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14.Make a plan of the text. Name each passage.
15.Make a list of keywords.
16.Compose a short summary of the text according to the plan you have made. Use the following useful phrases:
The heading of the text is.
The bulk of the material is devoted to. The text runs/comments on.
The text goes on to say that.
In conclusion it should be said that.
Unit XI
Automation
Automation is the system of manufacture performing certain tasks, previously done by people, by machines only. The sequences of operations are controlled automatically. The most familiar example of a highly automated system is an assembly plant for automobiles or other complex products.
The term automation is also used to describe non-manufacturing systems in which automatic devices can operate independently of human control. Such devices as automatic pilots, automatic telephone equipment and automated control systems are used to perform various operations much faster and better than could be done by people.
Automated manufacturing had several steps in its development. Mechanization was the first step necessary in the development of automation. The simplification of work made it possible to design and build machines that resembled the motions of the worker. These specialized machines were motorized and they had better production efficiency.
Industrial robots, originally designed only to perform simple tasks in environments dangerous to human workers, are now widely used to transfer, manipulate, and position both light and heavy workpieces performing all the functions of a transfer machine.
In the 1920s the automobile industry for the first time used an integrated system of production. This method of production was adopted by most car manufacturers and became known as Detroit automation.
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The feedback principle is used in all automatic-control mechanisms when machines have ability to correct themselves. The feedback principle has been used for centuries. An outstanding early example is the flyball governor, invented in 1788 by James Watt to control the speed of the steam engine. The common household thermostat is another example of a feedback device.
Using feedback devices, machines can start, stop, speed up, slow down, count, inspect, test, compare, and measure. These operations are commonly applied to a wide variety of production operations.
Computers have greatly facilitated the use of feedback in manufacturing processes. Computers gave rise to the development of numerically controlled machines. The motions of these machines are controlled by punched paper or magnetic tapes. In numerically controlled machining centers machine tools can perform several different machining operations.
Automation has also had an influence on the areas of the economy other than manufacturing. Small computers are used in systems called word processors, which are rapidly a standard part of the modern office. They are used to edit texts, to type letters and so on.
Automation in industry
Many industries are highly automated or use automation technology in some parts of their operation. In communication and especially in the telephone industry dialing and transmission are all done automatically.
Railways are also controlled by automatic signaling devices, which have sensors that detect carriages passing a particular point. In this way the movement and location of trains can be monitored.
Not all industries require the same degree of automation. Sales, agriculture, and some service industries are difficult to automate, though agriculture industry may become more mechanized, especially in the processing and packaging of foods.
The automation technology in manufacturing and assembly is widely used in car and other consumer product industries.
Nevertheless, each industry has its own concept of automation that answers its particular production needs.
Vocabulary:
flyball governor – центробежный регулятор sequence – последовательность
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assembly plant – сборочный завод nonmanufacturing – непроизводственный household thermostat – бытовой термостат to facilitate – способствовать
punched – перфорированный dimension – измерение, размеры
I. Answer the questions:
1.What does the term “automation” mean?
2.What automatic devices and equipment are described in this text? Give several examples.
3.What was the first step in the development of automation?
4.What were the first robots originally designed for?
5.What was the first industry to adopt the new integrated system of production?
6.What principle is used in all automatic-control mechanisms?
7.What actions can machines perform using this principle?
8.In what spheres of human activity is automation applied?
9.Is automation widely used in all industries?
10.Why is the application of automation different in various spheres of manufacturing?
II. Find the following words and word combinations in the text:
1.автоматические устройства
2.автоматизированное производство
3.выполнять простые задачи
4.как лѐгкие, так и тяжѐлые детали
5.интегрированная система производства
6.принцип обратной связи
7.механизм может разгоняться и тормозить
8.компьютер автоматически посылает команды
9.высокоавтоматизированная система
10.непроизводственная система
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III. Write out of the text all the terms defining automatic devices and mechanisms by completing the table:
Automatic devices |
Their functions |
Spheres |
of |
their |
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application |
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IV. Find some more examples of automatic equipment and add this information to your table. Consult a dictionary.
V. Write out of the text sentences describing the steps in the development of automated manufacturing. Make a scheme, a table or arrange them in a numerated list.
VI. Describe the principle of action of numerically controlled machines.
VII. Compose an essay explaining the role of computers in automation. Look for additional information in the Internet.
VIII. Comment on grammar patterns used in the text:
1)Write out of the text 5 examples of adjectives. Define their degrees of comparison.
2)Write out of the text adverbs and comment upon their usage.
3)Write out of the text one sentence in Present Simple tense. Put all possible questions to it.
4)Write out of the text one sentence in Past Simple tense. Put all possible questions to it.
5)Write out of the text one sentence in Present Perfect tense. Put all possible questions to it.
6)Write out of the text two sentences containing two different modal verbs.
7)Write out of the text 5 sentences in Passive voice. Define their tenses.
8)Write out of the text 3 sentences with the Infinitive. Define the function of the infinitive in each sentence.
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9)Write out of the text 3 sentences with Participle I. Define the function of the participle in each sentence.
10)Write out of the text 3 sentences with Participle II. Define the function of the participle in each sentence.
IX. Compose a plan of the text.
X. Write down the key idea of each part.
XI. Compose a summary using your plan.
Unit XII
Applications of automation and robotics in industry
Manufacturing is one of the most important application area for automation technology. There are several types of automation in manufacturing. The examples of automated systems used in manufacturing are described below.
1.Fixed automation, sometimes called “hard automation”, refers to automated machines in which the equipment configuration allows fixed sequence of processing operations. These machines are programmed by their design to make only certain processing operations. They are not easily changed over from one product style to another. This form of automation needs high initial investments and high production rates. That is why it is suitable for products that are made in large volumes. Examples of fixed automation are machining transfer lines found in the automobile industry, automatic assembly machines and certain chemical processes.
2.Programmable automation is a form of automation for producing products in large quantities, ranging from several dozen to several thousand units at a time. For each new product the production equipment must be reprogrammed and changed over. This reprogramming and changeover take a period of non-productive time. Production rates in programmable automation are generally lower than in fixed automation, because the equipment is designed to facilitate product changeover rather than for product specialization. A numerical-control machine-tool is a good example