Automation Technology for Food Processing and Manufacture :: Industrial Manufacturing Technological Essays

Automation Technology for Food Processing and Manufacture Industrial manufacturing technology is constantly ever-changing. In the 1700s, we first really saw the imagination of specialization of labor in which an individual specialized in one aspect of an items achievement. With the Industrial Revolution the 1800s, people began using machines to do their work for them. by means of the 1900s to today, we are seeing electronics induct even more sophisticated machines possible. It seems with each new step of technology, industry is becoming more and more automated, completely changing the role people play in production. The average worker is nearly extinct, having been replaced by engineers, technicians, and the machines originally created to make their jobs easier. Automation technology is used in either large scale production industry. I chose to learn about automation technology with regards to food processing in particular because it is a field I am familiar wit h, and it ordain continue to exist and evolve as long as people and animals need to eat. Overview Large scale food production is more involved than one may think. The following are illustrations of a generalized food processing plant, such as one used to make cereal Food Process Packaging Process These processes are automated using technology created by companies such as Rockwell, Siemens, and Texas Instruments. For the sake of example, I will talk about Rockwell, because it tends to be the leader in the industry. The Technology PLCs (Programmable Logic Controls)- actual sensor inputs are called tags . speed sensors . counters . thermocouples . photo sensors . scales . density sensors . on/ move out switches . anything that can measure the change of the state of something - each sensor is connected by hardwire to the PLC - PLCs are connected by Ethernet to a central hub, making selective information available to all stations on the network - form elaborate logic trees - offers near infinite flexibility