•Automation

Introduction
Types of automation
Levels of automation

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The word ‘Automation’ is derived from greek words
“Auto”(self) and “Matos” (moving).

Automation therefore is the mechanism for systems that

“move by itself”.

However, apart from this original sense of the word,

automated systems also achieve significantly superior
performance than what is possible with manual systems,
in terms of power, precision and speed of operation.

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Automation is a set of technologies that results in

operation of machines and systems without significant

human intervention and achieves performance superior

to manual operation.

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 any means of helping the
workers to perform their
tasks more efficiently

a technology concerned with

AUTOMATION the application of mechanical,
electronics and computer
based system to operate and
control production

transfer of the skill of the

operator to the machine

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 Reasons for Automating
1. To increase labor productivity
2. To reduce labor cost
3. To mitigate the effects of labor shortages
4. To reduce or remove routine manual and clerical
tasks
5. To improve worker safety
6. To improve product quality
7. To reduce manufacturing lead time
8. To accomplish what cannot be done manually
9. To avoid the high cost of not automating

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 Types of automation

• Fixed Automation

• Programmable Automation

• Flexible Automation

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 FIXED
AUTOMATION

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 FIXED
AUTOMATION

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 FIXED
AUTOMATION

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 FIXED
AUTOMATION

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 Fixed Automation

• Fixed automation is a system in which the sequence

of processing operations is fixed by the equipment
configuration.
• Typical features:

– High initial investment for custom-engineered

equipment
– High production rate
– Relatively inflexible in accommodating product
variety.

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• The economic justification for the fixed automation is
found in products that are produced in very large
quantities and at high production rates.
• The high initial cost of the equipment can be spread
over a very large number of units, thus making the
unit cost attractive compared with alternate
methods of production.

Example:
Transfer lines, automated assembly lines

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 Programmable Automation

• In programmable automation, the production

equipment is designed with the capability to change
the sequence of operations to accommodate
different product configurations.

• The operation sequence is controlled by a program,

which is a set of instructions coded so that they can
be read and interpreted by the system.

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• Features:
– High investment in general purpose equipment.
– Lower production rate than fixed automation.
– Flexibility to deal with variations and changes in product
configuration.
– Most suitable in batch production.

Programmable automation production systems are used in

low and medium volume production. The parts are typically
made in batches.

Examples:
– Numerical machine tools (NC)
– Industrial Robots
– Programmable logic controllers.
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 Flexible Automation

• A flexible automated system is capable of producing

a variety of parts with virtually no time is lost over
changeovers from one part style to the next.
• There is no lost production time while
reprogramming the system and altering the physical
set up.
• What makes flexible automation possible is that the
difference between the parts processed by the
system are not significant (soft variety).

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Flexible Automation

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Flexible Automation

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Flexible Automation

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• Features: 08.02.2021 L4

– High investment for a custom engineered system.

– Continuous production of variable mixture of parts.
– Medium production rates.
– Flexibility to deal with product design variations.
– Ability to adapt to engineering changes in parts.
– Increase in number of similar parts produced on the
system.
– Ability to accommodate routing changes.
– Ability to rapidly change production set up.

Example:
FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM, AGVs

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 For low production quantities and new product
V introduction, manual production is competitive to
a programmable automation.
r
i
Programmable
e Automation Flexible
t
Automation
y Manual Fixed
Production
Automation
1 100 10000 1000000

Quantity
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 Automation in action…

• CAD/CAM • Data Collection

• CNC
• Manufacturing
• Rapid Prototyping
Planning and Control
• Inspection
• EDI
• CMM
• Robots • Accounting Systems
• Conveyors • Material handling
• Process Controls • Sales Force
• FMS Automation

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 Automation and Manning Levels
• Level of workstation automation
– Manually operated
– Semi-automated
– Fully automated
• Manning level Mi = proportion of time worker is in
attendance at station i
– Mi = 1 means that one worker must be at the
station continuously
– Mi  1 indicates manual operations
– Mi < 1 usually denotes some form of automation

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 Manually Operated Machine

Manually operated machines are controlled or supervised

by a human worker. The machine provides the power for
the operation and the worker provides the control. The
entire work cycle is operator controlled. 25
 Semi-Automated Machine

A semi-automated machine performs a portion of the

work cycle under some form of program control, and a
worker tends to the machine for the remainder of the
cycle. Typical worker tasks include loading and
unloading parts.
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 Fully-Automated Machine

Machine operates for extended periods (longer than

one work cycle) without worker attention.
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