Electronic Systems Group

Please post any ideas you might have for an advanced automation project as a Reply to this Topic. If you have any links to similar products/projects feel free to post them. Add as much description as possible. Other students should feel free to add comments about either their own or other students' ideas. Be nice, no sarcasm.

Your project must include PLC (Allen-Bradley MIcro 820) control and motor speed control (VFD).

I'll start - an industrial pumping system moving a liquid from one vat to another utilizing variable speed motors to drive pump(s). Various parameters can be measured along the process (pressure, levels, temperature).

How about building a D.C. Generator (A.C. motor driven) that has speed sensing, voltage control and load sensing capabilities? It could be belt driven with an adjustable increaser/decreaser or directly driven. We could also build a dyno out of a break disc and a scale to determine actual torque of a separate D.C. Motor used as a load source.

Maybe something like an automatic rice cooker. It could measure the water, bring it to temp, add correct amount of rice from a hopper, cook for correct amount of time, and signal when complete?

I have an idea on how to make our project use pneumatics. I apologize for the terrible drawing.

My thought is that a customer selects a certain amount of items, say they can pick 5. They can do 5 of the same thing or any combination of 5 items.

There will be cylinders full of different items. We can use gravity to fill a measured amount in the board under the cylinder. We can use air to push the board forward. This will seal the cylinder and allow a certain amount to fall into a hopper where all five servings will mix before dispensing. I thought a razor or knife could go on the back of the hole to cut any product that might otherwise get wedged in there. We could install an auger system in the tube to stir product preventing jamming. See attached photo for an image of what I think will work.

Please feel free to add to this idea or let me know if something won't work.

Hello all,

Here is a link to the Youtube video that i think would be helpful for ideas on our project. I am fairly certain that this is the machine that i originally found. Hope this link works and helps us with a visual of what we may be working towards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-CaGUQ9lkw

Thanks
Todd Banaitis