The concept of Factory Automation
started in 1986 and dealt primarily with the automation of
manufacturing, quality control and material handling processes. The idea
was to employ automation to save up on the labor cost, reduce human
error, save energy and materials and to improve quality, accuracy and
precision. Various concepts & technologies like DCS, PLC, Industrial
PC, Computer Numeric Control Network, Wireless sensor networks,
Industrial Ethernet etc. have emerged and evolved over the years.
In today’s world, in order to remain
competitive and thrive, many businesses are increasingly turning to
advanced industrial automation to maximize productivity, economies of
scale and quality. The increasingly connected world is inevitably
connecting the factory floors. Human machine interfaces (HMI),
Programmable logic controllers (PLC), Motor control and sensors need to
be connected in a scalable and efficient way. The Internet of Things
(IoT) is enabling machines and the automation systems to securely
connect to each other, in an enterprise and to the rest of the supply
chain and offer information that can be used for operative and
analytical purposes.
Market & Trends
The global industrial automation market is forecasted to reach more
than $200 billion by 2015, buoyed by improved economies worldwide.
Purchased largely for manufacturing processes, industrial automation
equipment is a key factor in a country’s gross domestic product (GDP)
and, as IMS Research notes, generally indicative of economic health. As
per a survey conducted by Frost & Sullivan, BRIC (Brazil, Russia,
India and China) along with other emerging economies worldwide are
forecast to sustain high growth in industrial automation markets. The
strongest growth is expected in emerging markets, particularly in the
Middle East, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. However, in more
developed regions like North America and Western Europe, opportunities
exist in the modernization of old infrastructure.
The biggest change to the factory of the
future will come from technology. Future factories in the pursuit of
sustainability, productivity & efficiency are adopting Factory
Automation which will enable a truly integrated enterprise. Advanced
controls, automation systems, and sensors are being used to improve
industrial process control and energy efficiency in industrial settings.
Whether reducing energy consumption or monitoring equipment for
maintenance purposes, sensors, and wireless controls provide real-time
data and the ability to configure and control plant related
functions. The Integrated enterprise provides for an effective
interaction between the factory floor and the enterprise across all end
users, enabling organizations to gain a competitive edge in the global
market. The organizations are also leveraging the benefits of IoT
(Internet of Things) to connect data-driven devices to optimize their
operations and improve decision making thus impacting revenues &
profitability.
As per the latest report from IHS
Technology on Industrial Automation Equipments, Motors and motor
controls will be the largest segment in 2014, accounting for 40 percent
of total IAE market revenue. Automation equipment is next with 31
percent, followed by power-transmission equipment with 29 percent. In
the market’s biggest segment made up of motors, generators, and motor
controls, energy efficiency continues to be the driver for growth and is
a key care about.
One such Industry forum is the
Industrial Energy Efficiency Coalition (IEEC) which is an alliance of
leading Industrial organizations seeking to leverage their expertise and
track record in industrial controls and automation to promote
continuous energy efficiency improvements in industrial systems and
processes, as well as business ecosystems.
The Anatomy of Factory Automation
Factory Automation constitute of five
major components - PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers), HMI (Human
Machine Interface) , Sensor, Motor Control / Drives which are
interconnected by Industrial communication protocols.
- PLC is the brain of an industrial automation system; it provides relay control, motion control, industrial input and output process control, distributed system, and networking control. PLCs often need to work in harsh environmental conditions, withstanding heat, cold, moisture, vibration and other extreme conditions while providing precise, deterministic and real-time controls to the other parts of the industrial automation system through reliable communication links.
- HMI is the graphical user interface for industrial control. It provides a command input and feedback output interface for controlling the industrial machinery. An HMI is connected through common communication links to other parts of industrial systems.
- Industrial drives are motor controllers used for controlling optimal motor operation. They are used in a very diverse range of industrial applications and come with a wide range of voltage and power levels. Industrial drives include but are not limited to AC and DC drives as well as servo drives that use a motor feedback system to control and adjust the behavior and performance of servo mechanisms.
