Wanting to do math on analog inputs

I've got an AB PLC5/40E and I will be using 14 Keyence lasers for continuous level measurement (wood products), thickness, side-to-side thickness variation, etc. Basically I want to do a lot of math on these analog inputs, and then make decisions based on the results and send out discrete outputs and info via HMI (Wonderware).

First, is it normal to do this type of math with the PLC5, or should I be doing it with an external PC, and then send the results to the PLC? If I need to use a PC, is there any freeware (or cheapware) out there that can take these analog inputs, allow me to program the math, and then send the results to the PLC, or HMI?

Sorry if this is basic stuff. I've programmed PLCs in the past, but I'm weak on networking.

Thanks!

The 5/40 is a fast enough processor to handle a LOT of math... Unless you are doing an exceptional number of strange calculations, I'd go ahead and do all the math you can inside the PLC. Couple of reasons:

1) It will always be tied to the I/O scan, so all values will be concurrent
2) The PLC is probably the end point of control
3) Things will continue to run through a reboot of the HMI.

Great - thanks for the speedy replY!