Industrial automation is using control systems, like robots or computers, along with information technology to handle various processes in certain industries in a way that replaces the need for a human worker. It can be considered the newest step in United States industrialization.
Once upon a time, automation was used in order to raise productivity since these automated systems can work 24 hours a day. They were also used to drop costs. Nowadays, automation is used to provide better flexibility and quality in manufacturing.
There are many advantages to using industrial automation controls. We’ll look at a few of those in more depth to give a few examples.
Most companies hire dozens or hundreds of workers to work three shift a day in order to keep the plant running continuously. However, holidays and maintenance can still cut into this time. With automation, the plant can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. That can certainly amp up production and allow a company to get more done.
Automation is also excellent for avoiding human errors. For example, in an automobile plant, installing pistons into an engine can have an error rate of around 1%. Using automation drops this to far under one percent, all the way at 0.00001%. In addition, robots don’t get tired which for humans can lead to variation in quality.
When there is a need for a new process, with human employees, someone will need to be trained for that job. This can take a lot of time and money. With a robot? All you have to do is program it to do the task. It will go ahead with it without the learning curve and training that would be needed for a human.
Automation can also help with information accuracy. Data collection can be totally automated which gives you more production information, which leads to better accuracy of data and less need for data collection costs.
Finally, industrial automation controls can lead to a higher level of safety than plants with human workers. Robots and machines can be deployed to handle situations that involve working in hazardous conditions. This makes the area safer for the workers who are human.
Industrial automation is becoming more and more commonplace in plants across the world. The major benefits that are found from using these controls helps everyone involved by ensuring quality, safety, and productivity at affordable costs.
