7 Terms Every Industrial Automation Engineer Must Know (Part 1)

Weather you are just starting out or you are an experienced industrial automation engineer, this post and subsequent posts will shed light on seven terms/devices used in the field of industrial automation.
1. Field devices
2. PLC
3. VFD
4. HMI
5. SCADA
6. DCS
7. Fieldbus

Try as much as possible to equip yourself with the practical skills required to use the above devices to automate industrial processes. There are more devices to learn. Don't stop learning.

Field devices can be refered to as sensors and actuators used in the field of industrial automation/instrumentation and control.
Sensors are basically input devices. They convert physical characteristics into electrical signal (digital or analog). Examples include limit switch, proximity sensors (capacitive, inductive & photoelectric), level transmitter, pressure transmitter etc.
Actuators are output devices. They convert electrical signal (digital or analog) into physical characteristics which can be in form of heat or motion. Examples include electric motor, heater, control valves etc.

Watch out for part 2 of this post where I will be discussing briefly on PLC.
You can visit www.showlight.com.ng/training.html to know about our hands on/practical training.