RMA if your serious(Quote
Build a remote controlled turntable system with 250kg load capability,
and need some ideas we built one of these not long ago. Its not remote controlled but it could be very easily. I can explain how we built this one or can send AutoCad drawings.
Oh I'm serious all right - also about the fact that I personally probably won't be directly involved.
The bit about remote controlled possibly sounds more exotic than it is. The table is to support a High Power Microwave system during testing, so most of the control system (and operators!) must be kept at a safe distance connected to the table by VERY well shielded cable or preferably optical cable. My thought was that a small 300 series S7 (although a 200 or similar would probably be more than adequate, but the 314C2-DP is already lying around doing nothing), coupled via optical Profibus to the drive ought to do the job quite nicely. I assume that some of the modern drive electronics ought to be able to be coupled up to Profibus.
@DonsDaMan
From the above you can see that the ±1° isn't a problem - they only want to be sure that the're aiming at the target! It's purely a simple test bed, so for a change the requirements probably won't balloon out of control. Although I suspect the job could probably be done with a PC, I don't believe they have any good PC programmers available. By the time you buy the I/O for the PC I think the easier programmability (is there such a word?) of the PLC would make it the cheaper, as well as the more flexible, option.
@gbradley
Weber look interesting, I haven't had time to find my way around the Direct Industry site, do you know if they are also available in Germany?
Thanks for the help so far
and now back to the original post...
Although Tom is probably spot on in the usage, I see automation being more of a process-intensive area, where control is more of an equipment-intensive area. Controls guys do the detail work, while automation guys do the "big picture."
Funny that, is this another example of Americans and Brits divided by a common language? I would have seen that exactly the other way round.
In the Chemical Industry I was very much involved with the process and certainly in Germany Automation Engineers are automatically assumed to be involved with "Maschinenbau" or the building of automatic assembly equipment, particularly for the automobile industry.