings in the industry with machines. It is the big thing of mechanization in the current scope of industrialization.

Industrial automation (IA) can also be referred to as a unified, variable-friendly and cost-efficient setting that consists of various equipment and rudiments responsible for a large number of functions like sensing. It further leads to management control, which in fact enables an efficient management system to be fully functional.

Control systems have been tried and tested and have proven to be a very important factor in the industrial automation system. The different alternatives to the closed-loop control protocols make sure that the process variables follow all the set points. Computing set points applied in the control systems, the start-up or the shut-down process, supervising overall system performance, equipment scheduling, are the various other functions. In addition to this, the automation system uses various other functions such the supervising of the control systems, alteration with the surroundings and environment of the system in the industry. It consents for a variable, efficient and reliable manufacturing system.

The 2 essential types of industrial automation; Process Plant Automation and Manufacturing Automation. These respective types have 5 levels that need to be mechanized for a fully automated system from the beginning to the end. It substitutes any hazardous assembly operations with automated Robotic operations and PMS (Plant management systems)

The most important mechanisms that should be considered at each of these levels for industrial plant automation system are:

1) Base Level / Plant Level
2) Direct Process Control
3) Supervisory Control
4) Production Control and Machinery scheduling
5) Overall Plant Management

The objectives of installing an Industrial Automation System are:
1) Improve and standardize product quality.
2) Make the production process cost-efficient.
3) Enhancing the industrial process safety.
4) Reduce the risk of an accident.
5) Enabling remote management and monitoring.
6) Reducing the labor cost and increase the efficiency process.

Depending on the role allotted to the system, each module and element of the system perform some essential tasks like Sensing, Weighing, Pushing, Calculating, Recording or Supervising. Industrial automation has various applications across countless industries. A few examples of the applications are:

1) Weigh-in-motion and supervisory automation in Food Packaging.
2) Efficient energy monitoring in Power Plants.
3) Packaging and weight taking in the Poultry Industry.
4) Bottling, quality checks and batching in the Beverage Industry.
5) Production, sizing, batching and packaging in the Paper Industry.
6) Yarn-to-Cloth automation in the Textile Industry.

The applications of industrial automation in today’s day are countless. The credit lies in the return of investment, efficiency, and risk-free production. Automation is the catalyst of it all.