Industrial Automation Knowledge
Industrial automation is the control layer that makes machines and production lines accurate, repeatable, and safe. It starts with electrical fundamentals—voltage, current, resistance, power, and 24 VDC control power—and grows into PLC logic, servo systems, robots, vision, and industrial networks such as EtherCAT. MINATA's hub builds that path from first principles, with examples that stay close to the machine cabinet and the production floor.
The first notes focus on foundations that every automation engineer should be able to apply: reading voltage and current in context, using Ohm's law, estimating electrical load, and selecting a control power supply with sensible margin. These are small decisions, but they determine whether a PLC, sensor, valve, or drive remains stable when the machine is commissioned.
As the series grows, the hub will cover PLC programming, motion control, industrial robots, camera vision, industrial PCs, and AGV/AMR integration. Topics that sit at the boundary with machine design remain linked to the Mechanical Design hub, so readers can follow the complete chain from actuator selection to safe control logic.
- Device Selection #24: LED Lights, Safety Guards and Emergency Stops by Machine Risk
- Device Selection #23: Plate and Frame Material — Aluminum, Steel or Engineering Plastic
- Device Selection #22: Casters, Adjusters or Leveling Feet for a Machine
- Device Selection #21: Aluminum Extrusion — Series 20, 30, 40 or 50 by Load
- Device Selection #20: Vacuum Cups — Pads by Workpiece Surface and Weight
- Device Selection #19: FRL Air Preparation — By Flow and Cleanliness
- Device Selection #18: Air Cylinders — Bore and Mounting by Force and Stroke
- Device Selection #17: 2, 3 or 5-Port Solenoid Valve — Choosing by Circuit and Safe State
- Device Selection #16: Toggle Clamp, Air Clamp or Screw Clamp — Choosing by Force, Cycle and Handling
- Device Selection #15: Pin-and-Hole, Support Face or Jig — Choosing by Datum and Loadability
- Device Selection #14: Ball, Cylindrical Roller or Tapered Roller Bearing — Choosing by Radial and Axial Load
- Device Selection #13: LM Ball Rail, Linear Bushing or Roller Guide — Choosing by Moment Load and Environment
- Device Selection #12: Brakes and Clutches — Choosing by Load Holding and Power-Loss Safety
- Device Selection #11: Flexible, Bellows, Oldham or Rigid Coupling — Choosing by Misalignment and Backlash
- Device Selection #10: Pneumatic, Electric or Hydraulic Actuator — Choosing by Force and Control
- Device Selection #09: Servo, Stepper or Induction Motor — Choosing by Motion and Feedback Level
- Device Selection #08: Distance/Dimension Measurement — Laser, Analog Ultrasonic or LVDT?
- Device Selection #07: Pressure/Vacuum Sensors — Choosing by Range and Output Type
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