The introduction of automation technology has led to industries being driven into new and futuristic directions. In this context, the blog explores how integrating automation and electrification can lead to enhanced industrial functioning.
About Electrification and Automation
Combining the prevalent trends of electrification and automation can foster an increase in electricity usage while enhancing efficiency, including the integration of sustainability along with the application of renewable energy.
Different Industries are searching for measures to introduce sustainability into manufacturing, which can be achieved by leveraging automation driven by electrification.
How Are Electification and Automation Driving Technological Development?
Electrification, as a process can drive increasing applications of electricity in a variety of industrial contexts.
The technological development brought on by electrification involves using the electrical energy to introduce sustainable solutions, promote efficient energy consumption, and drive a transformation into renewable energy in industrial processes.
What is Automation in Electrical Engineering?
Automation in Electrical Engineering can be defined as the application of advanced technology for the automatic improvement and optimization of production processes. The specific production processes discussed here are that of circuit boards, cables, transformers, electrical equipments and various other electrical systems and devices.
Automated Production of Electrical Components
There are a few objectives which drive the consideration of automation in the manufacturing of electrical equipment.
- Increasing productivity: Automation of processes can lead to cost-cutting in the production processes, along with reduced production times. Faster processes can increase output and help address growing demands.
- Quality improvement: Automation can help reduce human error, offering improved control over industrial processes. Thus, process automation can help improve quality management actions.
- Optimizing the supply chain: Automation can help shorten the lead times in manufacturing processes, raising efficiency along the supply chain. Automation also helps streamline the tracking of progress and managing inventory.
The Role of Electrification in Industrial Processes
Industries are aiming to leverage the changing conditions of the renewable electricity market and focusing on processes that reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases.
By combining automation and electrification, industries aim to boost the usage of electricity in multiple sectors, namely public transportation and space heating, where the standard source of energy has been fossil fuels for the longest time.
An electrical temperature transmitter is such a device. It can help regulate the temperatures in industrial processes, leading to the control of the energy output. An ABB temperature transmitter is an example of such a device which has been field-tested and established.
The Interplay Between Automation and Electrification
Electrification and automation can sometimes act as two sides of the same coin. Both automation and electrification processes are considered for reducing energy consumption and introducing sustainable processes in industries.
A major example of the interplay between electrification and automation can be observed in the case of programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Introduced in the 1960s, automation has definitively accelerated the evolution of PLCs in modern industrial use.
As observed in the case of ABB AC500, an automated PLC can help provide a powerful and reliable platform, with automated scalability capable of handling a large variety of devices. The unified software system applied in the PLC offers a flexible automated service, thus saving costs.
What is the Future of Electrification and Automation
The future of industries can be significantly dependent on the combination of electrification and automation. The incorporation of electrical energy based on automation systems can be a futuristic solution to energy conservation and sustainability.
How Can the Combination of Automation and Electrical Engineering Lead to Futuristic Solutions?
As observed in the case of the ABB AC500, the combined efforts of automation and electrification can lead to streamlined solutions and cost-effective procedures. Ease, reliability and security are also features of an automated electrical system.
Some of the key benefits of the combination of automation and electrical engineering can include enhanced productivity and efficiency of electrical systems, optimizing energy usage, leading to cost savings and reduced workplace risks leading to increased safety.
Furthermore, the predictive maintenance actions based on real-time condition monitoring can be a key futuristic solution that uses automation technologies to optimize repair processes. This action enhances the functionality of electrical systems.
The Role of Automation in Integrating Renewable Energy With Electrification
Electrification, as a concept, is the integration of renewable energy into processes that would otherwise be dependent upon non-renewable resources.
Therefore, as electrification promotes sustainability initiatives, automation can be the ultimate support tool in this case. Automated processes can help regulate energy consumption, act as a tracker of progress and help mitigate key challenges.
As noticed in the case of the ABB temperature transmitters, an automated process of controlling and regulating the temperature is protecting electrical systems from being affected by extreme temperatures. Hence, automation is improving process quality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, automation and electrification are the future of industrial processes. The usage of electricity as a source of renewable energy and applying automation to aid in the monitoring of quality and regulating the process can be the right direction for industries in a sustainability context.
