Development of a virtual automation laboratory for teaching programmable logic controllers
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Authors
Yee, Nigel
Look, Morgan
Sidhu, Deepinder
Loveridge, S.
Look, Morgan
Sidhu, Deepinder
Loveridge, S.
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Date
2022-12
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Conference Contribution - Oral Presentation
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Keyword
Unitec courses
computer education
Programmable Logic Control (PLC)
virtual laboratories
educational delivery models
software development
COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-
computer education
Programmable Logic Control (PLC)
virtual laboratories
educational delivery models
software development
COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Yee, N., Look, M., Sidhu, D., & Loveridge, S. (2022, December, 8-9). Development of a virtual automation laboratory for teaching programmable logic controllers [Paper presentation]. Rangahau: Te Mana o te Mahi Kotahitanga: Research: The Power of Collaboration, MIT/Unitec Research Symposium 2022, Te Pūkenga, New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand. https://hdl.handle.net/10652/5994
Abstract
Online learning during Semester 1 of 2022 meant that students in Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) 2 Courses (DE6411 ad MG6019) had reduced access to physical hardware and therefore an investigation into the creation of a virtual laboratory was undertaken. The hardware platform currently used is the Siemens S7-1200 PLC with Siemens TIA Portal software and the Lucas Nuelle Industrial Mechatronics System (IMS) which uses Profibus fieldbus communication protocols. While this system provides a campus facility based practical experience; online learning means we now need a virtual laboratory replacement.
The first virtual laboratory software replacement for the IMS system investigated uses FactoryIO simulation software. FactoryIO is an industrial automation simulation package used in the education field to simulate and replicate the behaviour of industrial equipment. It interfaces with a number of different PLCs and PLC simulators.
Our attempt to replace the physical IMS with a FactoryIO simulation used the following steps. For step 1, we developed a functional software solution that was verified using the physical IMS, in step 2, we developed a FactoryIO simulation of the IMS conveyance system, for step 3, we used the verified software solution to test if our FactoryIO simulation’s behaviour matches the IMS, step 4 involved modification of the FactoryIO simulation to better replicate the IMS and lastly steps 3 and 4 were iterated until our FactoryIO’s simulation behaviour matched the physical IMS.
One of the issues we identified when replacing physical IMS hardware with a virtual simulation is FactoryIO had limited tools and scenarios which did not completely match the IMS. We concluded that we may never get a perfect FactoryIO replacement for all the IMS equipment due to the simulation software’s limitations, however we have been able to successfully replicate the IMS conveyance system and we now have the ability start moving our teaching away from physical IMS hardware and onto virtual laboratory simulations for the IMS conveyance system. This virtual replacement allows us to provide course content to student numbers which could potentially greatly exceed our physical campus resources. We therefore consider the early stage endeavour worthwhile and successful.
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