Matthias Lenord

System Design of PLC-Controlled Specialized Production Machines

PLC-controlled specialized production machines are usually employed to automate customer-specific production processes. Sequential engineering processes are frequently used for designing these machines. To reduce the time and effort, parallelization of the different disciplines as well as increasing the reuse of already designed modules has to be considered. Both of these activities originate in the system design phase. Therefore, the sequential design process is analyzed to define the information required for starting detailed engineering in parallel. Additional requirements in the system design phase are derived from the characteristics of the system design phase itself and the special situation when designing specialized production machines. A method how these requirements can be fulfilled is shown based on these requirements.

Continuous Machine Design from Concept to Operation Based on Mechatronic Objects

Abstract Machine building today is a process in which several parties work, either sequentially or in parallel: From drafting a machine concept through mechanical and electrical engineering, automation to commissioning and actual machine operation. These steps are generally realized in different departments with different software tools and are typically not linked through strong interfaces. This leads to redundant data storage, poor change management and the risk of errors during manual data transfer. Up until now, there was not even adequate software support for some of these process steps. This paper shows the potential of new software tools for the life cycle phases involving machine design and virtual commissioning. It also discusses the even larger potential of integrating the different tools. This is shown using a mechatronic object model that supports the disciplines needed for design and engineering. The theoretical approach is illustrated based on a specific tool-chain example. The benefits, expenditure and risks are discussed.