Manufacturing Automation

Prof. Sounak Kumar Choudhury

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

Lecture – 01

Hello and welcome to the course on Manufacturing Automation. As I said in the

introductory part, this course will basically focus on the automation of manufacturing
industries; and manufacturing processes including the manufacturing automation. This
course is intended for a wide audience including the engineering undergraduate and
postgraduate students and the practicing engineers as well. Now, let us see what
manufacturing automation stands for.

First of all, the word manufacturing came from the two words: manus and factus from
the Latin words and that does mean doing by hand. Well, when this word was coined/
when this word was generated, the concept of manufacturing, I mean, there the scale of
manufacturing was much less than what we can see these days. Population was much
less and that is why the demand on the manufactured products was much less than what
we have right now.

So, in our days instead of doing by hands, now we are using the machines and
subsequently the machines are being automated. Now what does it mean that we are
using the machine - meaning that we are replacing the muscles, tendons of a manpower-
of a human being with mechanization, with different kind of machines. Moreover, those
machines have also to be controlled. So, our brain, memory are now replaced by the
control technology. Therefore, mechanization and the control together make the
automation in the following way.
(Refer Slide Time: 02:19)

This is what we are calling as the automation, that is, the mechanization and the control
technology. So, as a definition, the manufacturing automation can be described as a term,
applied to all measures taken which will cause a process to be carried out wholly or
partly according to a previously set program, and that is without the intervention of the
human activity for its control, because the control is given by replacing our brain,
memory, nerves, etcetera.

(Refer Slide Time: 03:01)

Here it is. Muscles, tendons are replaced by the mechanization. For example, we have
the muscle power here, which is replaced by the mechanization, which is a kind of a
machine. Further, we have the brain power of the human being, which is replaced by the
control technology and together they are actually making the automation.

(Refer Slide Time: 03:27)

Therefore, this is a trend of science and technology, which causes a process to be carried
out according to a previously set program without the intervention of the human activity
for its control. Well, if that is a truly automated system, that must have three criteria, one
is that it has to have an ability to make a decision. Second, it should have an ability to
carry out these decisions, and the third is the ability to evaluate and correct the
performance.

Now, if you see these three criteria - the ability to make a decision, to carry out the
decision and to evaluate and correct the performance, this is what we do every day.
(Refer Slide Time: 04:21)

Meaning that, suppose we have an object and we have to put that object in our pocket.
So, before we do that, we decide that we have to put this pen in our pocket and then we
try to carry out this process. So, we take this pen by our hand, grip is just enough to lift
the pen, and then we take the minimum path to take it into the pocket; and we always see
that this process is followed exactly and I am not carrying that pen roundabout, I am
keeping that pen just following the minimum path.

(Refer Slide Time: 04:57)

So, what we are having is the decision making, evaluation and feedback and the physical
action being carried out in this way, for example, as shown in this picture.

(Refer Slide Time: 05:05)

Here what we are having is that, we have the ocular control, which is our eyes; we have
the brain and we have the hand which is actually doing the work. So, through the ocular
control, the sensory pathway and the motor pathway, as it is shown here, we are actually
following the decision, that has been made, for example, to put a screw in the threaded
hole.

So, the brain is taking the decision that we have to put that threaded part in the threaded
hole and that decision is going through the sensory pathway to the brain. The brain is
giving the command to the hand to carry out the decision. Now, when we are putting the
screw in the threaded hole, whether it is going rightly or not, is being controlled by the
ocular control; we are looking at it and if more torque is required we are actually
applying more torque or less torque accordingly which is being controlled continuously.
So, this is what the human being is doing for day-to-day activity and the same process
we want to replicate in the automated system.
(Refer Slide Time: 06:21)

Therefore, automation is a technology concerned with the operation of mechanical,

electrical and computer based systems to operate and control the production. Now this
technology will of course, include the automatic machine tools to process the parts or the
automatic assembly machines if an automatic assembly process is being carried out. It
will have the industrial robots to help the manufacturing process or the assembly process.
It will have the automatic material handling and storage system. Material handling and
storage system is that, when one part after processing in a machine has to be carried over
to the next machine for the subsequent operation, which is not done by the human being
anymore.

So, there will be industrial robots to help the parts to be carried over from one machine
to another machine for further operation or for one sub assembly from one machine or
one workstation to another workstation. Automatic material handling and storage system
has a great role to play here, because it has to not only transfer the parts, but it has to
transfer the part in a right orientation and whether that orientation is maintained or not is
actually one of the responsibilities of the material handling and storage system.

Next is the automatic inspection systems and quality control; in the automated systems or
automated manufacturing mostly, this kind of automatic inspections is in-built in the
machine itself. That means, when the machine is producing something or the machine is
assembling an assembly, whether it is doing rightly or not, this kind of signals will be
generated, and the feedback will be given to the same machine so that, the machine can
correct itself. So, these are called the feedback systems and those we will discuss at a
later stage of the lecture. Next is the feedback control and computer process control, as I
said, and finally, we will have the computer system for planning, data collection and
decision making to support manufacturing activities.

