What is Industrial automation & how it evolved

What is industrial Automation

Industrial Automation is a technique by which we make hand over human control to machines. In industrial automation machines are programmed to accomplish the tasks which human beings used to achieve. Why it is done? Because of its advantages:

• Through Industrial automation we are able to do mass production with less manpower

• Quality of the product is increased
• Safety of man & equipment is increased
• More accurate process control
• Since human intervention is less so reliability of the system is higher
• Systems operate is low power supply, more electronic control so equipment life is higher
• Changes in process logic becomes easier since logics are changed mostly through software

L & T                                        Schneider  Siemens                                 Allen Bradley Messung                                  Modicon Mitsubishi                                 Asia Automation

Principal Industrial Automation MNCs

	ALSTOM                                 FESTO Fuji Electric                            Toshiba TATA Honeywell                       Omron Fanuc Delta

 

How industrial automation control system Evolved?

Initially automation was achieved through manual control, operators used to control the process at every step. Human intervention was there at every step. Drawbacks were low quality output, errors involved in human involvement affected compromised safety, wastage of raw material, and accuracy of human action.

Then came Pneumatic Control: Industrial automation in this era was achieved through invention of pneumatic controllers in early 1920s. Automation was achieved by controlling air to pneumatic valves, which in turn were actually switched on/off by relays and switches. They were very bulky and changing of the logic was very complex procedure since a lot of rework was required to accomplish change in logic. So time taken to complete task changes was very high  

Hard wired logic control: contactors, relays (for switching), timers and counters (for timing and counting) were used for achieving desired industrial automation. But these systems also resulted into bulky panels. A lot of wiring was involved so time taken to complete task was higher. Defect investigation & troubleshooting was complex.

Electronic Control using Logic Gates: In early 60s electronics dominated the process, electronic logic gates were used for achieving logical operations. they replaced switching devices like relays and contactors in the control circuits. Electronic times & counters replaced mechanical timers & counters. Due to use of electronics space and energy requirements reduced, maintenance requirement reduced & systems were more reliable.

Global Industrial Automation Control & factory Automation Market

As people are moving away from traditional systems towards integrated networks, global industrial control and factory automation market has been witnessing growth. Global Industrial Automation Control & factory Automation Market by 2021 is expected to reach 257 billion USD.  Integrated networks include both hardware as well as software consisting of PLC SCADA, Variable Frequency Drives, Instrumentation, Motion & robotics systems, DCS Systems, industrial networks etc.  Currently Global Industrial Automation Control & factory Automation Market size in 2016 is approximately 200 Billion USD and is witnessing 12.6% year on year growth. The increasing trend is penetrating across society and global economy. All types of process & manufacturing industries, aerospace, defense, transportation, Electrical, electronics, food & Beverages, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals and water management are all focusing towards complete automation.

Nuclear power plants and control & Automation, Surveillance and Communication

Nuclear power plants deploy cutting edge advanced instrumentation and advanced automation control systems for regular operations, special inspections and maintenance activities. Most advanced surveillance and communication systems are deployed to ensure safety and security of sensitive nuclear installations. The centralized control room in nuclear power plant is vital location housing highly sophisticated state of art display panels, operating consoles, plant lay outs, SCADA Consoles, video coverage of critical locations and plant emergency communication systems.

As part of security and surveillance requirements inside the plant areas, access control systems are installed to prevent unauthorized entry. Entire plant is provided with graded security monitoring and access control systems. 

Job opportunities in the area of automation instrumentation surveillance and communication

The existing and future nuclear power plants provide enormous job opportunities especially in the areas of Instrumentation, automation, surveillance and communication sectors. These systems deployed in plants are acquired from suppliers on engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning basis package contracts. Thus skilled automation person will have job opportunities at different stages starting at the manufacturing, assembling, testing stage at suppliers location, at the site while erection of the equipment, calibration and commissioning activities and later on in support system for operation and maintenance.

Due to strict regulations & safety instructions, there is a periodic replacement of equipments takes place. There is a sustained enormous employment opportunity for Industrial Automation, surveillance & communication trained engineers.

