Industrial automation technology is a kind of control theory, instruments and meters, computer and other information technology, realize detection, control and optimize the process of industrial production, scheduling, management and decision-making, to increase production, improve quality, reduce costs, ensure safety comprehensive high technology, including industrial automation software, hardware and system three parts.
As one of the important technologies in the field of modern manufacturing in the 20th century, industrial automation technology mainly solves the problem of production efficiency and consistency.
Both high-speed mass manufacturing enterprises and enterprises pursuing flexibility, flexibility and customization must rely on the application of automation technology.
The automation system itself does not directly create benefits, but it plays a significant role in improving the production process of enterprises:

(1) improve the safety of the production process;

(2) improve production efficiency;

(3) improve product quality;

(4) Reduce the loss of raw materials and energy in the production process.

According to the statistics of authoritative international consulting agencies, the output ratio of automation system input and enterprise benefit is between 1:4 and 1:6.
Especially in capital-intensive enterprises, automation system accounts for less than 10% of the total investment in equipment, and plays the role of "four two dials a thousand gold".
Traditional industrial automation system is electromechanical integration system is mainly for equipment and production process control, namely by the mechanical noumenon, power parts, testing sensor, actuator, driving part, control and signal processing unit, interface elements such as hardware, the software program flow of information and electronic circuit logic is the purpose of guidance, coordination and integration, organic fusion, form orderly rules of movement of matter and energy, thus constituting industrial automation system or product.

In the field of industrial automation, the traditional control system has experienced the development of ground type pneumatic instrument control system, electric unit combined analog instrument control system, centralized digital control system and distributed control system DCS.

With the development of control technology, computer, communication, network and other technologies, the field of information exchange and communication is rapidly covering from the plant's field equipment layer to control, management and all levels.
Industrial control machine system is generally refers to the industrial production process and its mechanical and electrical equipment, process equipment for measurement and control of automation technology tools (including automatic measuring instruments, control devices).

Today, the simple understanding of automation has also changed to the partial or complete replacement or transcendence of human physical force by generalized machines (including computers).

Allen Bradley	Siemens	Triconex
1756-OW16I	6ES7331-1KF02-0AB0	3503E
1749-IE12	6ES7331-7SF00-0AB0	3625
1794-OE12	6EP1961-3BA21	4351B
1747-L531	6DD1842-0AA0	3604E
1756-DNB	6DD1688-0AE2	3721
1756-OF8	6DD1688-0AD0	3700A
1746-NI16I	6DD1600-0AJ0	4329
1746-IB16	6DD1662-0AC0	3008
1746-IB32	6DD1611-0AF0	4119A