From the course: Introduction to PLC and Industrial Automation

Industrial automation levels - Ladder Logic Tutorial

From the course: Introduction to PLC and Industrial Automation

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Industrial automation levels

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- [Instructor] The components in industrial automation systems are classified into three main levels, field level, control level, management and information level. The field level includes mainly sensors and devices used literally on the field, like the factory floor. Sensors within the industrial field level check whether parts are present or absent, the size of the part, and whether or not the product is full, empty, good, or defective. You can see on the screen different types of sensors used in industrial automation. The second level is control and communication. This level will control the flow of data from the field level to the management level according to a certain logic or program. This level is where you're going to see the different type of controllers. Literally, the devices used to control the process. The third level is management level. The management level includes different types of software application programs to process, control and gather data in real time from local or remote locations. An example is a SCADA software. SCADA software helps connect field devices, controllers and equipment to facilitate the process of having real-time data monitoring. Here's an example of having the different levels in an industrial process. That includes sensors, a PLC controller and SCADA software. Now, when you are watching a documentary about factory automation, you see how your favorite product like a cell phone gets made, but you might wonder how the robot's movements are orchestrated. Well, one way is using PLC controllers.

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