B.Tech.

7th Semester

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING
(MEC-401A)
Unit-1

Dr. Mukesh Kumar

Assistant Professor (Guest Faculty)
Mechanical Engineering Department
 AUTOMATION

Defination: Automation can be defined

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

“To perform a task ,without human

intervention to improve the
productivity and quality”.
CNC Machines, Automated guided vehicles,
robots etc……
Reasons for automation
1. To reduce labor cost.
2. To mitigate the effects of labor shortages.
3. To reduce or eliminate routine manual and clerical tasks.
4. To improve worker safety.
5. To improve product quality
6. To reduce manufacturing lead time.
7. To accomplish processes that cannot be done manually.
8. To Increase labor productivity.
Production Systems

- That are used to manufacture products and the

parts assembled into those products.
- Production system is the collection of people
equipment and procedures organized to
accomplish the manufacturing process of a
company.
Production systems can be divided in two
categories:

Manufacturing support systems

Facilities :
Factory Equipment
Facilities

The facilities of the production

consist of the factory, the equipment
in the factory and the way the
equipment is organized.
Production System
Automation in production system
Manual labor in production system
Is there a place for manual labor in the modern production
system? The answer is yes. Even in a highly automated
production system, humans are still a necessary component
of the manufacturing enterprise. The discussion of the labor
issue is separated into two parts,
corresponding to the previous distinction between facilities
and manufacturing support: (1) manual labor in factory
operations and (2) labor in manufacturing support systems.
Automation Principles and Strategies
Automation is not always the right answer for a
given production situation. A certain caution and
respect must be observed in applying automation
technologies.
Three approaches for dealing with automation
projects
1. USA Principle
2. Ten Strategies for Automation and Production
Systems
3. Automation Migration Strategy
USA Principle

1. Understand the existing process

2. Simplify the process

3. Automate the process

USA approach is applicable to nearly any automation project
Understand the existing process

The first step in the USA approach is to comprehend the current process in all of its details.
What are the inputs? What are the outputs ?
What exactly happens to the work unit between input and output?
What is the function of process?
How does it add value to the product?
What are the upstream and downstream operations in the product sequence, and can they
be combined with the process under consideration?.
Simplify the process

Once the existing process is understood, then the

search can began for ways to simplify. This often
involves a checklist of questions about the existing
process.
Unnecessary steps can be eliminated without
detracting from the function.
Automate the process
Once the process has been reduced to its simplest
form then automation considered. The possible
form of automation include those listed in the ten
strategies.
Ten Strategies for Automation and
Production Systems
Automation seems a feasible solution to improving productivity,
quality, or other measure of performance then the following ten
strategies for these improvements discussed.
1. Specialization of operations: The first strategy involves the use
of special-purpose equipment designed to perform one
operation with the greatest possible efficiency. This is analogous
to the concept of labor specialization. Which is employed to
improve labor productivity.
2. Combined operations: Production occurs as a sequence of
operations. Complex parts may require dozens, or even
hundreds, of processing steps. The strategy of combined
operations involves reducing the number of distinct production
machines or work stations.
3. Simultaneous operations: A logical extension of the combined
operations strategy is to simultaneously perform the operations
that are combined at one work-stations. In effect two or more
processing (assembly) operations are being performed
simultaneously on the same work part.

4. Integration of operations: Another strategy is to link several

work stations together into a single mechanism, using
automated work handling devices to transfer parts between
stations.

5. Increased flexibility: This strategy attempts to achieve

maximum utilization of equipment for job shop and medium
value situations by using the same equipment for a variety of
parts.

6. Improved material handling and storage: A great opportunity

for reducing non-productive storage systems.
time exists in the use of automated material handling and
 7. On-line inspection: Inspection for quality of work is
traditionally performed after the process is completed. This
means that any poor-quality product has already been
produced by the time it is inspected.

8. Process control and optimization: Manual control to

automated control by optimization we can give the best
parameters. Then the individual process can be reduced.

9. Plant operation control: Those which are not related

fabrication process, each division specify automate. Business
functions, product design.

10. Computer- integrated manufacturing: Input from market

delivery to the final customer every operation is integrated to
the computer. Business functions, product design etc…..
 Manufacturing and Product

Manufacturing can be defined as the application of

physical and/or chemical processes to alter the
geometry, properties, and/or appearance of a given
starting material to make parts or products.
Manufacturing also includes the joining of multiple
parts to make assembled products.
 Alternative definitions of manufacturing: (a)
as a technological process and (b) as an economic process.
 Manufacturing operations
For converting raw material to finished product
There are four activities.
1. Processing and assembly operation
2. Material handling
3.Inspection and testing
4.Coordination and control
Manufacturing operations Classification of
manufacturing process
 Product Facilities
A manufacturing company attempts to organize its facilities in the most
efficient way to serve the particular mission of each plant.
The quantity of parts and/or products made by a factory has a very
significant influence on its facilities and the way manufacturing is
organized. Production quantity refers to the number of units of a given
part or product produced annually by the plant.