- Sensors are the hands and legs of the industrial automation system that monitor the industrial operation conditions, inspections, measurements, and more, in real time. A sensor in the industrial environment is either continuously or periodically measuring vital parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow, etc. Monitoring and maintaining process variables at the appropriate levels is extremely critical in industrial automation and process control. They are an integral part of industrial automation systems and provide trigger point and feedback for system control.
- Communication is the backbone of all the industrial components for efficient automation. The most common being Industrial Ethernet and Fieldbus communication protocols with master and slave functionality including EtherCAT®, Ethernet/IP, PROFIBUS®, PROFINET®, POWERLINK and SERCOS III. Wireless connectivity holds enormous promises for advance factory automation. Zigbee, Sub 1-GHz Smart Mesh, 6LoWPAN, ANT+ and evolving standards are enabling machines and the automation systems to securely connect to each other, in an enterprise and to the rest of the supply chain.
System Requirements
In today's factory automation market,
new technology brings opportunities for industrial system developers to
successfully address new challenges where systems require technologies
to meet stringent requirements for high reliability in mission-critical
environments. The success of an advance factory automation system design
depends on few key factors.
Semiconductor Portfolio specific –
- Specialized product portfolio for Harsh Environments.
- Reliable and efficient communication network that connects all the components of the factory to work together effectively.
- Energy Efficiency is also a must have from a sustainability perspective.
- Long product life supply policy.
- Flexible and future-proof embedded processors.
- Solutions that meet industry safety needs (IEC61508, SIL)
- Space efficient solutions.
System specific –
- The primary challenge of sensing in industrial environments is conditioning low signal levels in the presence of high noise and high-surge voltage.
- Industrial-specific reference design and development tools.
- Production-ready comprehensive software, including communication protocols and signal chain solution.
Automation applications range from
programmable logic controllers and industrial computers to human machine
interface and industrial peripherals and drives. Texas Instruments is a
global supplier with a broad selection of the right products and tools
the complete and optimize the Industrial Automation system. TI
Technology brings many new opportunities to industrial automation system
developers, successfully addressing design challenges like providing
high reliability products to support stringent manufacturer requirements
needed for harsh environments, long product life supply policy,
products optimized for industrial environments, reference design,
software libraries.
The Works
Texas Instruments has a strategic
commitment to the industrial automation industry, providing an extensive
and reliable solution set - ranging from robust microcontrollers and
ARM®-based microprocessors and wireless transceivers, complemented by a
rich portfolio of analog IC's for power management, data converters,
interfaces, amplifiers, industrial drivers. TI’s cutting-edge
semiconductor manufacturing processes provide industrial designers with
products that meet the highest standards and that are optimized for
industrial environments and extend product life cycles.
Apart from the broad portfolio, TI has a
rich suite of reference designs that have been introduced along with
documentation on BOM, design files & test reports. There are
currently 86 reference designs under the Factory Automation theme,
developed by system experts in TI, targeting PLC, HMI, Machine vision,
Field Transmitter & Process instrumentation & others. An example
is the TI reference design targeting analog and digital I/O modules as
well as power supply boards for Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).
These boards are designed with consideration for special needs
encountered with testing for EMC and surge requirements as described in
industry standards like IEC61000-4. All boards undergo rigorous testing
and come with full documentation, test results, design files and
necessary firmware. These designs make it very easy to evaluate complete
signal chain performance and help reduce time to market.
The benefits of TI's system-optimized
products are immediate product availability, tools, software and
hardware that ease and accelerate design time - plus the added
reliability of a worldwide supplier with local expertise and support.
On the communication front, developers
can get to market faster with the low-power ARM Cortex-A8 microprocessor
family to incorporate multiple industrial communication protocols on a
single chip. TI provides production-ready industrial Ethernet and
Fieldbus communication protocols with master and slave functionality
including: EtherCAT®, Ethernet/IP, PROFIBUS®, PROFINET®, POWERLINK and
SERCOS III. WiFi capability can be enabled with easy development on the
IoT ready portfolio with flexible connection options, cloud support and
on-chip Wi-Fi, Internet and robust security protocols.
Source:-http://www.aandctoday.com/technical-article/318-the-future-of-factory-automation
