In today's increasingly competitive globalization and rapidly changing market demand, the
manufacturing industry is facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Reducing costs,
improving efficiency, ensuring quality, and realizing rapid response have become the key for
enterprises to be invincible. In this profound change, industrial automation is no longer just a simple
tool to replace manual labor, but through its extensive and in-depth application, it has become
the core engine to drive the transformation and upgrading of modern manufacturing industry. In
this paper, we will systematically sort out the key applications of industrial automation in the
production line and discuss the great value it brings.
I. Multi-level application scenarios of industrial automation
The application of industrial automation has penetrated into product design, manufacturing,
warehousing and logistics and other aspects, building a highly collaborative intelligent system.
1. Manufacturing: from single-point automation to full-line intelligence
This is the most concentrated embodiment of automation technology in the field, the application of
which is characterized by a clear hierarchy:
Unit-level automation: This is the basis of automation, mainly refers to the completion of specific tasks at
specific workstations. For example:
Robot applications: Welding, painting, handling, palletizing, assembly and other repetitive, high-precision
or dangerous work, has been a large number of industrial robots to undertake. Their tireless and precise
movements have dramatically improved production rhythms and consistency.
CNC machine tools and CNC machining centers: Controlled by digital programming, they realize precision
machining of metals, plastics and other materials, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability of complex parts,
and are the basis of precision manufacturing.
Automated assembly and tightening systems: In the electronics and automotive industries, automated
equipment can accurately assemble tiny parts together and apply precise torque to ensure product reliability.
Production Line Level Automation: Through conveyor belts, automated guided vehicles (AGV/AMR), and
other logistics systems, each automated cell is connected in series to form a continuous flow production
line. The production management system (MES) is responsible for scheduling and monitoring the entire
production line, realizing a seamless transition from raw materials on the line to finished products off the line.
Process automation: In the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage and other process industries, the
temperature, pressure, flow and other process parameters are precisely controlled through a centralized
control system (DCS) or programmable logic controller (PLC) to ensure the stability of the production
process and the consistency of product quality.
2. Quality Inspection and Control: Beyond the Limits of the Human Eye
Traditional manual quality inspection is inefficient, fatiguing and inconsistent. The application of
automation technology in this link has realized a qualitative leap:
Machine vision inspection: using high-resolution cameras and intelligent image processing algorithms,
high-speed, high-precision product appearance inspection (such as scratches, stains), size measurement,
character recognition (OCR) and parts with or without judgment, to achieve 100% online inspection, to
eliminate defective products out.
Automated testing system: Functional and performance testing of electronic products, automotive parts
and components, etc., automatically collecting data and judging whether they are qualified or not, greatly
improving testing efficiency and accuracy.
3. Warehousing and logistics: realize the intelligent revolution of “goods to people”.
Automation has revolutionized the traditional warehousing model:
Automated storage (AS/RS): using stacker cranes to automatically access goods in high-level shelves,
greatly improving space utilization and access efficiency.
Intelligent Mobile Robot (AGV/AMR): These robots with autonomous navigation capability travel flexibly
in the warehouse and workshop, realizing the self delivery of materials, reducing manpower handling
and optimizing the logistics path.
Automatic Sorting System: Through barcode scanning, visual recognition and other technologies,
combined with crossbelt, slider and other sorting mechanisms, to achieve rapid and accurate sorting of
parcels and materials, is the core of the e-commerce logistics center.
Second, the core value brought by industrial automation
Behind the wide range of applications, is the industrial automation for the enterprise to create real value:
Multiplication of production efficiency: automated systems can run 24 hours a day, production speed far
exceeds the manual, significantly shorten the product production cycle, increase production capacity.
Leap in product quality: Automated equipment eliminates the volatility and subjectivity of human operation,
ensures a high degree of consistency and precision, and significantly reduces the defective rate.
Effective control of operating costs: Although the initial investment is large, automated equipment can work
stably for a long period of time, reducing the dependence on skilled labor and lowering long-term labor and
management costs. At the same time, fewer errors mean lower scrap and rework costs.
Enhanced production safety: Workers are freed from dangerous, boring and heavy work environments, such as
high temperature, toxic and hazardous, repetitive physical labor, etc., which greatly improves working
conditions and ensures personnel safety.
Enhanced production flexibility: Modern automated production lines and robots can be reprogrammed and
quickly changed to adapt to the production needs of different products, and can quickly respond to market
changes to meet the trend of small batch, multi-species customized production.
Data-driven decision optimization: automated equipment is a natural data collection point, the massive data
generated can be used to analyze equipment efficiency, energy consumption, production bottlenecks, etc., for
lean production, predictive maintenance and scientific decision-making to provide strong support.
Third, the future trend: towards the deep integration of intelligent
manufacturing
The future of industrial automation will be a deeper integration with information technology and intelligent technology:
The deepening of human-machine collaboration: Collaborative robots (Cobot) can interact directly with people in
the shared space, combining the flexibility of people with the precision of machines, and be applied to a wider range
of scenarios.
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Digital Twins: Fully interconnecting devices, building digital mirrors of physical
entities in virtual space, and realizing real-time monitoring, simulation optimization, and predictive maintenance
for the entire process.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) empowerment: AI algorithms will be applied to visual inspection, process parameter
optimization, production scheduling, etc., so that the automation system will have the ability of self-learning and
self-adaptation, and become more intelligent.
Conclusion.
The application of industrial automation has changed from “optional” to “mandatory”. It is no longer a simple
“machine for man”, but a profound change throughout the design, production, management, service and other
life cycle. By improving efficiency, quality and flexibility, automation technology is strongly promoting the
manufacturing industry to high-end, intelligent, green direction. To embrace automation is to embrace the future
of manufacturing. Only by actively deploying and deepening the application of automation can enterprises seize
the first opportunity in the wave of global competition and win sustainable development advantages.