LOW COST AUTOMATION

 It is defined as the replacement of

muscular and mental effort of the operator
by the use of Pneumatic, Hydraulic,
Electric and Electronic components in
manufacturing including assembly
operations.
Objectives of LCA
 The main objective of low cost automation
is to improve the productivity and
efficiency of labour (fatigue reduction)
without huge investment on capital
equipment to produce quality products, to
reduce the cost of production and deploy
labour to the best advantages.
 Applications
 The application of the low cost automation
particularly in small and medium scale
industries with the use of simple devices
make them automatic at “LOW COST” to
yield to higher productivity and profitability
for stability and growth in building up of
national economy of the country.
BENEFITS OF LOW COST AUTOMATION

 Increase output.
 Operators can control several machines.
 Ensures accuracy.
 Reduces wastage of materials.
 Reduces human errors.
 Deploy labour for the best advantage.
 Reduces physical effort of operators.
APPLICATION OF LOW COST AUTOMATION
 Reduction in production cost.
 Saving in operating cost
 More reliable delivery.
 Better efficiency.
 Not only confined to industries but also in agriculture,
medicine, cottage industries, textiles,etc.
 Significant reduction in process cost and increase in
output.
 Remarkable improvement in quality, greater
consistency of product and reduction in space.
 Less maintenance.
Choice of control media
 Mechanical

 Electrical

 Electronics

 Pneumatics

 Hydraulics
Selection criteria for the
control section
 Reliability of components
 Sensitivity to environment influence
 Ease of maintenance & repair.
 Switching time of components
 Signal speed.
 Space requirements.
 Service life.
 Training requirement for operator & maintenance.
 Project modification of the control system.
Choice of working media
 Electrics

 Hydraulics

 Pneumatics

 A combination of above.
Selection criteria of the
working section.
 Force
 Speed
 Type of motion
 Size
 Service life
 Sensitivity
 Safety & reliability
 Energy controls.
 Controllability.
 Handling.
 Storage.
MERITS AND DEMERITS OF PNEUAMTICS AND HYDRAULIC
SYSTEM
Sl.No. Pneumatic System Hydraulic System
1. Reasonably cheap Costly in view of the power pack.
2. Max pressure is up to 10 bar. High pressure application up to 300-400 bar.
3. Fast working media. Medium to slow working speed.

4. Not suitable to application with Most suitable under variable load

various load characteristics. characteristics.
5. Constant and uniform speed cannot Constant and uniform speed can be
be achieved. Synchronization is achieved and synchronization is
bit difficult. possible.
6. No health hazard. Contaminated oil results in health hazard
and faster system failure.
7. No return line. Return line is must.
8. Specialist services not required. Sometimes specialist services are required
to run the system.
9. Air leakage will results in pressure Oil leakage is common thing and must be
drop causing spoilage of work. prevented, to avoid pressure drop and
shabby environments.
 PNEUMATICS
 PNEUMA means breath or wind or air.

 PNEUMATICS means the study of air

movement and its phenomena.
FUNCTIONS OF PNEUMATICS
 In the majority of applications compressed air is used for one or
more of the following functions.

 The use of sensor to determine status of process.

 Information processing.

 Switching of actuators by means of final control elements.

 Carrying out of work.

Pneumatic components can perform the
following types of motion

 Linear

 Swivel

 Rotary
APPLICATION OF PNEUMATIC SYSTEM

Material handling
 Clamping

 Shifting

 Positioning

 Orienting
GENERAL APPLICATION
 Packaging
 Door or chute control
 Stamping and embossing of components
 Feeding and Transfer of materials.
 Turning and inverting of parts.
 Stacking of components.
 Sorting of parts
ADVANTAGES AND DISTINGUISHED CHARACTERISTICS
OF COMPRESSED AIR

 Availability
 Transport
 Storage
 Temperature
 Explosion proof
 Cleanliness
 Simple components
 Speed
 Overload safe
LIMITATIONS
 Preparation

 Compressible

 Force available

 Noise level

 Cost
 PROPERTIES OF AIR

 Air contains
Nitrogen 78%
Oxygen 21%
Others 01 % (CO2,Argon,Hydrogen,Neon etc).

