What Are The 4 Types Of Industrial Automation Systems?

With the advancements in robotics and AI in recent years, the use of automation has grown exponentially.

Industrial automation systems combine industrial machinery with specialized computer programming to automate your industrial and manufacturing processes.

Industrial automation is a hardware/software combo designed to improve efficiency and productivity while maintaining quality. It reduces the burden on human workers and lowers the incidence of workplace accidents. However, there is more than one type of industrial automation.

Your specific needs will dictate your choice. But if you’re new to the industry, you may be unsure of what you need. As experts in the field of automated controls, we’re here to help. In this article, we examine the four types of industrial automation systems you should consider. 

The 4 Types Of Industrial Automation Systems

The need for greater speed and accuracy without sacrificing quality may have led you to choose industrial automation for your manufacturing or processing plant.

Your specific needs for productivity, adaptability, scalability, and autonomy will further guide your choice among these four industrial automation systems and their controllers.

1. Fixed Automation

Fixed automation is designed to carry out a fixed specific task repetitively before machinery is reset for the next task. It generally relies on internal programming within the hardware, rather than external software programming.

It is usually the most cost-effective form of automation, but it’s harder to adapt to new requirements. Fixed automation is sometimes referred to as ‘hard automation’ and is commonly used for plants tasked with mass manufacturing and high-volume production of a single product.

An automated conveyor belt operated by a basic programmable logic controller (PLC) is a good example of equipment using fixed automation. However, modern PLCs are now designed for easier integration with other industrial devices, and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) integration.

2. Programmable Automation

Programmable automation allows the adaptability and scalability of changeable operation sequences

that fixed automation does not.

In such a system, the technology can be reprogrammed in between batches of manufacturing. You can program your machinery to perform a variety of tasks and reprogram them to change the way they perform them. In this way, your plant can manufacture or process a larger variety of products.

A programmable automation controller (PAC) is the controller of choice for applications that require more complex automation control for medium-to-high production volumes.

Production plants that manufacture multiple products often rely on this type of automation and control. A PAC offers more flexible programming, more memory, greater processing power, and thus more scalability than most PLCs.

3. Flexible Automation

Flexible automation takes the adaptability of programmable automation further, with quick software updates accommodating rapid changes to manufacturing demands.

Flexible automated equipment is also referred to as soft automation. Although it entails high automation levels and adaptability, every production machine receives its operational instructions from a human-operated computer. It is these initial commands that trigger subsequent automation.

More sophisticated PLCs and PACs are sometimes used to offer more flexible programmable industrial automation. A distributed control system (DCS) is suitable when your system does not have a centralized control station, and you need something reliable and scalable.

However, for fully automated and flexible control, many plants rely on computer numerical control (CNC) machines. They follow coded instructions and do not require further human intervention.

4. Integrated Automation

Integrated automation systems do not require human intervention to operate. Machines are all connected to a central computer. Although the initial setup is done by a technician, the system performs autonomously thereafter. 

Computer software controls various connected robotics and manufacturing equipment components, for a seamless industrial workflow. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are usually a part of this process. They guide all the automated equipment, detecting and addressing technical problems as they arise.

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems can also automate actions based on predefined logic without needing constant human intervention. While SCADA systems collect data from sensors and devices, IIoT platforms collect a broader range of data.

SCADA is sometimes integrated with IIoT to offer deeper insights into operational efficiency.

Conclusion

When choosing industrial automation systems, consider your specific needs. Fixed automation offers reliable mass production, while programmable systems can be reprogrammed for subsequent batches in mixed-product manufacturing.

Flexible automation systems offer more diversity thanks to quick programming changes. Integrated automation takes human intervention right out of the equation, offering total automated control, maximum efficiency, and increased productivity.

Only you know which system is best suited to your business. But whatever you need, Automation Electric and Controls can help, with the best standard panel components and custom automation control panels. We stock a wide range of parts, and service all our products.

Contact us today for more information or advice on your automation needs.