Visit at http://www.sofcontraining.com

Understanding Work Flow For Industrial and Building Automation Courses

Process work flow of Automation Industry:-

Process flow of all the automation industry are same as described below:-

1.Requirements: - There are different requirements of automated systems according to the need of clients and industry. It may be used in Manufacturing industry, Assembling, Load Distribution automated systems, Automated timing control circuits such as conveyor belts, speed and process controllers etc. A programmable logic controller(PLC's) can be programmed and assembled according to specific application of work, such IC's are also known as ASIC's(Application specific integrated circuits). Before assembling any controller device it should be checked and tested to fulfill the norms and the requirements of the work.

2.Design: - Designers have to design the circuits as per the requirements; the design should be compact and power efficient. The designer should keep in mind the place where automated systems have to be installed and design it accordingly. It needs embedded/Chip level programming, simulating and testing before the implementation.

3.Implementation: - Implementation comes after successful designing and approved work process of the automated systems. The designer/Assembler can only implement/ Install/ Assemble the system after taking approval from the client were the systems has to be delivered.

4.Verification: - After the installation of the automated system, it should be checked and verified, after the complete installation it should be explained to the clients and taking their 100% assurance for satisfaction. It should be noted that automated machine parts need continuous supervision, testing, commissioning and repaired whenever needed.

5.Maintenance: - Maintaining the overall efficiency of any automated industry requires health checkup and maintenance of machinery at regular intervals of time, updating the systems according to the latest technology will greatly increase the overall efficiency.

As the requirements of quality output is increasing, need of automated systems are increasing day by day, there are many advantages for the firms to choose automated systems as compared to manuals are as follows:-

1.Increased productivity with less labor required
2.Increased Consistency and reliability
3.Increased accuracy and precision
4.High volume production
5.Safer
6.Energy efficient
7.Reduced downtime
8.Improved quality
9.Accountable and easy to handle

The only drawbacks of automated systems are high initial installation costs, if we look for long term basis than it is more beneficial and cost effective.

For smooth work flow in Automation industries there are some key points:-

1.Incorporation of new technologies, theories and methods to develop the present industrial process
2.Optimizing the objectives to be delivered
3.Research on complex industrial process
4.Coordination between the team members
5.Creative team members
6.Understanding and delivering outputs according to business process
7.Proper data management
8.Process continuity and Disaster recovery
9.Deep process analysis
10.Programming and configuring the tools
11.Reporting to the superior
12.Security and safety measures

In any industrial environment the above mentioned key points should be kept in mind while working. Process flow of every industry may vary according to the need and process implemented, But the basic process flow will remain same.

Industrial and Building Automation Courses Jobs Roles And Eligibility

Industrial Automation Engineer: - An Automation Engineer have to work on live projects, the importance of critical thinking and decision making are essential for them, the system should be checked thoroughly at each level for achieving the required output as per the company norms. To do the required work, Individual must possess following abilities:-

1. Inspection of process control and automation systems
2. Carrying breakdown management
3. System startup assistance
4. Automation and control system design
5. Programming, simulating and testing the system
6. PLC Programming
7. Maintaining the documentation
8. Requirements gathering
9. Coordinating with Sourcing department for system trials
10. Procure and installing new system
11. Effective communication
12. Identifying and reporting the risks identified
13. Creating and sustaining a Safe, clean and environment friendly work place

The minimum qualification for this job is B. Tech. / B.E. in respective Electrical/ Mechanical/ Electronics/ Instrumentation/ Chemical/ Industrial Engineering branches. The individual should be active and ready to work for hours on the industrial environments. Excellent communication skills and proper dressing code is also required for this job, individual have to maintain proper gesture and postures during working hours.

Depending upon the installed equipments in the plant, individual have to know the complete work flow of the system as well as complete understanding of the components implemented. There are different types of PLC's used in industries as per the requirement such as Allen Bradley, Modicon, Siemens, Mitsubishi, GE Fanuc, Omron, Toshiba etc. The Automation engineers have to deal with PLC's accordingly and has to control the process flow as per the norms.

Overall efficiency of the system is completely based on the automated systems implemented in the plant; an automation engineer is responsible for the complete process flow of the overall system therefore, he should posses' deep understanding and maintains quality of the products with higher efficiency using the installed system within given time constraints. An automation engineer works as the backbone of any automated industry and fulfill the gap between industry requirement and control flow of machinery.

