Voskuil history of automation manual#

All of these were immediately used in industry.ДЄt about this time, the rest of the world were beginning to see the advantages of automation, and a lot or research and development was taking place, with the major component being a solid state proximity switch.Дuring the Second World War between 19, automation continued especially in tanks, warships, fighter airplanes, and landing craft used to get the soldiers ashore from troop carriers. During the 1930вЂ™s one of their forward looking companies developed a highly accurate electrical timer, along with the first micro-switch and protective relays. Japan was in the forefront of developing components for use in industrial manufacturing automation.

Their pay even allowed them to own one of the cars they produced, which was unheard of in the industry.ДЇordвЂ™s assembly line and mass production was the first in the world cutting the car assembly time from one car every twelve hours to a car every one and a half hours.ДЄ Ford assembly line image from Wikipedia, author unknown, is shown below. It certainly boosted Ford MotorвЂ™s production rates, as well as their profits, but he was very good to his employees, giving them a rate of pay over and above other industries in the area. So the assembly line can be considered one of the first forms of automation in the manufacturing industry. Prior to this, single cars were built by a number of skilled and unskilled workers, in an old factory. In a newly built factory in 1913, Ford Motor Company introduced the assembly line for car production. These days, of course, we have computers that control electronic automation. The unions were against this, not wanting their members to lose their livelihood through automation such as robotics. The trade unions were pretty strong in those days, especially so in companies that were modernizing their plants through automation.

Voskuil history of automation manual#

The automobile industry is another example of automation, with robots eventually taking over a lot of manual activities such as spot welding and spray painting. One such system of a material handling conveyor, incorporating some of the above components is shown below: These operated hydraulically and pneumatic cylinders were the basis of most of the material handling conveyor systems and furnace casting operation.

In those days, for the aluminum smelter, like for most manufacturing industries, the automation of the time consisted of sensors or вЂњmagic eyesвЂќ or proximity switches, along with limit switches with long tails and solenoid valves, relays, and timers. This was not just for efficiency, but also for the safety of the men working in hazardous areas. It was considered a modern partially-automated plant, using the latest methods of automatic smelting and casting techniques. I worked at the smelter from 1975 until it ceased operations in 1981. I first came across automation when I was at sea and saw the engine room automatic controls on diesel engines and, on steamships, the boilers being automatically controlled by a вЂњBailey Board.вЂќ There were many other examples, but I saw some impressive automation in action in an aluminum smelter where I worked as an engineer, here in the Highlands of Scotland.

In the following sections the history of automation will be examined the first section gives an overview of some systems and industries that have been automated. This has resulted in improved efficiency, along with a higher quality product coupled with the attendant savings in labor and costs. This is especially so in the intensive labor manufacturing industry, with the majority of these being almost fully automatic through the use of the latest technology.

Great advances have been made in the automation of the various activities formerly carried out manually.