Automation

How it is used

A broad word used by engineers, managers and suppliers. You talk about industrial, factory, process and warehouse automation, an automation project, an automation engineer or the level of automation. The verb is automate: 'we automated the packing line'.

Example sentences

1. Automation cut our labor costs, but we still need operators to load the parts.

2. The customer wants a quote for the automation of the whole end-of-line packaging area.

Common collocations

• industrial automation
• factory automation
• automation project
• automation engineer
• level of automation

Related terms

• industrial robotA programmable machine, usually an arm with several axes, that does production tasks such as welding, painting, handling or assembly on its own and with high repeatability.
• PLCShort for programmable logic controller: a rugged industrial computer that reads inputs from sensors and switches, runs a control program and drives outputs such as motors, valves and lamps.
• production lineA series of machines, stations and workers arranged in order, where a product moves from one step to the next until it is finished.
• Industry 4.0The idea of a connected, data-driven factory where machines, sensors and software share information through networks and the cloud to make production smarter and more flexible.
• SCADAShort for supervisory control and data acquisition: software that collects data from PLCs and devices across a plant, shows it on screens and lets operators monitor and control the process.

More terms: Industrial Automation and Production

• cycle time
• conveyor
• robot cell
• fixture
• fieldbus
• commissioning
• throughput