ABSTRACT
As the global marketplace demands higher quality goods and lower costs, factory floor automation has been changing from separate machines with simple hardware-based controls, if any, to an integrated manufacturing enterprise with linked and sophisticated control and data systems. For many organizations the transformation has been gradual, starting with the introduction of programmable logic controllers and personal computers to machines and processes. However, for others the change has been rapid and is still accelerating. This chapter discusses the current state of control and data systems that make up manufacturing automation.
