PLC Programming of a Process Island

Johan Pankratz

In this experiment, students will gain initial experience working with industrial automation technology. Process Island I of the µPlant model factory will be used as the platform for conducting the experiment. The goal of the experiment is to familiarize students with the PLC itself and its programming. In addition, control engineering aspects will be explored in greater depth by implementing a control task. The context of industrial applications will also be taken into account, which is why the approach is modeled after standard engineering processes.

The experiment begins with a partially completed PLC program and an introduction to PLC programming based on the lab manual. Using the provided program as a starting point, students will familiarize themselves with the material through independent study, during which they can test the implemented functions using a simulation. During the lab session, the implementations completed so far are first discussed, and—under the guidance of the lab instructor—a level controller and a mixing process are implemented. Following this, the program is to be tested on Process Island I.

• Basic Knowledge of Control Engineering

• Important Note: This experiment may only be taken by students who have not already completed it as part of another lab.

You and your team are part of the development department at a provider of automation solutions, and you’ve been assigned the task of taking over work on a client project that’s already underway. The project involves the development, implementation, and commissioning of the automation for a subsystem of a soft drink production line. Since you are taking over the project midway through its execution, some tasks have already been completed and an initial solution is available.

The internship is divided into three steps. The first step is carried out as independent work and involves familiarizing yourself with the project scope, the software used, and the base program. In addition, the first parts of the assignment are solved and documented. The second part takes place in the Measurement and Control Engineering department’s laboratory and involves completing and commissioning the entire system. First, however, the tasks from the familiarization phase are discussed together and evaluated by the supervisor. (A verbal pre-test must be passed at the beginning of the experiment.) After the system has been successfully commissioned, the final part of the practicum is the preparation of a practicum report.

The lab report, together with the tasks from the introductory phase and the evaluation of the work on the actual system, forms the basis for grading the lab.

• Independent study at home (approx. 15 hours)
• Guided development of the overall solution and implementation on a real system in the lab (approx. 3.5 hours)
• Follow-up work by writing a lab report

• Lab Manual
• TwinCat3 Software
• PLC internship program that must be completed
• Term Paper: Introductory Examples for Independent Learning of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Programming (with program)
• User Manual for Process Island I
• PC running Windows 11

• Preliminary Report, Internship Report, Program

If you are interested or have further questions, please contact Mr. Pankratz at johann.pankratz@mrt.uni-kassel.de