PG Eng

Hi Russ, my business's facebook page is a public page so you do not need to have an account to view it. I also have a website, albeit just a domain reserved with a single page with some contact info and a link to the facebook page. Facebook is 100% free whereas to put the same content on my website could cost circa £120/year minimum. As I run my business in my spare time and work full time and to date have gotten work through word-of-mouth I am not too concerned that it may appear as the cheaper alternative. Also I find as time goes on more and more companies are not ashamed to have a "facebook presence". Regards, Patrick

Welcome to the forums Marwan. For my stainless steel panels, I use a hole-saw for small panels with just a few cutouts, and for the larger panels I design the layout in CAD and have them waterjet cut locally. If you are just making a pilot hole for a hydraulic punch, then you can get drill bits specially for stainless steel, they are more expensive than standard bits. Also try and drill them at a slow speed with high force. HTH - PG

I also use a circular saw (Bosch) for duct, duct cover, and DIN rail. It has a laser guide and can also cut at different angles, cutting the duct cover at 45degrees makes for very neat looking ductwork

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I have just made a facebook profile for my business, there are photos of my panelwork on there; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matrix-Engineering/142895319108866

Thanks Ken, IO so far is: Main Panel (1) 1734-AENTR x 1 1734-OB8 x 3 1734-IB8 x 2 1734-OE2C x 0 1734-IE2C x 1 1734-TB x 7 Whey (2) 1734-AENTR x 1 1734-OB8 x 3 1734-IB8 x 2 1734-OE2C x 1 1734-IE2C x 3 1734-TB x 10 Towers (3) 1734-AENTR x 1 1734-OB8 x 3 1734-IB8 x 2 1734-OE2C x 0 1734-IE2C x 0 1734-TB x 6 Havn't counted required CTM and VTM's yet... Do I need RSNetWorx EthernetIP to configure rack optimisation? (Going for Logix5000 Lite as we shouldn't need CLX in the forseeable future). I shall download the selection guides you have suggested and read up. Cheers

Russell, could you expand on what you mean by "more than a few I/O"? I am currently planning my 1st CPX project which should have no more than 100 IO (circa 90% digital, 10% analog) using a L32E PLC with 3 Point IO locations...

Note the starter software only works with F series Micrologix 1000 10 point PLCs.

Hi all, looking into an in house project for next year. I havn't previously done any work with distributed and/or networked elements, so looking for your advice... The attached file shows an overview of the rooms and what IO/controllers there are. If budget allows room 1 will have a RsView32 SCADA running. This is for a CIP project so not a huge amount of traffic I would imagine nor does it require a very fast response time. I would like to gather some data from the three PLC's in room 2. So what would suit best here in terms of RIO, Devicenet, just-run-a-multicore-cable-option etc? Thanks, PG IO_layout.doc

CLX is a no go as we have only this year managed to get RsLogix 500 standard edition, so I can't see 5000 being financially feasible. Econ EC3-60 is a budget PLC, similar in exterior looks and ladder commands to Mitsi's. £550 for a 60 point (36 in 24 out) PLC, a 3.7" 20 key HMI, and necessary leads. The PLC and HMI software is free. http://www.listo-ltd.com/ This years project was to replace two SLC 150's in the block formers and to upgrade a DTAM on the 3rd to a PV 300, so I tried out the Econ's as a replacement for the SLC 150's (So far so good 38,000 blocks done so far).

I have not used PLC5, but can you move the value 3.14159 to a register and use a reference to this in your calculations? For squaring, you can you multiply the value by itself? (3 x 3 = 3 squared) I would try and split the equation into smaller sections...

http://www.ronbeaufort.com/

How do you go about knowing what size of panel to order for a build? Use CAD to scale the components together, allowing a % extra space? Order all the components 1st and mock lay them out? (Which would mean you would have to guesstimate when you are quoting for the job, as you don't know what size and hence what price of panel required..)

Some good advice in the previous two posts. As stated, have a go at it yourself, post up the code and we'll have a look and keep you on the right tracks. Also, download Hugh Jack's PLC book here http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?autocom=downloads&showfile=156 if you are having trouble with getting to know the functions of RS Logix. Remember too there is a list of all the instructions with an overview of what they do in RS Logix. If you don't have access to RS Logix outside of where you are learning, visit the Allen Bradley forum here to download a basic version. (RS Logix10 Pt Starter) Good luck!

Update; spoke to a local process engineer (BSc (Hons) MSc CEng MIET) who designs the controls/programs PLC etc but does not build the panels. When I told him my background and where I wanted to go he offered to sub contract the panel building to me, which will get my foot nicely in the door as he works for some large firms such as Kodak, and a lot of local firms too which suit me not having to travel too far. Also won an AB Micrologix 1000 on ebay for £12.50... bargain! Going to tinker with it at home to learn as much as I can. It's manual will be the 1st in my E-database, thanks Clay B.

Hi all, my 1st post, so I'll introduce myself. I'm 19 and live in Northern Ireland. Come June 08, I'll have a level 3 NVQ in mechanical maintenance and an ONC in Electrical/Electronic Engineering. Have been working for a food manufacturer (Dairy - milk/cheese) for the past 2 years in maintenance (Mechanical/Electrical/Welding/Pneumatics). This is an apprenticeship which will finish in June after which my employment will continue. I might go back to tech to do an HNC in Plant Process Engineering, as it would suit me further in a maintenance career. I'm interested in learning/doing more with PLC's as a sideline to maintenance. As part of the ONC ^ course, I've to date had an introdction to Allen Bradley's (Working with Micrologix 1200's and RS500), and before the course is finished should also cover the basics of Siemens. For work I have designed and built CIP solenoid control panels, built and installed them (and they worked :) ) and built other various control panels e.g. for motor control (DOL, star delta starters) so have some experience with panel building. There are a large number of automated systems within work, so by maintaining these I get a good insight as to how things are done. As a project I designed and built an automated oil filler for various product containers (Nutshell: Loadcell, 4-20ma, micrologix 1200 w/analog expansion, oil pump, GEQ against target weight to turn off pump. Yes this could of been done with a simpler/smaller PLC, but as I'd been taught on the 1200 I used it and also meant I bought the software which I now have for future use). http://forums.mrplc.com/index.php?showtopic=13072 I've read that topic which has some good advice in it, is there any advice you can think of that would help me further Thanks, PG

We all have to start somewhere... and I don't design panels, but if I ever do in future I'll now know how to size them. Yes, we learn by our mistakes, but we also learn from those with experience.

Thanks, can you recall what software they used?

Is there not a danger of heat warp from using a plasma cutter?

Thanks, any one else any other advice?

I'm doing my apprenticeship 'with' a third party - the Engineering Training Council (NI). To gain an NVQ 3, I do different units, the ones that most suited me were Mechanical, Electrical, Fluid Power and Fab/Welding. So when I get my certificate I will have proof that I'm competent in these areas, which is backed up by logbook entries of jobs that I've done with photographic evidence. Additionally to gain an NVQ 3, I have to complete what they call "underpinning knowledge" which is a technical certificate, in this case BTEC level 3 AKA ONC - and I was speficially told by ETCNI to enrol in electronic engineering. So yes, in short, I'm multiskilled...