Indexing Table Advise

System: RS5000, CompactLogix L32E, PanelView +, Ver 15.

I have a index table (6 Positions). On the table, it has 2 cylinders and a vacuum for each position. Thats 18 outputs and 30 inputs. FYI, the table I/O is being triggered by 24VDC wireless.

At station 1 (load), the cylinders extend and the vacuum turns on to grab a bag. There are also prox switches to insure cylinder position and vacuum ok. The cylinders then retract and the table gets indexed.

For indexing, I give a go signal and it sends a signal when the table is moving and then in position.

Station 2 works the same as 1 except there is a laser that inspects the placement of the bag, if the bag is misaligned, the vacuum is turned off and the bag falls (Bad Part).

The cyclinders and extend and retract at each station, Station 3 is a bag fill, 4 is a bag fold and seal, 5 is another inspection and 6 is the unload where the bag is dropped onto a conveyor.

The first time station 1 would turn on cylinders and vacuuum 0,1 and 2 but the next time it would need to turn on outputs 3,4,5 and so forth as it indexes. It needs to turn on the cylinders and possible vacuum that is in front of it.

If station 2 dropped the bag (bad part), there is no reason to extend the cylinders at stations 3,4,5 and 6.

The solution???
Should I use bit shifts that index with each position.
I could use a CPS function.
I could set up counters and use indirect addressing.
Maybe some other block like a SQO?

Any opinions or programming practices would be appreciated.

Thanks and Merry Christmas.

Hopefully some of you have sobered up and now have time to look at this post I have most of the logic done except for the index table part. I remember years ago at GM, I did something similair on a PLC-3 but for the life of me can't remember exactly how I did it.

I would suggest using a bit shift instruction. (BSL in Rslogix 500; I assume 5000 has similar). The bits of the shift word will indicate whether a good part is in place at a particular station.

Trigger the bit shift when the table indexes. You will have to manually manipulate some of the bits as the machine runs. For example, when a bag is put into place at station 1, latch on bit 0 of the shift word. If station 2 detects a bad part and drops the bag, unlatch bit 1. Then set up your stations 3, 4, and 5 so that they only operate if their shift register bit is 1.

Rslogix5000 may have a more elegant way to do this but it sounds to me like a textbook bit-shift application.

Hope this helps.