So, as you see here, these are the technologies which the automation will include. They
are practically the same as we have in the mass production. For example, the mass
production is also a technology, which is involved in producing the manufacturing parts.
So, what is the difference between the mass production and the automation, let us see.

(Refer Slide Time: 09:05)

Actually we can say that the automation begins, where the mass production leaves off;
what does it mean? We can say that the automation is mass production applied to the
point where, the substitution of human labour and the human control by mechanical
labour and mechanical control is made complete or nearly complete.

Automation can be considered as a changeover from the mass production and it will not
come overnight; it will be coming gradually and that is why many of the techniques of
the mass production will be used in the automation as well. We cannot throw out all the
techniques, all the mechanisms from the mass production, and many of them will be
adapted to the automation. However, the basic point is that it is the substitution of the
human labour and the human control by mechanical labour and the mechanical control;
which is either complete or it is nearly complete, and as I said that it cannot be done
overnight.

At this point, therefore, there is a question that will arise regarding whether it will create
the widespread unemployment. We can have the argument, for and against the
automation on that issue. As was mentioned earlier, automation is eliminating the human
labour, which is going on for thousands of years; it is not the first time that we are doing
it.

(Refer Slide Time: 10:47)

And this is being done, the mechanization of labour has not only released more of mens’
time and energy for other pursuits, it has led to unmatched material prosperity and
increasingly better use of natural resources. What does it mean? That when one person
was doing something, the productivity or the production rate was much less than if it is
being done by few of the persons. And the other thing is that, a particular process was
being done by several people.

So now, because of the mechanization, because of the automation, gradually we are

trying to free those people, those who were involved in the same activity and they are
actually doing the other jobs requiring the higher skill. For example, designing, they are
actually installing something, they are designing the end product, they are designing the
control technology and so on.
(Refer Slide Time: 11:45)

So, greater productivity of the mass production has opened and enlarged many fields of
employment like; designing, production, maintenance, packaging, distribution, selling,
advertisement, etcetera. So, these are the areas which actually are giving more
employment. So we are creating new kind of jobs. I will give you an example. Suppose
you open up any, let us say, Shriram Honda generator or a pump.

Now if we open the pump, you will see inside the pump there are many small parts like
nuts, bolts, washers, springs, which are not made by the company making that pump. For
example, let us say Kirloskar pump, so Kirloskar is not making the small parts which are
there inside the pump. This is because they have found out that it is economically not
feasible to manufacture them; rather they will concentrate on manufacturing the basic
units, basic parts, which are required for making the pump, for assembling the pump.

What they are doing is that they are asking some other manufacturers to produce those
small parts for them. So, those are the ancillary industries, which are being generated
because the Kirloskar has started making the pump. So, the automation, similarly, is
generating more and new works, new workplaces and generating employment. So, it is
not only not creating unemployment, but it is generating new jobs.

It has also made possible the phenomenal expansion of the material processing industries
like metalworking, fuel, rubber and synthetic industries for example, which were not
there earlier when the automation was not introduced.
(Refer Slide Time: 13:39)

So, what we see is that this is the manufacturing ‘then’, when two persons are actually
involved in making parts for a very long time and subsequently what we have is that
manufacturing ‘now’

(Refer Slide Time: 13:51)

where you can see that very few people are involved in the production and that too they
are not operators, they are actually the managers, they are the people who are observing,
and with a higher skill, whether the manufacturing process or the assembly process is
carried out properly.
(Refer Slide Time: 14:13)

And what we see next is the manufacturing ‘soon’, which is our dream which has been
tested over, but it is not very successful till now. Here you can see that there is no person
involved in the production as it is. These are all automated production, automated
machines, automated flow lines, we have the automatic storage system, we have the
AGVs - automatic guided vehicles, which are actually working as a material handling
system and so on. So, this is our dream, which is going to come very soon for which we
have to put some effort.

(Refer Slide Time: 14:47)

What are the benefits of automation let us see. Benefits are manifold as previously I said.
First of all, the reduction or total elimination of tedious and the routine operations like
loading, unloading, assembly, inspection etcetera. As you understand, these processes are
time consuming and very tedious; and a person - human being gets very quickly tired out
of that. So, basically if we can automate those processes, then not only we will reduce
the unnecessary works which are taking a lot of time, but also we can increase the
productivity.

Now, second point which is very high beneficial for the automation, is the creation of
new and more interesting jobs. That is what I said just now that, new interesting jobs are
being created requiring higher skill. In future the production will have less number of
operators; will have more number of people who will be involved in the management,
will be involved in the design, who will be involved in the design of the end products or
the assembly and so on.

