need help setting up a jar filling machine...HELP!!

[dp346]

need help setting up a jar filling machine...HELP!!

i need help creating a logic control that can process this requirement. I have extremely little knowledge of this and need help with it, please!!

 

[mendonsy]

You are going to have to provide a whole lot more specific information than that to get any realistic answers.
1. What type of jar?
2. What are you filling it with?
3. Processing speed?
4. Type of controller?
5. Machine mechanics?
That's just to get you started in the right direction!

 

[Firejo]

Uhm... what requirement? Is this a homework assignment?

 

[ASF]

Looks like you're in the market for a MagicBox MB-003!

 

[califflash]

That's awesome ASF. I'm saving that one

 

[ASF]

Personally I'm more of a fan of the chicken plucking version than the moving-stuff-from-there-to-here version, but horses for courses as they say.

 

[Easy91]

That's a good one ASF

 

[willxfmr]

Making a program from scratch

Originally posted by Pete.S.

There are different methods. You need to organize your work and you need to organize your program.

RESEARCH
My basic approach is to find out everything there is to know about the process / machine before I even write one line of code. I do research and I do most of it in the field, not in the office. I can spend a lot of time on this because I know this is what could ruin the entire project otherwise. Rockie programmers don't do this enough IMHO.

If I get handed a program specification then I know I have a lot of work ahead of me trying to figure out what they really need and what they didn't think of when they wrote the specification.

SOLVE PROBLEMS / PROTOTYPING
Then I identify any potential problem areas. Things that I am not sure about or haven't done before. I start by testing things and doing small prototype programs just working on these specific things. So basically I start with what I anticipate being the hardest things to accomplish. Starting with details is called bottom-up design, but I do it only for "unknowns".

PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Then it's time to find an overall structure for the program. This is called top-down design. Basically I structure my program after logical section of a process or machine. I don't structure it after what the programming is going to do.

So everything that has to do with one part of a system is together in one place. All data and all functions and processing related to that logical section. This is called encapsulation and is a fundamental principle of object-oriented programming. PLC's don't have an object-oriented programming language but you can use the principles anyway.

ELECTRICAL / MECHANICAL / SAFETY ISSUES
Then I start to by going through all I/O and look at the electrical schematics and pneumatics. Maybe something has to be changed. I think about safety functions as well in this stage. And where all sensors are to be placed. Mechanical drawings as well.

PROGRAMMING AND TESTING, PROGRAMMING AND TESTING, PROGRAMMING...
Then I to program making decisions along the way to find a good solution for each problem. Not just one solution, but the solution that will work best considering what the system is and how it can be implemented as well as a number of different considerations. While programming I also test it and I think about how to test the program while I do it. Testing that can be done on a machine or process in the field I'll start with as soon as I've done something worthwhile testing.

KEEPING EVERYBODY UPDATED
As the project is coming along I keep my clients updated and discuss solutions and problems if they are of interest to them. Any technical/process/machine question I prefer to discuss directly with the people that knows the most about it.

Sorry about the long rant guys!
__________________
“Now will come the nay-sayers with all the reasons why you shouldn't do this. Some of them are teachers, and some of us are doers. Besides, you have got to let the smoke out of this equipment every now and then, or it starts to clog up the chimney.”
~Lancie1

 

[Diameter157]

Nice post by Pete there, definitely saving it for future use.

dp346, if it's a school project do as is said in the post above, depending on the assignment it may not include many details like what if a sensor is malfunctioning.

So you may need to add a timer for 1 minute or so if the conveyor is on and no jars are coming, then you need to generate an error and things like that.

Google the assignment and you will find something similar like this: https://sites.google.com/site/finalyearproject2013/automatic-bottle-filling-system-using-plc

This is a google link to what kind of words you should search for.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bottle+filling+plc+program

 

[shooter]

if yar present AND yar not full then start filling
if yar full stop filling, delay 1 sec. move yar
loop.