Glossary · Automation fundamentals, platforms and components
Automation
Also known as: Industrial automation
German: Automatisierung
In engineering, automation is the use of control systems, machines and software to perform tasks with reduced or no human intervention. Industrial automation applies this to manufacturing and process plants.
- Automation components
In one sentence
Automation is the use of control systems, machines and software to perform tasks with reduced or no human intervention.
Example
A bottling plant automates filling, capping, labeling and palletizing, while operators supervise the line from a central HMI.
Explained in context
Context cards connect this term with others to answer one question. Also in British English and German.
How it applies
- Engineering: Automation projects combine sensors, actuators, controllers, networks and software, from single machines to plant-wide systems described by the Automation pyramid.
- Operation: Automation shifts people's work from execution to supervision, setup, maintenance and exception handling. That shift makes clear operating and maintenance information more important, not less.
- Documentation: Documentation teams describe what the automated system does on its own, what people must do and where the boundary lies. Safety information must not assume that automation removes hazards.
Automation vs. artificial intelligence
Classic automation executes predefined logic. Artificial intelligence (AI) adds functions that learn from data or infer outputs, such as visual inspection. When AI functions are part of a machine, they bring additional regulatory questions; see AI-enabled machine function.