Process Simulation Basic Kinematics for Clamp & Pin Units (BIW Fixture Unit)

WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS
Industrial automation and robotics are the use of computers, control systems and information technology to handle industrial processes and machinery, replacing manual labour and improving efficiency, speed, quality and performance.
Automated industrial applications range from manufacturing process assembly lines to surgery and space research. Early automated systems focused on increasing productivity (as these systems do not need to rest like human employees), but this focus is now shifting to improved quality and flexibility in manufacturing and more. Modern automated systems are developing beyond mechanisation with the addition of artificial and machine learning.
However, automation and robotics are not the same thing:
Automation
Automation is the use of computer software, machines or other technology to carry out tasks that would otherwise be done by a human. There are several types of automation, which can include both virtual and physical tasks.
1. Software Automation
This is the automation of tasks usually performed by humans using computer programs. This area includes business process automation (BPA), using software to formalise and streamline business processes, robotic process automation (RPA), which uses ‘software robots’ to mimic humans using computer programs, and intelligent process automation (IPA), which involves the use of artificial intelligence to learn how people perform tasks using a computer program. The difference between BPA and RPA is subtle, with BPA being like replacing a human production line with an autonomous factory and RPA like adding a collaborative robot to work alongside the existing workforce.
2. Industrial Automation
This is the control of physical processes with machines and control systems to automate industrial processes. Robots are used in this type of physical automation but so are other non-robotic machines, such as CNC machines.
Robotics
This area of engineering uses multiple disciplines to design, build, program and use robots. Robots are programmable machines that use sensors and actuators to interact with the physical world and perform actions autonomously or semi-autonomously. Because they can be reprogrammed, robots are more flexible than single-function machines. Collaborative robots are designed to complete tasks in a similar manner to humans, while traditional industrial robots tend to complete tasks more efficiently than humans.
Automation and robotics have areas where they cross, such as the use of robots to automate physical tasks, as with car assembly lines. However, not all automation uses physical robots and not all areas of robotics are associated with automation.
An early form of industrial automation was the use of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines for high-precision aerospace manufacturing in the United States during the Second World War. Using the first industrial computing systems, the first CNC machines still required a high level of human input until they became more automated during the 1950s.
Modern industrial automation includes the use of data acquisition systems, distributed control systems, supervisory control and programmable logistics controllers. They are consistent and predictable, making them ideal for processing chemicals, pulp, paper, oil and gas or other raw materials. By adding capabilities to these systems, industrial automation can also include access to peripheral data to further optimise operations based on real-time data.