Industrial Power Group is one of the leading research group in National Institute of Technology, Calicut. The main objective of the group is to develop new technologies in the field of Industrial Power and Automation and equip engineers with them. It is an interdisciplinary group with faculty, students, Research scholars and working professionals from different departments of NIT Calicut. Automati
on or automatic control, is the use of various control systems for operating equipment such as machinery, processes in factories, boilers and heat treating ovens, switching in telephone networks, steering and stabilization of ships, aircraft and other applications with minimal or reduced human intervention. The biggest benefit of automation is that it saves labor, however, it is also used to save energy and materials and to improve quality, accuracy and precision. Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes and ships typically use all these combined techniques. Industrial automation deals primarily with the automation of manufacturing, quality control and material handling processes. General purpose controllers for industrial processes include Programmable logic controllers and computers. Energy efficiency in industrial processes has become a higher priority. Semiconductor companies are offering 8-bit micro-controller applications for example found in motor controls, general purpose pumps, fans, and ebikes to reduce energy consumption and thus increase efficiency. Upon considering the future demand, Department of Electrical Engineering at National Institute of Technology, Calicut has started a Master's course on Industrial Power And Automation ( IPA ), previously known as Computer Controlled Industrial Power ( CCIP ), which provides sufficient theoretical and field experience on the above systems to the electrical engineers. Various research activities and consultancy projects are also under taken by the Industrial Power and Automation group
