OT: Apprentice Project's

Have them add a sensor/station to a piece of equipment and modify the program.

Do you have any testing devices/fixtures that could be automated?

dYoast said:

Have them add a sensor/station to a piece of equipment and modify the program.

Do you have any testing devices/fixtures that could be automated?

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We have no current "Training Rig", which is why i have been trying to think of other projects...Things like a relay checker etc is to basic for a third year

nic00 said:

I'm wondering what type of projects distinguished members of this site set there apprentices to aid in the learning process. I'm trying to think of projects deviating from the generic traffic light programs but seem to be having a bit of a mental block

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When I was doing my HNC, the college had some really good training boards,and we used Mitsubishi/medoc - ok it was 12 years ago!!

the "Machine" had a conveyor, chute, pecs, px switches, solenoids,and a belt as well as a rejector. It had to assemble plastic discs onto metal spindles, reject incorrectly assembled items, store up to 4 discs in a chute etc. It made you use timers, counters, a shift register and made you debounce inputs.

Probably only a college can afford the kit though.

How about a "Real" problem - a machine that uses relay logic now and get the apprentice to work out the code to do it with a plc?

My introduction to plcs (well, I was in my 20s) was with a Mitsi F1 which had to be programmed with the hand held "Calculator" but at least I had a proper machine - which rolled and sized toffee for chewy sweets - to learn on.

nic00 said:

We have no current Training Rig, which is why i have been trying to think of other projects...Things like a relay checker etc is to basic for a third year

Click to expand...

What exactly do you have ?

S38B36 said:

What exactly do you have ?

Click to expand...

Well the current training rig needs "work" i.e Input/Output modules are being used in another application, The old training rig consisted of a few switches and some LED's to make up a formula one racing light scenairo....We have no solo apprentice projects as they usually "muck" in, Whereas solo projects can be a good learning step... I'd like to have a nice setup hence the reason for this OT thread as i was curious as per other peoples setups

Siemens S7 + plcsim in the equation ?

The available equipment would be either a CLX or a Logo as to my knowledge we do not use S7's...

How about a fake machine? Come up with some specifications that will fit in with the CLX or Logo.

For example, I have a 16 station dial. Part A is loaded at station 1 and sensed at station 2. Part B is loaded at station 5 and sensed at station 6. Good parts eject at station 15 and bad parts eject at station 16.

Use an input to disable/enable a load station. Use outputs to simulate the actual loading and unloading of the parts.

Now, have the apprentice write the program.

I don't know if this will fit in with your normal operation, but it is an idea.

Normal operation = Steel mill just for a heads up

I am in the middle of making my basic training rig and planning an advanced rig. We do web handling. What type of steel mill is it heavy iron or coiled steel? My basic rig is for a Drive control using either modbus rtu or analog & digital I/Os. The advanced will be a unwind rewind with 2~5 zones of tension or speed.

The basic rig has more darn fault switches than you can shake a stick at. A drive will be given a command from the PLC and then report it's status. I wanted terminals and wires that they have to wire up. I got over-ruled. My question is where do 90+% of you faults happen? In the field. So you need a way to simulate field wiring causing problems.

The advanced rig is really more for me to learn web handling. I plan on making it wired and ready to run. If it is ready I can turn this up and that down and see the effects of it. I hope to help not only me but others learn about what web handling.

Do your guys need to know PLC troubleshooting, wiring or both. If just wiring then make a wire rig. If both make them make something that could be used in the shop. Bearing heaters, bearing freezers, rotary tumblers, etc. etc.. Do your guys do mechanical work? That is just one more thing those guys can do.

I have found they learn more if you have them do an upgrade, find a small and old PLC that needs updated, that way they learn what the machine does, have to find out with guidance how the old program did the job, and now what is required to program an out of the box PLC, then afterwards they are left with a feel good that I did that.

We used to get the apprentices to build a battery charger from scrap laying around, wind the transformer figure out how to regulate the current, stack the selenium rectifier make sheet-metal box etc.
It was amazing the variety we got.
Roy

nic00 said:

I'm wondering what type of projects distinguished members of this site set there apprentices to aid in the learning process. I'm trying to think of projects deviating from the generic traffic light programs but seem to be having a bit of a mental block

Click to expand...

OK you have said a steel mill - what does this mill do ie melt and then roll and what is rolled product? Ingot rolling or continuous pour roll?

It appears you are focusing on PLC - are you interested in VFD training also?

The generic answer for both is to have em do what is familiar to them. traffic lite is familiar to all. So is a home washing machine - would also let you have them do something with VFD.

steel mill stuff - cranes, rolling machines especially if back n forth multi pass, cut off saws (flying?)

There have been several posts on this question. Many more answers suggestions there. Do search on projects, simulators, teaching, etc etc

Dan Bentler

Our site does "Everything" apart from special alloys...Our plant does steel plate of different guages. Today we started with motor/encoder mounting which will eventually be wired up to the spare CLX we have for the test rig..