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 most important technologies in modern manufacturing in the 20th century, industrial automation technology mainly solves the problem of production efficiency and consistency. Whether high speed manufacturing enterprises or the pursuit of flexible, flexible and customized enterprises, all must rely on the application of automation technology. The automation system itself does not directly create benefits, but it plays an obvious 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 raw material and energy consumption of the production process.

According to statistics from the authoritative international advisory body, the output ratio between the input and the enterprise efficiency of the automation system is about 1:4 to 1:6. Especially in capital-intensive enterprises, automation system accounts for less than 10% of total investment in equipment, which ACTS as "four or two funds". 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 following JiDeShi pneumatic instrument control system, electric unit modular simulation instrument control system, centralized digital control system and the development of DCS collecting and distributing type control system.

With the development of technology such as control technology, computer, communication and network, the field of information interaction is rapidly covering from the site equipment layer to control and management of the factory. Industrial control machine system generally refers to industrial production process and its electrical and mechanical equipment, process equipment for measurement and control automation technology tools (including automatic measuring instrument, control device). Today, the simplest understanding of automation has been transformed into: using a broad machine (including computers) to partially replace or completely replace or exceed human strength.