At its simplest, automation means to make something automatic. In manufacturing, whether describing a single device or an entire system or process, automation refers to performing one or many tasks autonomously with minimal or even no human interaction in a manufacturing or production environment.
“In most situations, automation allows manufacturers to produce goods faster, with higher quality, and at a lower cost than manual operations,” said David Dechow, principal vision systems architect for Integro Technologies. “Robots are just one component or ‘tool’ in the automation landscape. When correctly specified and implemented for a suitable task, robots enable automation in an important way by helping to make the automation system more flexible and reliable. Unlike ‘fixed’ automation that often must be designed to work in a very specific way, a robot can be programmed to work with a wide variety of parts and perform different tasks on command. When enabled with technologies like machine vision, robots can be even more autonomous, and may have the capability (for example) to locate objects that are randomly oriented, or if mobile, navigate motion through a factory environment without intervention.”