We hear more and more every day about automation.\u00a0 Making our lives easier, simplifying tasks, and increasing efficiency are the end goals, but what exactly is automation?\u00a0 What are some advantages of it and why should you choose to use it in your operation?<\/p>\n
First, let\u2019s define automation.\u00a0 This is a fairly new term used to describe performing a task automatically.\u00a0 In our industry, it\u2019s mostly used to define how a plant operates and the logic used to do so. \u00a0A common example is how most feed mills are controlled by a single point of operation which is used to turn the plant on and off. Automation allows equipment to be controlled in sequence and even remotely if needed.<\/p>\n
Why should we consider automating a processing plant?\u00a0 The big advantage is that automation reduces the \u201chuman\u201d influence of operation, making the process more consistent and less prone to errors. \u00a0Try as we might, humans are inconsistent and forgetful.\u00a0 Using automation, a set of operating parameters can be defined, limiting the scope of what the equipment can do.\u00a0 Additionally, increasing safety is a major benefit, as a person could remotely operate equipment and reduce the chances of injury.\u00a0 Equipment malfunctions can be detected and mitigated right away, further reducing the need for human interaction.<\/p>\n
Automation also helps reduce the staff required to perform tasks.\u00a0 Imagine a large plant consisting of several pieces of equipment spread amongst several floors.\u00a0 In order to manually turn on each piece of equipment, operators would have to go to several control panels, turning on individual motors to each piece of equipment or conveyor.\u00a0 Not only does this take a long time but should something go wrong or be out of sequence, the reaction time to fix the problem is greatly delayed.\u00a0 Automation can reduce this by defining the startup sequence and motor operating conditions, automatically adjusting should something happen.\u00a0 This can be done with less operators, reducing operational costs.<\/p>\n
Obviously, an investment is required to do this.\u00a0 Smaller plants typically cannot justify the costs to do this, but different levels of automation do exist.\u00a0 Partially automating the plant can still yield big operational improvements and savings without the need to fully automate the entire plant.\u00a0 The most important aspect of automation is that it does need to be programmed by someone.\u00a0 For this reason, it is important to work with someone that has extensive knowledge of your operation.\u00a0 This becomes even more important with extrusion due to the increased number of variables involved.\u00a0 The goal here would be to automate the extrusion process.\u00a0 This is an exciting development for the future and one that Insta-Pro is actively pursuing.\u00a0 For now, working with a trusted partner who has extrusion experience is the key to success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We hear more and more every day about automation.\u00a0 Making our lives easier, simplifying tasks, and increasing efficiency are the end goals, but what exactly is automation?\u00a0 What are some advantages of it and why should you choose to use it in your operation? First, let\u2019s define automation.\u00a0 This is a fairly new term used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":13394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7176],"tags":[8751],"class_list":["post-14207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engineeringandmaintenance","tag-automation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n