Job Description of Building Automation Engineer: - Building automation engineers are responsible for all the integrated automated systems on a particular site. He is the one who have to supervise the installation and maintenance of complete automation systems. It includes CCTV surveillance systems, fire alarms systems, HVAC and Access control systems such as biometrics, smart cards, automated door locks etc.

Automation is required in every sector in today's developing world, need of automation for highly secure and controlled accessibility is required in day to day life. When the output required is highly accurate with negligible errors automated machinery have to be used, such as access controllers used in Metro's, Fire alarm systems used in highly sensible sites, CCTV surveillance systems in high security regions, and HVAC's for control rooms and integrated systems. Building automation engineer is the one who is responsible for designing, assembling, installing, testing and commissioning of the overall systems integrated in automated buildings. He has to integrate all the systems and create proper communication between all the systems which can be controlled and monitored from a single panel.

The Job Role of Building Automation Engineers Are:-
1.Understanding the need of automation systems required by site survey
2.Planning the best possible system as per the requirements
3.Assist and suggest the customers about latest building automation technologies
4.Providing cost estimates to the customer as per the company norms
5.Taking approval for the systems to be installed in the building
6.Supervising and installing the systems
7.Designing and wiring the systems
8.Integrating the systems
9.Creating communication between the controllers
10.Checking the system parameters
11. Testing and repairing automated systems
12.Preparing detailed documentation
13.Explaining the customers about the installed technologies

The latest technologies used in building automation systems are controlled embedded gateways and servers, bidirectional wireless networking, IP enabled controllers, BACnet, LON and Central building management systems.

The minimum qualification required for this job is B.E. / B. Tech. in Electrical/ Mechanical/ Electronics/ Instrumentation/ Industrial engineering. As the need of automated and controlled devices in the building management systems increases rapidly, it tends to create and offer new jobs with this profile. Aspirants seeking future in this field have to be dedicated and ready to learn new technologies emerging everyday and making them self updated. They should prepare and ready to accept new challenges as per the requirements and deliver the work within given time constraints by continuous work.

Job Description of Embedded System Engineer: - Embedded system engineers are responsible for the overall working of the system on chip as per the requirements. He is the one who is responsible for designing the system on chip level by simulating, Testing and implementing it on the board. An application specific IC's are widely used integrated chips in today's electronics industry, Updated and implemented on daily basis using new and better technologies. The major job roles of an embedded system engineer are:-

1.Designing and Implementing embedded devices as per the requirements
2.Testing and debugging the programming codes
3.Integrating, validating and updating new products as per their applications
4.Programming in C, C++ and embedded systems
5.Troubleshooting and testing embedded systems
6.Monitoring and modifying Real time operating systems
7.Excellent communication skills
8.Maintaining records
9.Preparing fault reports

Embedded system engineers must be capable to work for hours on computers for programming, simulating and designing new products as per the requirements. The minimum qualification for this job is B.E. / B. Tech. in Electronics/Telecommunication/ Communication /Electrical and Electronics engineering streams. Those who are interested in VLSI stream and chip level designing can choose their career to grow as an embedded system engineer.

About CADD Centre: - It stands for Computer Aided Design and drafting, it is software used as a tool to create designing and drafting of engineering components and systems. It is used to increase the quality, efficiency and overall productivity of the systems by the creation and modifications of the installed systems as per the requirements given by the firm. CAD software can design 2D and 3D curves and figures with detailed specifications for better understanding and implementation.

CADD Centers provide world class training since last 26 years heaving branches across the globe, head quartered at Chennai. With over 520 franchise outlets across Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Dubai, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Sharjah and Sri Lanka. In last 26 years CADD centre trained over 1 Million engineers and professionals trained and placed in over 20 countries.

CADD center offers over 100 courses for students and working professionals of Mechanical/ Electrical and Electronics/ Civil/ Architecture and project management aspirants.
The main course comprises of:-

1.Mechanical CADD:- It includes Solid Works, Creo, Ansys, NX CAD, NX NASTRAN, NX CAM
2.Electrical CADD:- It includes Auto CAD Electrical
3.Architectural Design:- It includes 3ds Max, Microstation, Revit Architechture
4.Building Design:- It consist of AutoCAD civil 3D, STAAD.Pro, ANSYS Civil,
5.Structural Design:- It consist of Prosteel, RCC Det