Factory Automation encompasses the manufacturing and/or assembly of parts and subsystems to produce a product by passing it through a series of individual machines or work cells. Sometimes called discrete manufacturing to distinguish it from continuous processing, it is the production of distinct items such as automobiles, toys, smartphones or computer chips. Factory automation requires systems that power, measure, regulate, manipulate and visualize production line operations.
Topics include robots, CNC machines and machine tools; machine control hardware, software and processes; industrial computers; electrical systems; control panels; power supplies; mobile and fixed machine interfaces; motors, drives and motion control; computer-based controls, PLCs and PACs; machine safety; automatic identification and vision systems; and sensors and industrial I/O.