Five Components of Automation

Five components of automation are: action, control, sensing, decision and program.

Action components are those parts of an automated system that apply energy to move materials in the system. Energy can be applied in several forms, such as heat to change the temperature of a material or in the form of electricity to run motors. The motors may drive conveyors, which move materials. The motors also may do work such as drilling holes or cutting material to size. Control Components. The action is carried out because controls regulate them. A switch is closed, electricity flows, and the motor runs. The switch is a control. At the proper time, the control can be activated to cause the valve to close, stopping the liquid from flowing. Sensing. Sensors are placed in the automated system to detect and measure how the system is operating. These sensors are connected to indicators such as dials or gauges. A thermocouple is indicated on a gauge we call a thermometer.

The speed of a motor is detected and indicated on a dial showing revolutions per minute (RPM) of the motor. This is called the tachometer. Decision and program. Two new components have been added to make the automated system. A decision component receives incoming information, compares it with stored information and, if needed, sends commands to controls in the system. The stored information or program is the fifth component of the automated system. The program includes both process and command information. Process information contains data about the system should be operating. The command program includes instructions that direct the controls to do certain operations.

In the mechanized systems, the sensors indicated how the system was operating. People read these indicators, compared the information with data on how the system was supposed to operate and then made any adjustments needed. In the automated system some type of computer replaces the person. The computer receives the information, makes the comparison, makes the decision and commands the controls to activate.

All About Automation

According to Bame and Cummings, authors of Exploring Technology, total automation occurs when a process is completed without human control. A process rarely occurs without any human control at all. Usually some human control is involved. Automation is automatic control. As Avila (May 2002) developed an AS2 automatic sprayer (an innovation). The answer for more effective and much convenient spraying.

The main component used is same with the manual garden sprayer. There are some additional materials used to complete the project. AS2 automatic sprayer was developed to lessen the stress of the user in pumping the sprayer to create the pressure. It has an ability to pump in an automatically and when it reached the highest operating procedure, it will shut off and resume pumping when the pressure drops at the lowest operating pressure.

The sprayer has safety relief valve and emergency stop switch. It can refill solvent without releasing the pressurized air inside the sprayer. It can be carried by backpack or by using a trolley. When a factory, assembly line, or some process is automated, machine are used in place of human labor. Parts are moved on assembly lines. A work-piece—work being manufactured—is fed into a machine automatically. Work is done on the piece, and it is moved to another machine. All this is done without human intervention. Automation makes work easier and faster. One reason Soriano (March 2003) developed a printed circuit board-etching machine, which intends to make the etching process faster and easier.

The agitating machine is detachable wherein you can replace the basin corresponding to the size of your PCB (Printed Circuit Board). It has a timer where you can set at approximately five minutes and 38 sec. It has also a buzzer and light emitting diode (LED) that indicates that it has finished the desired time. It has an adjustable holder that allows the use of different size of PCB. It operates horizontally towards the basin and allows the vertical action of the PCB towards the ferric chloride during the etching process. Agitating machine provides not only convenience to users but also saves time, effort, money, space and energy.

Another way of describing automation is by saying it is automatic regulation. Automation is important to human technology. It undoubtedly will be important in the future. Automation can be found in nearly all areas of technology. Our first thoughts about automation may be of automated assembly lines with robots doing the work of humans. But, actually, automation can be found more often in other areas.

The machining of metal was among the first processes to be mechanized and then automated. Machine tools were first controlled by punched tape. There was no feedback. The tape merely controlled the location and cutting action of the cutter. These machines are called numerically-controlled (NC) machines. Each hole (or combination of holes) in the represent the command to the machine. Sensors detect the holes. A message is sent to the controls on the machine causing it to move in a certain way. Magnetic tape similar to that use in tape recorders replaced most punched-tape in NC machines.

Today computers control these automated machines. This is called Computer Numerical Control (CNC). CNC machines can store and transmit large quantities of very complex information. They are capable of doing very complicated tasks.

History of Wire Making

Wire has been in use for many hundreds of years. It was known in Nineveh and Egypt in 800 B.C. It was made then and for many centuries afterwards by beating metal into plates. These were then cut into strips and rounded by further beating. Wire drawing was known in the 14th century, but the machinery used in this process and the Bessemer steel process were not perfected until the 19th century. In modern wire plants, the raw materials, usually steel, is received in the form of small bars, or bullets. The bullets are heated and conveyed to a set of rolls to be reduced in size. Finally, for ordinary sizes of wire, each bullet is rolled down to a rod smaller than a lead pencil. The heated rod is carried through a pipe to a device which coils the rod. 

 The coiled metal is cooled and taken to the plant where it is drawn into wire of all sizes. First the scale, which has accumulated, is removed by an acid bath, and the acid in turn is removed in an alkali bath. Next, the rod with a small, sharp point enters a bell-mouthed hole in a draw plate, or die, made of hard steel or in some cases of a diamond or ruby. It emerges from the smaller end of the hole reduced in size. The process of drawing the wire through smaller and smaller holes continues until the desired size is reached. As the metal is drawn finer it becomes harder and more brittle. This from time to time the metal must be annealed to make it soft and tough, and it must be constantly oiled as it is pulled through the dies, or perforated plates.

All About Wires: Different Types of Connecting Wires

In electronics and electrical field, wire is one of the important common materials used. There are many different types of wires. One example is the wire used in electrical connections. This kind of connecting wires can be classified as solid and in stranded form and have different sizes. There are mostly made of copper with plastic or rubber insulation surrounding it. These wires are commonly used in industry or even in household electrical wirings. Also by electronics technicians and other related professions and by the students of electrical and electronics related courses. Wire as defined by Compton’s Encyclopedia is a strand of metal in the form of a flexible thread or slender rod. This is the most common form of conductors for power transmission, smaller electrical signals, or as resistors. Insulated wires are most often used in electronic circuits. The insulation provides electrical insulation and mechanical and chemical protection. Different Types of Connecting Wires Wires are either solid or stranded. 

Most wires are round, occasionally square or rectangular conductors are used, such as integrated circuit external leads. Metals usually used in making wires are aluminum, alloy and copper. Insulation is made up of rubber or non-conductive materials and can come in different sizes and colors. Solid Wires. These wires are single solid wires with rubber insulation. Usually used in connecting circuits or wiring connections in a protoboard. Stranded Wires. Is a group of wires used as a single wire. Due to their high flexibility, stranded wires are the most commonly used conductors. There’s no sharp distinction between stranded wire and cable wires. Stranded constructions vary in the size, number and configuration of the individual strands. All stranded designation systems relate to the total cross-sectional area of the conductor. The cross-sectional area of metal determines the electrical resistance and current carrying capacity of the conductor and is important for the proper size selection for a specific application.