Analysis of the current development status and prospects of the automation industry
1. Innovation in electrical automation products
Electrical automation manufacturing enterprises can continuously enhance their original innovation capability, integrated innovation capability, and the capability of introducing, digesting, absorbing, and re-innovating under open conditions, in accordance with the goals and tasks proposed in the National Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan. By further increasing the technological content of their products, developing and producing better electrical automation control systems and products with independent intellectual property rights, and intensifying efforts in independent innovation, they provide more and greater space for development. Establishing the dominant position of enterprises in technological innovation, improving institutional mechanisms and policy environment, and accelerating the implementation of national major science and technology projects are crucial. Currently, China has formed a market pattern where domestic enterprises dominate the production of medium and low-end products, and domestic products are preferred for small and medium-sized projects. Electrical automation manufacturing enterprises should strive to create a new situation of scientific development, persist in improving their independent innovation capability, accelerate the transformation of economic growth mode, and continuously enhance their independent innovation capability.
2. Unification of electrical automation system platforms
The unification of the electrical automation system platform can support various stages and aspects of an automation project cycle, including design, implementation and testing, debugging and startup, operation, and maintenance. This can significantly reduce the time and cost from design to completion. The unified system development platform can also meet another important requirement of users, that is, the development platform should be compatible with the final operation platform. Depending on the project characteristics and end-user requirements, the unified operation code can be downloaded to hardware PLCs, Windows NT-based software PLCs, embedded NNT systems, or Windows CE-based control systems.
3. Generalization of electrical automation system structure
The generalization of the electrical automation system structure is crucial for a successful electrical automation control system. The network structure of the entire enterprise should ensure unimpeded data communication between on-site control equipment, computer supervision systems, and enterprise management systems. Enterprise management can conduct real-time supervision of on-site equipment through the Internet/Intranet. When planning the system network, regardless of whether the chosen communication is through a field bus with on-site equipment or through Ethernet with superior computers or office systems, the selected network products must be able to ensure communication within the entire system range, from the office automation environment to the control level and down to the component level.
4. Standardization of program interfaces for electrical automation systems
Based on Microsoft's standards and technologies, such as Windows XP, OPC, and ActiveX, engineering time and costs are reduced, facilitating data exchange and sharing between electrical automation systems and office systems. When connecting with the enterprise's MES system and ERP system, an automation solution based on the PC platform is crucial. Using Windows XP as the operating system and TCP/IP as the communication standard in the office environment, PCs can establish an optimal interface between the automatic control and management platforms. The standardized program interface also ensures data exchange between software and hardware products from different manufacturers, effectively resolving communication barriers between them.
5. Marketization of the electrical automation industry
When enterprises are actively promoting the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, adhering to the deepening of institutional reforms, and accelerating the formation of institutional mechanisms to implement the scientific development concept, they must pay special attention to the formation of industrial marketization. This requires electrical automation enterprises to focus on strengthening their own key technology development and system integration, while driving the marketization of supporting and component production through market-oriented outsourcing division of labor and socialized collaboration. They should systematically research and develop key common manufacturing technologies required for major technical equipment, gradually increasing the proportion of self-manufacturing of equipment. Industrial marketization is necessary for industrial development and is conducive to improving the efficiency of resource allocation.
6. Safety-oriented electrical automation production
Chinese electrical automation enterprises should recognize the general trend of multi-system integration and integration in the security industry technology. Emphasis should be placed on the integration of safety control systems and non-safety control systems. One of the issues we should consider at present is to enable customers to implement their own safety solutions based on existing non-safety control systems with lower development and design costs. Electrical automation safety systems and products will become a highlight in the future automation field. In view of the characteristics of the Chinese market, we should gradually explore the market. We can start with application areas that require the highest level of safety, and gradually expand to other situations with lower hazard levels. The application of electrical automation system safety solutions should follow the route from factory equipment layer to network layer, from hardware to software, and from safety unit to safety system. Efforts should be made to carry out research on the design of electrical automation safety prevention systems, especially in the field of building intelligent integrated systems.
