What is Industrial Automation and Robotics, and How Do They Differ

1. What is Industrial Automation and Robotics, and How Do They Differ? Industrial automation refers to the physical processes that are automated with physical robots and special control systems. Industrial automation is the process of controlling manual activities that are done by humans. In this type of physical automation, robots and computers with numeric control machines are used. Robotics, on the other hand, is a programmable machine that interacts with the physical environment and performs actions autonomously or semi-autonomously. Because the robots are programmed and more flexible than single-function machines. Traditional robots tend to do jobs more efficiently than humans, whereas collaborative robots are geared to completing tasks in a comparable way to humans. Robots can be differentiated into three categories: robots that solely rely on human inputs for any operation; semi-autonomous robots that can perform the tasks but are in need of human observation; and autonomous robots that are intelligent enough to perform tasks entirely on their own and can also respond to real-world environments with minimal human intervention. Keep reading to learn more about industrial automation and robotics and their differences. ○ Robots can perform and operate 24/7 by delivering all the repetitive and tedious tasks more efficiently than humans. Manual errors can be reduced by 15% to 25% with the aid of collaborative robots. Human fingers are small and delicate, but when it comes to robots, they can handle all the small parts with greater accuracy. Robots use their sensors to interact with the physical world and carry out tasks. Collaborative robots are mostly used for lifting, material handling, welding, assembling, picking, placing, loading and unloading. Industrial automation used computer numerical control machines for high-precision manufacturing in its early days. Modern industrial automation uses data acquisition systems, distributed control systems, supervisory control, and programmable logistics controllers. Industrial automation systems are excellent at performing repetitive tasks with few variables. Industrial automation is consistent and predictable and is ideal for processing chemicals, pulp, paper, oil, gas, and other raw materials. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Depending on the workforce of your business, it is solely up to you to decide your investment either in automation or robotics. If you are bombarded with repetitive tasks that cause productivity bottlenecks, then you should invest in automation. But if you have manual tasks, invest in robots or industrial automation. Industrial automation and robotics help engineers and managers harness data that helps find production bottlenecks and address them, streamlining the process. Melss is the largest producer of industrial automation and robotics solutions in India.