Six Principles of Automation

摘要

We hear a lot about outsourcing to less developed nations because of their lower labor costs, but we can compete! The science of automation is one of those emerging technologies that can make us more competitive. However, the benefits will be derived only if certain cardinal principles are observed. This column outlines, briefly, six of those principles: superiority, simplicity, flexibility, compatibility, manufacturability, and reliability. Two truisms are becoming increasingly apparent in industry; technology is rapidly advancing leading to more complex products. Second, more and more nations await this technology advance, resulting in competition requiring an increasing focus on product cost and quality. In a model developed for PCB fabrication, a new, important variable, Complexity Factor (C) [1], has been increasing steadily since the 1960s at an order oj magnitude every eight to ten years.