It has three types

1. Low production: Quantities in the range of 1 to 100 units
2. Medium production: Quantities in the range of 100 to 10,000 units
3. High production: Production quantities are 10,000 to millions of units.
Product/ Production relationship
a) Fixed-position layout
b) Process layout
c) Cellular layout
d) Product layout

Various types of plant layout

Fixed-position layout : Workers and processing
equipment are brought to the product, rather
than moving the product to the equipment .This
type of layout referred to as fixed-position
layout.

Process layout: The individual parts that

comprise these large products are often made in
factories that have a process layout.
• Cellular layout: The term cellular manufacturing
often associated with this type of production.
Each cell is designed to produce a limited variety
of part configurations. That is the cell specializes
in the production of a given set of similar parts or
products according to the principles of group
technology.

• Product layout: The collection of stations is

designed specifically for the product to maximize
efficiency.
Types of facilities and layouts used for different levels
of production quantity and product variety
 Basic elements of an automation
system
An automated system consists of three basic elements:
(1) power to accomplish the process and operate the
system.
(2) A program of instructions to direct the process.
(3) a control system to actuate the instructions.
Basic elements of an automation
system
 Advance Automation Function,
1.Saftey Monitoring.
2.Maintence and Repair Diagnostic.
3.Error Detection and Recovery.
Level of Automation
 What is a Robot

• The difference between a robot and a manipulator

– Run by a computer or microprocessor not a human
– Controlled by feedback devices
– Mostly autonomous
 What is a Robot ?

•Random House Dictionary A machine that resembles a

human being and does mechanical routine tasks on
command.
•Robotics Association of America An industrial robot is
a re-programmable, multifunctional manipulator
designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized
devices through variable programmed motions for the
performance of a variety of tasks.
 What is a Robot ?
• A manipulator (or an industrial robot) is composed of
a series of links connected to each other via joints.
Each joint usually has an actuator (a motor for eg.)
connected to it.
• These actuators are used to cause relative motion
between successive links. One end of the
manipulator is usually connected to a stable base
and the other end is used to deploy a tool.
 Classification of Robots

- JIRA (Japanese Industrial Robot Association)

Class1: Manual-Handling Device
Class2: Fixed Sequence Robot
Class3: Variable Sequence Robot
Class4: Playback Robot
Class5: Numerical Control Robot
Class6: Intelligent Robot
 Classification of Robots

- RIA (Robotics Institute of America)

Variable Sequence Robot(Class3)
Playback Robot(Class4)
Numerical Control Robot(Class5)
Intelligent Robot(Class6)
 What is Robotics
 History of Robotics
1922: Karel Čapek’s novel, Rossum’s Universal Robots, word “Robota” (worker)
1952: NC machine (MIT)
1955: Denavit-Hartenberg Homogeneous Transformation
1967: Mark II (Unimation Inc.)
1968: Shakey (SRI) - intelligent robot
1973: T3 (Cincinnati Milacron Inc.)
1978: PUMA (Unimation Inc.)
1983: Robotics Courses
21C: Walking Robots, Mobile Robots, Humanoid Robots
 What are the parts
of a robot?
• Manipulator
• Pedestal
• Controller
• End Effectors
• Power Source
Manipulator

• Base
• Appendages
Shoulder
Arm
Grippers
Pedestal
(Human waist)

• Supports the
manipulator.
• Acts as a
counterbalance.
Controller
(The brain)
• Issues instructions to
the robot.
• Controls peripheral
devices.
• Interfaces with robot.
• Interfaces with
humans.
End Effectors
(The hand)
• Spray paint
attachments
• Welding attachments
• Vacuum heads
• Hands
• Grippers
Controller
(The brain)
• Issues instructions to
the robot.
• Controls peripheral
devices.
• Interfaces with robot.
• Interfaces with
humans.
Power Source
(The food)
• Electric
• Pneumatic
• Hydraulic
 Robots degrees of freedom

Degrees of Freedom: Number of independent

position variables which would has to be
specified to locate all parts of a mechanism.
In most manipulators this is usually the number
of joints.