 Pressure
Pressure (P) is defined as Force (F) per unit Area (A)
and the unit is Pascal (Pa)

P = Force / Area in N / m2
BOYLES LAW

Boyle’s law states that the absolute pressure of a

given gas varies inversely at its volume, when
temperature remains constant.

i.e., P1V1=P2V2=P3V3…….= Constant

Diagrammatic representation of pneumatic circuit diagrams

Drive element or Working element - Cylinders, motors

Final control elements - Directional control Valve

Processing element - Logic elements,

Pressure and Time
dependent valves etc.

Signal elements - Switches, push buttons,

Limit switches etc.

Energy supply - Compressed air

General characteristics of pneumatic cylinder

 Diameter 6 mm to 320 mm

 Stroke length 1 mm to 2 m

 Available force 2 KN to 30KN

 Piston speed 0.02 mm to 2 m/s

WORKING ELEMENTS - (Cylinders or Actuators)

Cylinder or Actuator is one, which converts Pneumatic energy to

mechanical output .
CYLINDERS

Single acting cylinder Double acting cylinder

 Conventional * Conventional
 Diaphragm * Double ended piston rod
 Rolling diaphragm * Tandem
* Multi position
* Rotary
* Rod less
Valves
Signal and control components influence the operating sequence
of the working part and are termed as valves.

Types
 Directional control valve

 Flow control valve

 Logic elements

 Pressure and time dependent valves

Directional control valve

DC valves are used to start, to stop and to change the

directions of a pneumatic system

Representation of DC Valves
 Number of ports

 Number of switching position

 Mode of actuation

 Mode of reset
FLOW CONTROL VALVE

Flow control valve are used to control the flow

rate of air to reduce the speed of the driving
element.

 Check valve or Non return valve

 Restrictor or throttle valve

 One way flow control valve

 Quick exhaust Valve

Meter In (or) Supply Air Throttling

 Can be applied for single acting and

smaller volume cylinder.

 Pressure drop due to the flow and we

feel jerky motion.
Meter Out (or) Exhaust Air Throttling

 Can be applied on any double acting

cylinder.

 Uniform and Steady motion.

LOGIC ELEMENTS
 Shuttle valve (OR gate)

 Duel pressure valve (AND gate)

 3/2 way DC valve pilot operated, Spring

return, NO (NOT Gate)
Pressure and time dependent
valves
 Pressure relief valve

 Pressure sequence valve

 On delay timer NC&NO

 Electro Pneumatics

Integration of Pneumatics and Electrical Technology.

Sensing and processing - Electrical

Working - Pneumatics
Advantages
 Cost effective
 Efficient production system-Quick & sure action
 Cycle times are minimized
 Signals are transmitted over a long distance
 Signal transmission and reception is minimized
 Longer life
 Less maintenance and minimum wastage of energy
 Sensing and processing-Electrical
Signal Structure and Signal Flow
in Electro Pneumatic System

 Energy supply (Compressed air and electrical)

 Input elements (Limit switches/ pushbutton/ proximity sensors)

 Processing elements (switching logic, solenoid valves,

pneumatics to electric converters)

 Final control elements (solenoid operated directional control

valves)

 Actuators or working element (Cylinders & Motors)

Uses of Elements
 Cylinders or Motors - Actuates the work

 DC valves - To change the direction of

working element
Poppet type - For small flow rate
Slide type - Larger flow rate

 Flow control valve - Restricts or throttles the

air in particular Direction
Switches
To provide signals such as Start, Stop and Position

Confirmation.

Switch contacts for the basic logic function such as :

 AND - Series contacts

 OR - Parallel contacts
 NOT – Normally closed contacts
Relays
Relays are used as processing and final control elements
like switches may consist of a simple contacts pair (or)
a larger number of No, NC or Change over contacts.

Characteristics :
 Low maintenance

 Able to switch a number of independent circuit parts

 Easily adaptable to various operation voltages

 High operating speed is short switching times

Certain application requires the use of electronic sensors
employing:

Electrical induction
Capacitance
Infra red light