So, those are the higher skills, which will be required for the people who are being
involved in such new and interesting jobs, which will be created by the automation. Next
point is the increase in the productive capacity of the industry. The basic reason how we
can increase the production rate or the productive capacity of industry is that we are
eliminating the time consuming jobs. Like for example, the loading, unloading,
inspection, for example.

Now another way how we can increase the productive capacity of industry is that, we
can design the new type of machines which can perform different kind of jobs at the
same time. So, in that way the productive capacity or the production rate is increased.
Next point is the greater flexibility through the use of standard production units, which
can be rearranged and assembled in different ways to get the end product; which actually
is an example of the building block technique. Many of you must have played in your
childhood with the Lego or with the small blocks and using those blocks in a different
way you could have made a house, a home, a ship, an airplane and so on.

So, these are the building blocks techniques which also can be applied to the automation.
Here the flexibility will be increased; that means, the building blocks will be the standard
products, but the final product using those standard products can be very different. So,
there we have the lot of flexibility in this. Next point is the higher standard of living. If
the automation is used correctly, in that case we can increase the production rate, we can
decrease production time, particularly for the production processes involving time
consuming processes.

That way we are increasing the profit and that profit when distributed will be given to the
people who are involved in that. So, the overall the standard of living will be higher.

(Refer Slide Time: 18:19)

That is overall the answer to the question whether the automation will create
unemployment. Now, let us see what are the reasons for automation? That means, why
we should go for the automation? First of all we need the greater output per hour of the
labour input; that means, we have to increase the production rate. Increasing the
production rate will actually decrease the cost as well, as you know that.

And it will also increase the standard of living. So, that is the first thing that we should
look for. Now, if we have the high cost of labour, only then we can justify the high initial
investment in the cost of the machine and the equipment for the automation. Because, the
automatic machines, automatic equipment are quite expensive in comparison to what we
are using for the mass production, for example.

So, that can be justified by the high cost of labour - if the cost of labour is very high.
Next point is the labour shortage that actually forces us to go for the manufacturing
automation. Fourth point is the trend of labour towards the service sectors, like
insurance, personal, legal, sales, etcetera. Many people are going to those sectors and
therefore, we do not have the people for being engaged in the production or the
assembly.

Therefore, that is one of the reasons for going for the automation. Fifth point is the
safety. Automation makes the workplace very safe. Take an example, suppose we have
the welding being done inside closed area - inside an automobile body for example, or
inside a closed room.

The fume and the toxic gases which are coming are very harmful for the operator.
Whereas, in the automation we will have different kind of manipulators, different kind of
robots, which will be doing this kind of jobs and this is quite safe for the human being.
Sixth point is very important point, which is the high cost of raw material. When we
have the high cost of raw material, it dictates that we have to use that raw material very
precisely and very carefully. In the sense that we cannot afford to have the waste, we
cannot afford to have the parts which are actually reject.

So, when the manufacturing automation or the automation overall is used, the rejects will
be minimum and that is one of the reasons to introduce the automation, particularly when
the raw material cost is very high. Next point is the improved product quality, because it
is being done by the machine and without the human intervention, the product quality is
very high.

Let me give you an example. Suppose a human being is involved in the production
process. Normally what we see is that from 9 o’ clock morning, when you start working,
the quality of the product is good. At the end of the day, when the human being is getting
exhausted it actually affects the quality and the quality becomes poorer. So, when the
machine is involved in either assembly or in manufacturing/production process, the
machines do not know what is exhaustion and the product quality will be the same at 9 o’
clock in the morning or at 5 o’ clock/ 5 pm in the afternoon.

Therefore, along with the improved product quality, one more thing which is very
important is the consistency in the quality; that means, all the parts will have the same
quality level. This is very important particularly for assembly, for example. Point number
8 is the reduced manufacturing lead time. What is manufacturing lead time? It is the time
between the customer order, when you are taking the booking from the customer, and the
product delivery.

So, this time is very important to maintain. If you are not maintaining that time and not
able to deliver the product in time, in that case sometimes the customer may reject the
product. That is why you may find many of the rejected parts in the market. For example,
in case of clothes, there are lots of rejected clothes which are of very good quality but
rejected only because the lead time is not maintained.

In case of manufacturing, this is important because the capital will be locked. So, in case
of manufacturing automation or in case of automation over all, this manufacturing lead
time can be maintained because we know the exact timing for the production of that
particular part or for the particular assembly.

Therefore, automation is very well justified where we have this as a problem. Next point
is the reduction of in-process inventory. What is it? In-process inventory is the capital
locking; that means, we have the parts which are waiting for the assembly; and this is
simply not required - this is waste in time and money because it is a capital locking.

So, in automation in-process inventory can be reduced because the parts can take
minimum time in the routing between the machines. So, that way the in process
inventory can be reduced. And finally, the high cost of non-automating; that means,
firms which are not automating will not be able to compete with the other customers and
with other manufacturers which are using the automation.

Thank you very much.