Auntie CeCe's Automation Course: What Is Automation? | Lesson 1

Lesson 1 of 13 in Auntie CeCe's Automation Course, Part 1 (electrical foundations). We start from the very beginning: what automation is, open loop vs closed loop control, the four blocks of a control loop, discrete, process and motion automation, the automation pyramid from field devices to ERP, the PLC (Allen-Bradley with Studio 5000 is our platform), how relay panels became PLCs, an automated CNC machining cell with a robot, a cycle-time worked example, and why safety comes first on machines that can start by themselves. In this lesson: Welcome to Automation; Open Loop and Closed Loop; The Four Blocks of a Loop; Discrete, Process and Motion; The Automation Pyramid; Meet the PLC; From Relays to PLCs; An Automated Machining Cell; Sense, Decide, Act in the Cell; Why Automate?; Worked Example: Cycle Time; Safety Comes First; Auntie's Recap. Course path: Part 1, electrical foundations: 1 What is automation? · 2 Electrical safety and lockout · 3 Control circuits: relays, contactors and the seal-in · 4 Motors and motor starters · 5 Sensors and field devices · 6 Pneumatics and hydraulics Part 2, PLCs and the connected machine: 7 Inside a PLC: hardware and Studio 5000 · 8 Ladder logic in Studio 5000 · 9 Timers, counters and sequences · 10 Analog signals and PID control · 11 Drives and motion: VFDs, servos and machine-tool electricals · 12 Networks, HMIs and troubleshooting · 13 Safety-rated controls and the robot cell Built for technicians and trades people coming from Auntie CeCe's Modern Workshop Technology Course, with Allen-Bradley Logix 5000 controllers and Studio 5000 as the main example. Software screens are simplified drawings, not real screenshots. There's a 3-question quiz at the end (pause and work it out), then the answers and the course path. This course is general education. Electrical work must be done only by qualified people. Follow NFPA 70E, OSHA lockout rules, the equipment manuals and your plant's procedures for any real work. #Automation #AuntieCeCe #PLC #IndustrialAutomation