University Project

Hello all. I am completely unfamiliar with plc's and I need help choosing one. I'm doing a project with an aerospace company and they want to create a new automated alodine line (basically a coating process for aluminum). Basically the parts are loaded into a basket and dipped through 7 tanks. I have chosen an overhead hoist running along a beam to move the parts.
There will be many different sets of dipping timings (lets say 20) that will need to be chosen depending on the part. also the actual dip time will need to be logged and stored, probably in a database.
Can someone help me pick a plc that will do this, and possibly an approximate price?

Based on your description the logic involved in controlling the line is fairly simple. Given that, just about any product marketed as a PLC or PAC has sufficient memory and functionality to handle. Your brand selection can be based on what's already in place at the facility, what the operating and maintenance people are comfortable with, and who provides the best local support.

One thing you've neglected is to get a count of the I/O required. Getting an accurate count will help you decide on a model that will fit your needs.

Also remember that PLCs generally don't have a lot of memory available for logging production data over long periods of time. You'll need a SCADA or HMI application running externally to the PLC to handle that. Something that can gather the data from the PLC and save it in a format that's accessible to the people who need to to use it.