Career in Automation / Control / PLC's

[PG Eng 0]

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

[nic00 0]

How come you did your NVQ 3 in mech maintenance? As i see you have done ONC in electrical, Are you multiskilled? I did HNC after ONC and really enjoyed it, if you want to do it defiantly do it!!

[PG Eng 0]

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...

[Nathan 7]

That, and your willingness to learn and tinker, are the most important qualities of a potential great PLC programmer.

[PG Eng 0]

Thanks, any one else any other advice?

[Clay B. 1]

Best advise I can give: Develope your own manual database. What I mean by is when you come across something new, go online and Google it. If the PLC, motor, drive etc has a manual online download it. As I have worked on more and more varied equipment this has been probably my best help. Right now my files are in the several gigabites and still growing. Understand the basics. Example: Accelaration parameter. You do not need to memorize what its location is on every drive, that is what manuals are for but you do need to know that if you set it to high you will A) smoke your motor or B) trip out the drive.

[PG Eng 0]

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.