Preface

This book is designed to provide what you need to know as an industrial automation engineer, from basic to advanced – beneficial for both beginners and professionals in the field of industrial automation. It is an indispensable book for industrial automation engineers or anyone that wants to start or build a career in industrial automation. This book is a valuable resource for both undergraduates and graduates in the engineering, physics, and computer departments of tertiary institutions as well as staff in electrical, mechanical, production, process control, and instrumentation engineering departments in the manufacturing, food processing, chemical, oil and gas, and other industries where automated machines are used. You will learn about and be able to use sensors, actuators, and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) for industrial automation. The book is loaded with hands-on step-by-step guides on PLC wiring and programming, HMI design and development, SCADA system setup, and process control.

The book is organized into three parts. Each part contains several chapters on important topics.

Part 1 is devoted to the concepts and skills required to get started in industrial automation. This is an introductory part where you will learn what industrial automation is all about and how to identify electrical control components and wire them for basic industrial control operations. You will also learn how to draw a schematic/wiring diagram using CAD software.

Part 2 will take you through the major tools in industrial automation (PLC, HMI, and SCADA). You will learn by doing by following the step-by-step guide provided. Simulation is also possible in some of the steps, which makes it easy for those without the actual device to have an understanding of how it works. What seems complex is made simple using a hands-on approach.

Part 3 is devoted to process control, industrial networks, and smart factories, which you will gain fundamental knowledge about.

Who this book is for

I strongly believe that this book will be of great benefit to readers who are new to the field of industrial automation, as well as those who are experienced and practicing in the field as it covers topics from a beginner level to an advanced level in a simplified and practical way. You can further advance your skills in a specific area through articles, books, or resources that specifically relate to the topic you would like to go into in more depth after reading this book.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Introduction to Industrial Automation, provides an overview of industrial automation.

Chapter 2, Switches and Sensors – Working Principles, Applications, and Wiring, deals with switches and sensors. Knowledge of switches and sensors is important in industrial automation. Switches and sensors provide information about the environment for a controller to process. In this chapter, you will learn what switches and sensors really are and how they work, as well as learning about their wiring.

Chapter 3, Actuators and Their Applications in Industrial Automation, explains various actuators used in industrial automation. You will learn about their basic principles of operation and their applications in industries.

Chapter 4, Overview of AC and DC Motors, deals with electric motors, such as AC motors, DC motors, servo motors, and stepper motors, used in industrial automation. Electric motors play a big role in industries. Therefore, it is necessary for automation engineers to have good knowledge of them.

Chapter 5, Introduction to Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), focuses on the basic practical use of VFD to control the speed and direction of an induction motor. Induction motors are the most widely used electric motors in manufacturing industries and there is always a need to vary their speed and direction to suit various applications.

Chapter 6, Drawing Schematic/Wiring Diagrams Using CAD Software, shows how to use CAD software (PCSCHEMATIC automation software) to draw schematic/wiring diagrams relating to industrial automation. You will learn how to create a control system drawing using the software.

Chapter 7, Understanding PLC Hardware and Wiring, focuses on the hardware aspect of PLCs. You will gain fundamental knowledge of PLCs and learn how to wire sensors and actuators.

Chapter 8, Understanding PLC Software and Programming with TIA Portal, focuses on the software aspect of PLCs. You will learn the basic things you need to know to start programming PLCs with the most common PLC programming language (ladder diagram).

Chapter 9, Deep Dive into PLC Programming with TIA Portal, delves deeper into the software aspect of PLCs. You will learn more about PLC programming using the step-by-step guide provided.

Chapter 10, Understanding Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs), deals with HMIs and how to interface with PLCs to give commands to machines and also get feedback from the machines.

Chapter 11, Exploring Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA), focuses on SCADA systems. SCADA is an interesting and advanced aspect of industrial automation that’s widely used in oil and gas, manufacturing, and other industries for monitoring, control, and other functions in large plants where machines to be controlled or monitored are in remote locations.

Chapter 12, Process Control – Essentials, deals with the control of industrial processes. Process control is also an important area in industrial automation. You cannot have a quality product without control. This chapter explains process control and the various measurements and devices applicable to industrial process control. You will learn how to control temperature using a temperature controller. You will understand the wiring and programming of analog input of Siemens S7 1200 PLCs through a step by step guide.

Chapter 13, Industrial Network and Communication Protocols Fundamentals, explores the fundamentals of industrial networks. Industrial networks connect industrial automation and control devices. SCADA and other advanced controls rely on industrial networks. It is therefore necessary to learn what an industrial network is and the common protocols available. The chapter also explains the basics of wireless networks and what 5G really is.

Chapter 14, Exploring Smart Factory (Industry 4.0) with 5G, gives an overview of smart factories, which are the current trend in manufacturing and allow automated machines or equipment in the factory to be controlled and monitored from anywhere in the world via the internet. The chapter explains smart factories and the technologies that power them (IoT, AI, robotics, cloud computing, and so on) in a comprehensive way.

To get the most out of this book

This book is written to accommodate beginners or those who are new to the field of industrial automation, just as the book title Industrial Automation from Scratch implies. However, it will be advantageous for readers to have basic electrical knowledge and computer skills to be able to follow simple steps on a computer with the Windows operating system. Also, the book requires you to have a personal computer, which can either be a desktop or a laptop with the Windows operating system installed.

The following hardware is required to get your hands dirty with some of the practical exercises but is not a must:

• SIMATIC S7-1200 PLC (CPU 1211C AC/DC/RELAY)
• SIMATIC HMI (KTP 400)
• Power supply unit (220V AC - 24V DC)
• RTD temperature transmitter for Pt100
• RTD temperature sensor (Pt100)
• 500 Ohm resistor
• Heater
• Circuit breaker
• Ethernet cable to connect between the PLC or HMI and PC
• Normally open (NO) and normally closed (NC) push buttons (two or more each)
• Pilot lamps, contactors, wires, and so on

Simulation is available to enable you to get a feel of the hands-on practical exercises even if the above-stated devices and materials are not available. The software required for practicing and also for simulation can be downloaded for free (trial version) or purchase the full version with no restrictions from the manufacturer.. Links to download the trial version of the software are provided in the chapters.

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://packt.link/WUaf3.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “Select System info from the Administration panel.”

Tips or Important Notes

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