Generalities of industrial automation and instrumentation
The use of any technological tools and equipment in various fields requires basic knowledge and awareness of how and why. Industrial automation and instrumentation is also one of the latest technologies in the industry. We want to get the knowledge needed to benefit from this science and its equipment step by step. Stay with us.
What is industrial automation?
Industrial automation or in other words industrial automation (Industrial Automation) means the use of technology and equipment in production. More precisely, in this title, automation means automation and industry means tools and components used in the process of production, distribution and consumption of a product. Therefore, industrial automation can be considered as automation of the production process with the help of modern science with the aim of increasing productivity and reducing production costs. In industrial automation and instrumentation, which is one of the main pillars of industrial production, control tools, such as computers, replace manpower and take control and control of industrial machinery and the production process.
History of Industrial Automation
Many equate the advent of industrial automation and instrumentation with the advent of the product line. There is no doubt that the first industrial production line was established and started in 1913 by Henry Ford. But some consider this production line to be semi-automatic and the origin of industrial automation, while others go back to 1750 and attribute it to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Of course, what was used at the Ford plant to mass-produce cars at lower production costs is more closely related to today’s concept of industrial automation. Because the technology used in Ford’s first world production line led to improved quality, reduced costs and increased production at the same time as before. Thus, the goal of increasing productivity through industrial automation and instrumentation first emerged at Ford. The use of this technology in production was then welcomed between the Japanese and the Germans.
The need for efficiency of industrial automation and instrumentation
Today, with the advancement of technology, the concept of industrial automation and instrumentation has expanded a lot and has become an advanced and extensive science. In fact, with the fusion of the electronic revolution and the industrial revolution, the simultaneous use of tools, machines, equipment, and technology has reached wider frontiers and entered new stages. Accordingly, the purposes and reasons for its use include more cases. Including:
Also, today, industrial automation and instrumentation play a role in the production of various products, and industrialists active in the fields of oil, gas, cement, mining, petrochemicals, etc. benefit from industrial automation and instrumentation in their production processes.
The most important industrial automation equipment and instrumentation
Knowing the concept, history and necessity of using industrial automation and instrumentation, perhaps knowing the equipment and parts of this field is the first step to benefit from it. Therefore, first we will introduce you to the main and most important tools of industrial automation in general, and in the future we will examine in more detail the process of completion and progress, types, efficiency and role and the future ahead of them separately. In general, the concept of precision instruments includes a set of precision measuring instruments that have different types based on the factor that measures it. Precision instruments are used to measure the physical quantities effective in the production process. These tools have the following subsets:
Meter
controller
Driver
In this section, the subset of meters themselves have different components, which include sensors, transducers and transmitters. In this way, these components together send the necessary information and reports from the physical committees to the controllers. In this cooperation, the sensor is sensitive to changes in quantities such as light, temperature, pressure and reacts on it, this reaction is sent as energy to the transducer and there converts it into a processable signal in the controller. The changed signal is also achieved by the transmitter to the required transmission standards and transmitted to the controller. The controller checks and controls the quality, quantity and safety conditions of the desired parameters by processing the received signals. In case of any inconsistency and incompatibility of the sensor report with the desired conditions set in the controller, the actuator receives the necessary signals from it and by showing the necessary reactions, create the ideal conditions in the system.
PLC in industrial automation
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is the result of technological advances in industrial automation and instrumentation. PLC is a kind of advanced programmable controller that can be connected to the network and controlled by a smart central computer. The use of PLC enables more precise and faster control of automation systems and instrumentation. The control programs desired by the control engineers are stored in the PLC memory, and this advanced controller processes the sensor information based on them, and with the obtained result, regulates the operation of the system through the actuators. The advantage of PLCs over old relay controllers is that they do not require complex and heavy wiring. This makes repairing possible controller defects easier and faster.
Microswitches in automation
Micro switches or electromechanical switches are other important components of industrial automation and instrumentation. This part, also called the spring miniature switch, is known as a type of operator in industrial automation. The name of this switch is derived from the name of its first manufacturer, Micro Company. There are different types of microswitches in the field of industrial automation system actuators and instrumentation.
Power in instrumentation system
Power supply is another component of industrial automation and instrumentation that is used for various purposes in the system. There are also differences in the types of power supplies in different systems. Their output voltage is regulated by the voltage required by the system and the use intended for them. Power may only be known as the PLC power supply or the entire system power supply.
Finishing
We are now at the beginning of the study of industrial automation and instrumentation. By knowing what industrial automation and instrumentation are and how efficient they are, we can better examine the components and equipment of this industrial science. Also, a general understanding of the process and different stages of industrial automation can better understand the role and importance of each of the equipments of these advanced and advanced systems. In the following articles, we will examine and explain in more detail the tasks, types and importance of each component of industrial automation and instrumentation to make the need to use quality and reliable examples of this equipment more and more obvious to our valued consumers.
