Ten Indispensable Parts of an Automatic Production Line
The popularization of automization and intelligence are higher and higher in industrial production. Let’s take a look into what the standard configuration of an automatic factory is.
1. Controller
The brain of automation factory
Controller refers to the master device which changes the wiring of the main circuit or control circuit in accordance with a predetermined order and which changes the resistance value in the circuit to control the start, speed-up, brake and reverse of the motor.
It consists of a program counter, an instruction register, an instruction decoder, a timing generator and an operation controller. It is a "decision-making body" issuing a command, that is, coordinating and directing the operation of the entire computer system.
Commonly used controllers in automation factory are PLC, IPC, etc.
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) adopts class A programmable memory for user-oriented instructions that store programs, perform logic operations, sequence control, timing, counting, and carry out arithmetic operations internally, and control various types of machinery or production process via digital or analog inputs / outputs.
2. Robot
The executor of automation factory
A robot is a machine device that automatically performs work. It can not only accept human command, but also run pre-programmed programs and act on principles that are based on artificial intelligence techniques.
Its mission is to assist or replace the work of humankind, such as manufacturing, construction, or dangerous work. A robot is generally composed of the implementing agencies, drives, testing devices, control systems and complex machinery and other components.
3. Servo Motor
The muscle providing power for automation factory
Servo motor refers to an engine that controls the operation of mechanical components in a servo system, which is an indirect motor-assisted gearbox.
Servo motor can control speed with accuracy positioning, which can convert voltage signal into torque and rotational speed to drive the controlled member.
The rotor speed of servo motor is controlled by the input signal and it can quickly respond to the signal. Servo motor is used as implementation component in automatic control system, and it has characteristics of small time constant, high linearity, pickup voltage and so on. It can convert the received electrical signal into angular displacement or angular velocity on the motor shaft as output.
Servo motors are divided into two categories DC and AC motors. The main feature of servo motor is that there is no rotation when the signal voltage is zero, and that the rotational speed decreases with constant velocity when the torque increases.
4. Sensors
The sense of touch of automation factory
A sensor (transducer) is a detection device which can sense the information detected and transform the sensed information into electrical signal or other desired form of information according to certain rules as output to meet the requirements of transmission, processing, storage, display, recording and control of information.
It is the first thing to achieve automatic detection and automatic control.
In modern industrial production, especially automated production, various sensors are used to monitor and control various parameters in the production process so as to ensure the equipment run in normal state or the best state and to achieves the best quality of products. Therefore, it can be said that without many excellent sensors, modern production also loses its foundation.
5. Variable-frequency Drive
The exchanger of automation factory
Variable-frequency drive (VFD) is the electricity control device which uses frequency conversion technology and microelectronic technology to control the AC motor through changing the working power frequency of the motor.
A variable-frequency drive is mainly composed of rectification (AC to DC), filtering, inversion (DC to AC), braking unit, drive unit, detection unit, micro-processing unit, etc.
The voltage and frequency of output voltage is adjusted by the switch of IBGT inside the variable-frequency drive. The needed voltage is provided according to the actual requirement of the motor, so as to achieve the aim of energy saving and speed adjusting. Moreover, variable-frequency drive also has many protection functions, such as protections against overcurrent, overvoltage, overload, etc.
6. Electromagnetic Valve
The switch of automation factory
Electromagnetic valve is a kind of industrial device controlled by electromagnetism, which is the basic automation component used to control used to control the fluid. It is classified as executor, which is not limited to hydraulic or pneumatic.
Electromagnetic valves are used in industrial control system to adjust the media direction, flow, speed and other parameters. It can cooperate with different circuits to achieve the desired control, while the accuracy and flexibility of control can be guaranteed.
There are many different kinds of electromagnetic valves with each playing a role in different locations in the control system. The most commonly used valves are one-way valve, safety valve, directional control valve, speed control valve, etc.
7. Industrial Camera
The glasses if automation factory
Industrial cameras are a key component of machine vision systems and their most essential feature is the conversion of optical signals into electrical signals AFT-808 compact HD industrial cameras.
The industrial cameras are generally installed in production lines to make measurements and judgments instead of human eyes. They capture the target and convert it into an image signal to send to a dedicated image processing system.
The image system performs various operations on these signals to extract the characteristics of the target, and then controls the on-site device actions according to the result of the discrimination.
8. Instrumentation
The adjusting system of automation factory
Instrumentation is the device or machine used to detect, measure, observe, calculate a variety of physical quantities, material composition, physical parameters and so on. Vacuum leak detectors, pressure gauges, length measuring instruments, microscopes, multipliers, etc. all belong to instrumentation.
Automated factories need to use a variety of instrumentation, for example, relevant instrumentation is needed to measure parameters needed in control process such as pressure, level, flow and temperature.
9. Automation Software
The heart of automation factory
Due to the control of copyright by integration trend of control and management of industrial control system, industrial control system is now connected to traditional IT management system and internet. Common software, general purpose hardware, and general protocols are more and more used inside the system.
One relatively common automation software is SCADA.
SCADA automation system (supervisory control and data acquisition) is the data collecting and monitoring system we call. It is mainly supported by computer technology to automatically schedule and control various production processes.
SCADA automation software is able to accurately monitor and control the production for a long time automatically without human surveillance and to extract valid information for the manager’s evaluation and reference.
10. Control Cabinet
The central system of automation system
Control cabinets can be classified into many different categories, including but not limited to electric control cabinet, frequency controlled cabinet, low voltage control cabinet, high voltage control cabinet, water pump control cabinet, power control cabinet, explosion-proof control cabinet, elevator control cabinet, PLC control cabinet, fire control cabinet, dedicated control cabinet.
Various cabinets such as electric cabinet, frequency converting cabinet, power supply cabinet, pump cabinet are involved in automation factories. Different cabinets are chosen as per different requirements to realize different control functions.
