Automation Pyramid
An Automation Pyramid is a five-layered pyramid, which represent the source and flow of data with its usage in industrial automation at different levels. The pyramid depicts clear picture of all the hardware or software involved in monitoring, controlling and analyzing manufacturing process. It also serves as a visual example of how technology is being integrated into industry.
Field Level: The field level is the production floor that dose the physical work and monitoring i.e. Electric Motors, Sensors (Proximity Sensor, Photoelectric sensor, Vibration Sensors etc.) and Actuator (hydraulic actuator, Pneumatic actuator etc.)
Control Level: In this level the PLC’s and PID’s come in to play. The control level uses these devices to control and run the devices in the field level that actually do the physical work. They take in information from all of the sensors, switches, and other input devices to make decisions on what outputs to turn on to complete the programmed task. A PID is usually integrated in to the PLC and stands for Proportional-Integral-Derivative. That is what can keep a variable within a set of parameters. A common industrial PID controlled item is a heater. Many systems in manufacturing plants have to be heated. We control this with a PID block within the PLC. When a set point is entered, the PID will determine when the PLC needs to turn the heat on and off to maintain a constant temperature.
Supervisory Level: SCADA is short for supervisory control and data acquisition. SCADA is essentially the combination of the previous levels used to access data and control system from a single location. Plus is usually adds a graphical user interface, or an HMI, to control functions remotely. SCADA can monitor and control multiple system from a single location, it isn’t limited to a single machine like HMI’s.
Planning Level: This level utilizes a computer management system known as Management Execution System or MES.MES monitors the entire manufacturing process ina plant or factory from the raw material to the finished product. This allows management to see exactly what is happening and allows them to make decisions based on that information. Functional areas for a MES is management of product definitions, management of resources, scheduling production processes, dispatching production orders, Execution of production orders, Collection of production data, production performance analysis and production track & trace.
Management Level: This level uses the companies integrated management system which is known as the ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning. This is where a company’s top management can see and control their operations. ERP is usually a suite of different computer applications that can see everything going on inside a company. It utilizes all of the previous levels technology plus some more software to accomplish this level of integration. This allows the business to be able to monitor all level of the business from manufacturing, sales, purchasing, finance and payroll, and many others. The integration of the ERP promotes efficiency and transparency within a company by keeping everyone on the same page.
