if the equipment that’s coming in is “new” then the following probably won’t apply ... but I’ll post it just for general information ...
background: I had already done quite of PLC training for a good customer of mine - who then asked for a hands-on training class for his existing Indramat system ... I spent about a week going through his system and then I put together a list of needed parts for the student exercises ... it turned out that all of the equipment on this particular Indramat line is obsolete - and the spare parts we needed for the training aren’t available at ANY cost ...
but I did learn THIS much - which might (or might not) be of interest to you ...
in the Indramat system that I looked at, the MAIN controller (the “brains” behind making the system work) was the CPUB ... this turned out to be more of a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) type unit which actually moved the milling heads, boring tools, etc. around to grind and machine the parts ... most people called the CPUB the “white box” ...
in this particular system, the “PLC” part was another module mounted in the same chassis with the CPUB ... the PLC was primarily used to control the movement of parts into and out of the machining stations ... in other words, the PLC just basically controlled the conveyor system ... the CPUB did the real “machining center” control work ...
now I’m not sure whether your system is anything at all like the extremely old system that I examined, but if it is, you’ll probably do well to keep this “chain of command” issue in mind as you move forward ... specifically, if you concentrate only on JUST the “PLC” then you’re not going to have a good time ... somewhere along the line (probably sooner rather than later) the CPUB unit is going to enter the picture ...
biggest issue: management people not totally familiar with how the system works will vaguely refer to the “PLC” as if it’s the “thing” which is doing all of the control ... just keep in mind that the “PLC” is only the tip of the iceberg ... the CPUB “white box” is where the real challenge is likely to lie ...
survival tip: consider the PLC to be a “co-processor” unit which helps the CPUB “master unit” get the control job done ... that “short story” outlook is pretty close to reality ...
once again, the disclaimer: the system that I examined was extremely outdated and obsolete ... what I’ve written here might have little (or NO) relevance to the system that you’re talking about ...
and incidentally,
this thread might be useful just for general “background” information ... I never was able to get ANY of the parts that I needed to build the training course ... the system in question was just too old and out of date ...