Book Image

Industrial Automation from Scratch

By : Olushola Akande
Book Image

Industrial Automation from Scratch

By: Olushola Akande

Overview of this book

Industrial automation has become a popular solution for various industries looking to reduce manual labor inputs and costs by automating processes. This book helps you discover the abilities necessary for excelling in this field. The book starts with the basics of industrial automation before progressing to the application of switches, sensors, actuators, and motors, and a direct on-line (DOL) starter and its components, such as circuit breakers, contactors, and overload relay. Next, you'll explore VFDs, their parameter settings, and how they can be wired and programmed for induction motor control. As you advance, you'll learn the wiring and programming of major industrial automation tools – PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA. You’ll also get to grips with process control and measurements (temperature, pressure, level, and flow), along with analog signal processing with hands-on experience in connecting a 4–20 mA transmitter to a PLC. The concluding chapters will help you grasp various industrial network protocols such as FOUNDATION Fieldbus, Modbus, PROFIBUS, PROFINET, and HART, as well as emerging trends in manufacturing (Industry 4.0) and its empowering technologies (such as IoT, AI, and robotics). By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a practical understanding of industrial automation concepts for machine automation and control.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Learning the Concepts and Skills Required to Get Started
8
Part 2: Understanding PLC, HMI, and SCADA
14
Part 3: Process Control, Industrial Network, and Smart Factory

Summary

You have successfully completed this chapter of the book. Well done! With having reached the end of this chapter, you should now be able to explain actuators and the basic types available (electric actuators, pneumatic actuators, and hydraulic actuators).

Electric actuators use electricity, pneumatic actuators use compressed air, while hydraulic actuators use pressurized fluid (oil). They all perform actions through motion, which can either be linear or rotational. Some actuators are better suited for a particular application than others. For instance, a hydraulic actuator is useful for tasks requiring high force. It is good to have knowledge of all three types mentioned in this book. You might find any of the types in the industry you happen to find yourself working in as an automation engineer.

The topics touched on in this chapter are relevant for automation engineers and will help you to better understand the next chapter in this book, AC and DC Motors.