Introduction to Automation

Lecture 1
Engineering 475
Automated Production Systems

Production System
Production system is the collection of people, equipment, and
procedures organized to accomplish the manufacturing
operations of a company.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Support
SupportSystems
Systems

Production systems can be

divided into two categories or
levels.

Facilities:
Facilities:
Factory
Factory
Equipment
Equipment
Groover, Fig. 1.1

Manufacturing Support Systems

Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Support
SupportSystems
Systems

Facilities:
Facilities:
Factory
Factory
Equipment
Equipment

Manufacturing support systems:

The set of procedures used by the
company to manage production and to
solve the technical and logistics
problems encountered in ordering
materials, moving work through the
factory, and ensuring that products
meet quality standards. Product
design and certain business functions
are included among the manufacturing
support systems.

Groover, Fig. 1.1

Facilities

Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Support
SupportSystems
Systems

Facilities: The facilities consist of

the factory, the equipment in the
factory, and the way in which the
equipment is organized.

Facilities:
Facilities:
Factory
Factory
Equipment
Equipment

Groover, Fig. 1.1

Product Types
The type of product will directly effect the production
systems used in their manufacture.

Discrete parts
and products

Liquid or
bulk
products

People and Production Systems

People are an important part of production systems.
Not all equipment and processes are automated.
Direct labor (blue collar) workers are generally
responsible for operating the facilities.
Professional staff (white collar) workers are
generally responsible for the manufacturing support
systems.

Manufacturing Systems
Facilities:
Facilities:
Factory
Factory
Production
ProductionMachines
Machines
Tooling
Tooling
Material
MaterialHandling
HandlingEquipment
Equipment
Inspection
InspectionEquipment
Equipment
Computer
ComputerControl
ControlSystems
Systems

Plant
Layout

Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Systems:
Systems:
The
Thegroupings
groupingsof
of
equipment
equipmentand
andworkers
workers
who
whooperate
operatethem.
them.

The organization of facilities and people into manufacturing

systems is critical to the efficiency of a manufacturing operation.
Manufacturing systems come into direct contact (touch) with the
product.

Variables Effecting Production

The degree of automation is a function of the
quantity of units produced and of product variety.
Low production:
production Quantities in the range of 1 to 100
units per year.
Medium production:
production Quantities in the range of 100 to
10,000 units per year.
High production:
production Quantities in the range of 10,000 to
millions of units per year.

Product variety refers to the different product designs

or types that are produced in a plant.

Product Variety

Product Variety and Production

Quantity Relationship

Low
Medium
High
1

100

10,000

1,000,000

Production Quantity
Groover, Fig. 1.2

Plant Layout Concepts

The physical size, quantity, and variety of products
being manufactured often dictate the way in which a
plant is organized.
G Fixed-position Layout
G Process Layout
G Cellular Layout
G Product Layout

Fixed-Position Layout

Workers and equipment move around product.

Groover, Fig. 1.3

Process Layout

Common operations or processes are grouped together.

Groover, Fig. 1.3

Cellular Layout

Each manufacturing cell specializes in the

production of a given set of similar products.

Groover, Fig. 1.3

Product Layout

Collection of workers and stations are designed

specifically for the product being produced.

Groover, Fig. 1.3

Composite View

Product Variety

Fixed
Position
Layout

Process
Layout

Job Shop

Cellular
Layout

Product Layout

Batch
Production
Cellular
Manufacturing
Mass Production

100

10,000

1,000,000

Production Quantity
Groover, Fig. 1.4

Automation in Production Systems

Automation technology associated with the application of
mechanical, electrical, and computer-based systems to
operate and control production.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Support
SupportSystems
Systems

Facilities:
Facilities:
Factory
Factory
Equipment
Equipment

Computerization of the
manufacturing support systems
Automation of the
manufacturing systems in the
factory

Automation of Manufacturing Systems

Examples
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
Automated material handling and storage systems to
integrate manufacturing operations
Automatic inspection systems for quality control

Types of Automated Manufacturing

Systems
Fixed Automation
High initial investment for custom-engineered equipment
High production rates
Relatively inflexible in accommodating product variety

Programmable Automation

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

Flexible Automation

High investment for a custom-engineered system

Continuous production of variable mixtures of products
Medium Production Rates
Flexibility to deal with product design variations

Automation Application

Product Variety

Fixed
Position
Layout

Process
Layout

Cellular
Layout

Product Layout

Programmable
Automation
Flexible
Automation
Fixed Automation
Manual Production
1

100

10,000

1,000,000

Production Quantity
Groover, Fig. 1.7

Computerization of Manufacturing
Support Systems
Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) denotes the
pervasive use of computer systems to design the products, plan
the production, control the operations, and the perform the various
business functions needed in a manufacturing company.
Computer Aided Design (CAD) denotes the use of computers to
design and analyze the product.
Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) denotes the use of
computers to perform computer numerical control.
CAD/CAM denotes the integration of CAD and CAM functions
into a combined system in which engineering and manufacturing
use information from a common product database.

Reasons for Automating

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Increase labor productivity

Reduce labor cost
Mitigate the effects of labor shortages
Reduce or eliminate routine manual and clerical tasks
Improve worker safety
Improve product quality
Reduce manufacturing lead time
Accomplish processes that cannot be done manually
Reduce unit cost

Reasons for Not Automating

Task is too technologically difficult to automate

Short product life cycle
Customized product one-of-a-kind
Flexibility in coping with changing demand

Humans Versus Machines

Relative Strengths of Humans

Relative Strengths of Machines

Sense unexpected stimuli

Develop new solutions to problems
Cope with abstract problems
Adapt to change
Generalize from observations
Learn from experience
Make difficult decisions base on
incomplete information

Perform repetitive tasks consistently

Store large amounts of data
Retrieve data from memory reliably
Perform multiple tasks at the same time
Apply high forces and power
Perform simple computations quickly
Make routine decisions quickly