What's your dream lab?

[David_Emmerich]

Burp!!!

 

[Caveman]

I gave Mr. Rizzo at WK a 480v freq drive and Omron PLC for learning.

Well anyway David, with O.T. and taking care of this 100+ acre farm,
and single income. there is not any time for this; but I did put an
alarm on my garden. Three motion and Two infared sensors. Micrologix
1000 and Quick Panel Jr.

Dr. Hockey, If you will be using MotoMan or Panisonic Manipulators/
robots, we at JCI may have a few used ones for sale.

 

[David_Emmerich]

Up to the top again.

David

 

[drewcrew6]

slc 500 line is quick and realativly easy to learn. Cover all the basics there but have a few other types of plc's (whatever has a good marketshare in the area) to widen the horizon. Some students it will all make sense to. So have extra credit in doing the same job with another plc. Also touch base on robots and hmi's, Maybe a little theory on data collection, OEE, communications OPC, DDE ,485 ,232,etc just to show the endless possibilities. Analog and variable drives are always a plus along with HART devices.

If possible early in the class arrange a fieldtrip to a plant facility(preferably a decently clean facility not a smelter operation) to show them what it is all about in the field. Nothing like a 400 horse motor controlled by a little plc to show them the power of it all, although its not the power of what your controlling but the power of the instructions that will intrigue them later on. But it will add something kids can relate to early on.

Drewcrew6

 

[TimWilborne]

I have helped a college start a controls curriculum.

The 1st thing is what automation companies have representative in the area. You ask why. One, though not the most important, they are likely to donate equipment. Not equipment that you would have to purchase but perhap demos that could be replace on a more frequent basis. This way you stay up to date. But mainly, these are the products that your local companies are probably going to be using. They will want to hire students that are knowledgable in these products. And if companies are hiring students that you have trained to use vendors product, the vendor will be even more willing to donate products.

And the loop continues. No you are not going to get the products for free, but you are going to get a lot more for your money

 

[Dr. Hockey]

Well, it appears this thread has run out of steam, so I'll share my vision now. I am planning first to have 10 stations (20 student capacity) for both robotics and PLCs. I believe I am going to use the AB Micro 1100 because it gives me the flexibility and "room to grow" that I need plus it has the built-in ethernet. Each station will also contain a small, industrial, 6-axis robot, probably a Mitsubishi (but maybe a Fanuc) and a gamut of I/O devices and widgets to move around. There will be other robots throughout the lab, some of which will tend machines or perform assembly operations in the new CIM cell.

The CIM cell will be built with Intelitek hardware and designed to allow lots of different projects. This cell will become the platform for a new capstone course, which will be open to our Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences majors, as well and majors from engineering, physics, computer science, and business. In this new course, students will come up with a product which can be manufactured in the cell; they will form a Board of Directors and delegate responsibilities among themselves as both directors and workers; they will fund their company with their own money (like they're buying shares of stock); they will market the prodcut to the community and take orders; they will build the product JIT (the cell sits idle until orders are sent via the ERP software); and finally, they will divide the profits among themselves in proportion to their initial contribution.