Definition:

Automation is a technology concerned with the application of mechanical, electronic, and computer
based systems to operate and control production

Production System
Collection of people equipment and procedures organized to perform the manufacturing operations of a
company.
Production system can be divided into two categories
Facilities: factory, the equipment in the factory, the way the equipment is organized
Manufacturing support systems
Facilities
Production machines and tooling
Material handling equipment
Inspection equipment
Facilities also include plant layout
Manufacturing system can be an individual work cell, consisting of single production machine and a
worker assigned to the machine.
Generally manufacturing system consists of group of machines and workers

Manufacturing system can be distinguished as

Manual work system
Worker machine system
Automated system
Semi automated
Fully automated

Examples of automated manufacturing systems include:

Automated machine tools that process parts
Transfer lines that perform a series of machining operations
Automated assembly systems
Manufacturing systems that use industrial robots to perform processing or assembly operations
Automatic material handling and storage systems to integrate manufacturing operations
Automatic inspection systems for quality control.

Automated manufacturing systems can be classified into three basic types

1. Fixed automation,
2. Programmable automation,
3. Flexible automation.

Typical features of fixed automation are:

high initial investment for custom-engineered equipment
high production rates
relatively inflexible in accommodating product variety
The features that characterize programmable automation are:
high investment in general purpose equipment
lower production rates than fixed automation
flexibility to deal with variations and changes in product configuration
most suitable for batch production

The features of flexible automation are:

high investment for a custom-engineered system
continuous production of variable mixtures of products
medium production rates
flexibility to deal with product design variations

REASONS FOR AUTOMATING

1 To increase labor productivity

2 To reduce labor cost.

3 To mitigate the effects of labor shortages

4 To reduce or eliminate routine manual and clerical tasks

5 To improve worker safety

6 To improve product quality

7 To reduce manufacturing lead time

8 To accomplish processes that cannot be done manually

9 To avoid the high cost of not automating

Manufacturing support system

To operate production facilities efficiently, a company must organize itself to design the process
and equipment, plan and control the production orders, and satisfy product quality requirements.

Manufacturing support system is a Set of procedures used by the company to manage production
to solve the technical and logistic problems encountered in

Ordering materials
Moving materials through factory
Ensuring factory to meet quality standard
Product design
Business function
 Manufacturing support involves a cycle of information processing activities.

The information processing cycle consists of four functions

Business function
Principal means of communicating with the customer
Sales and marketing,
Sales forecasting,
Order entry,
Cost accounting,
Customer billing.
Product design
Manufacturing Planning
Process planning
Master production schedule
Requirement planning
Capacity planning
Manufacturing Control
Shop floor control
Inventory control
Quality control
Automation principles and strategies
USA principle
Understand the existing process
Comprehend the process in all its details
What is the process?
What are outputs?
What is the function of the process?
How does it add value to the product?
What are the upstream and down stream operations in the sequence, and can they be
combined with the process under consideration?
Industrial engineering charting tools used in Method analysis are useful
Operation chart and the flow process chart
Application of these tools to the existing process provides a model of the process that can be searched
for weakness (strength)
With the help of chart
Number of steps in the process
Number of placements of inspection
The number of moves and delays experienced by the work unit
The time spent in storage
can be ascertained

Mathematical models can be developed for the process

They may be useful
To indicate the relationship between input and out variables
What are the important output variables?
How are these output variables affected by inputs of the process such as raw material properties,
process settings, operating parameters, and environmental conditions?
This information is used for identifying what output variables need to be measured for feedback purpose
and in formulating algorithms for automatic process control.
Simplify the process
What is the purpose of this step or this transport?
Is this step is necessary
 Can this step be eliminated?
Does this step uses most appropriate technology?
How can this step be simplified?
Are there unnecessary steps in the process that might be eliminated with out distracting
from function?
Ten strategies for automation and production system can help simplify the process
Automate the process

Ten strategies for automation and process improvement

1. Specialization of operations
2. Combined operations
3. Simultaneous operations
4. Integration of operations
5. Increased flexibility
6. Improved material handling and storage
7. On-line inspection
8. Process control and optimization
9. Plant operations control
Computer integrated manufacturing

Advantages of Automation:

Overall production cost is reduced.

Human safety is fully ensured.
Productivity is increased.
Better working conditions are available to the workers
The workplace is tidy and safe.
Human fatigue is greatly minimized.
After initial setting, there is minimal involvement of the operator in the actual process. As such, a
single operator can take care many machines simultaneously.
Less floor area is required.
Inventory requirement is minimized due to the use of standardized parts and subassemblies
The quality and reliability of the products are greatly improved
The components produced are uniform.
Maintenance requirements are minimized
There is an effective control over the production process.
Overall profits of the manufacturing concern are increased
Disadvantages of Automation:

High initial investment

finding skilled personal required at supervisory level
high maintenance cost
Manufacturing operations

- To convert raw material into finished product

-in making discrete products manufacturing operations are
1. Processing and assembly operations
2. Material handling
3. Inspection and testing
4. Coordination and control
Processing and assembly operations
Manufacturing process can be divided into two basic types
Processing operation
Assembly operation
Processing operation
Processing operation transforms a work material from one state completion to a more advanced state that
is closer to the final desired part or product.
It adds value by changing geometry, properties or appearance of the starting material
A processing operation uses energy to alter work shape, physical properties or appearance to add value
to the product
The energy forms are
Mechanical, Thermal, Electrical, Chemical.
The energy is applied in a controlled way by means of machines
Human workers are applied to control the machines, to over see operations, to load and upload work
parts
Material is fed into the process, energy is applied by the machinery and tooling to transform the material ,
and the completed work part exits the process.
Most production operations produce waste or scrap, either as natural byproduct of the process or in the
form of defective pieces
Objective in manufacturing process is to reduce waste.
Three types of processing operations are
Shaping operations
Property enhancing operations
Surface processing operations