Conveyor Sorting System Schneider M340 PLC
In
modern industrial manufacturing, automatic sorting of products is a critical
requirement. A Conveyor Sorting System is used to separate different types of
products on a conveyor belt and direct them to their respective output lanes
without any manual effort. This system uses proximity sensors, pneumatic
pushers (sorters), a conveyor motor, and a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
to identify and sort products automatically. In this assignment, the Conveyor
Sorting System is designed to sort three types of products: Plastic Bottles,
Aluminium Cans, and Steel Cans. The animation was designed to simulate
real-life operation using counter values for product position tracking.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW:
-
The
Conveyor Sorting System consists of one main conveyor belt and three separate
output lanes, one for each product type. The three products handled by the
system are:
1.
Plastic Bottle
2.
Aluminium Can
3.
Steel Can
Each
product has its own dedicated pneumatic sorter (salter), sensors, counters, and
indicator in the PLC program. The operator selects the product type by pressing
the corresponding button on the control panel. Once selected, the product
appears on the conveyor and moves toward its designated sorting lane.
COMPONENTS USED:
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Programmable
Logic Controller (PLC)
Control
Panel / Operator Interface
Conveyor
Belt Motor
Pneumatic
Sorter / Salter (3 units - one per product)
Proximity
Sensors (Sensor0 and Sensor1 for each product)
CTU
(Count Up) and CTUD (Count Up-Down) Counters
TON
Timer
Push
Buttons: MAIN_START and MAIN_STOP
Product
Selection Buttons: Plastic_Bottle, Aluminium_Can, Steel_Can
WORKING: -
When
the MAIN_START button is pressed, the system becomes active and the main
indication light turns ON. The operator then selects the product type by
pressing one of the three product buttons on the control panel.
Once
a product is selected, the corresponding product animation appears on the
conveyor belt. The PLC uses CTU counter values to track the horizontal and
vertical position of the product on the conveyor. As the counter value
increases, the product moves forward on the belt toward its assigned sorting
station.
When
the product reaches the sorting position, the virtual Sensor0 detects the product,
and the salter (pneumatic pusher) begins to move downward. Sensor1 confirms the
product position, and the salter pushes the product off the main conveyor into
the correct output lane box. The CTUD counter values control the up and down
movement of the salter.
After
sorting, the product counter for that lane increases by one, the salter
retracts upward, and the system resets for the next product cycle. The
MAIN_STOP button can be pressed at any time to stop all operations immediately.
HMI SCREEN VIEWS: -
Fig. 1: Conveyor
Sorting System - Initial State
Fig. 2: Conveyor Sorting System - Sorter Activated
Fig. 3: Conveyor
Sorting System - Product Sorted
PLC LOGIC DESCRIPTION:
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The
PLC logic for this system is divided into separate sections for each product.
The key logic elements used are:
CTU
(Count Up) Counters: Used to count the horizontal (Ho) and vertical (Vo)
movement of the product on the conveyor. When the horizontal counter value
reaches the preset value, the product is considered to have reached the sorting
station.
CTUD
(Count Up-Down) Counter: Used to control the salter position. The salter counts
up to move down and counts down to retract upward. This simulates the pneumatic
cylinder extend and retract operation.
TON
Timer: A 0.5 second ON-delay timer (TON_1) is used to control the speed of the
conveyor animation and product movement cycle.
Virtual
Sensors (Sensor0 and Sensor1): These are not physical sensors but are simulated
using comparison instructions (EQ and GE) applied to counter values. Sensor0
triggers when the horizontal count equals 6, and Sensor1 triggers when the
vertical count equals 3, to replicate sensor detection logic.
Product
Counter (CTU): After the sorting is complete, a separate counter records the
total number of products sorted into each output lane.
PLC LOGIC:-
CONCLUSION:
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The Conveyor Sorting System demonstrates the practical application of PLC programming in industrial automation. The use of counter values to simulate product movement and sensor detection is an innovative approach that allows realistic operation without physical hardware. The system successfully sorts three different product types, Plastic Bottles, Aluminium Cans, and Steel Cans, into separate output lanes using pneumatic sorters controlled by PLC logic. This project helped in understanding the use of CTU, CTUD counters, TON timers, and comparison instructions in real-life automation scenarios.