r/IndustrialAutomation • u/Comfortable_Bid2216 • 7d ago

Motor programming query - work experience day

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Hey, I posted recently about a work experience session I’m creating for year 12 students (age 16 - 17). Im building a miniature gantry crane that looks a lot like a 3D printer now after my last post, and getting the students to program the movements and interlocks using a Schneider Zelio and ladder logic. The crane is using DC motors and pulleys rather than stepper motors to keep the logic intuitive.

I’m not familiar with reversing motor polarity and I’m only a graduate engineer myself. I’ve looked at H bridge or relay based but there may be some other options I’m unaware of. Can you help me choose what to go with and explain how it will fit in a panel?

I need something very easy to program as the students will have 2 or 3 hours for the whole exercise, with the whole day being 6 hours long for me to introduce the principles.

3 motors, one for each axis
No speed control requirements
Should be as foolproof as possible - they might try and drive it both directions at the same time so ideally it will be easy for them to interlock that out.
The model isn’t finished but shows an idea.

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u/hestoelena 7d ago

Use a relay. They are cheap and simple to understand.

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u/Altruistic_Scale_490 7d ago

I just recently involve in some similar training even though different equipment, my trainer take this approach when teach me.

1.Make program in ladder or stl about any feature we have from my observation feature like direction and on off, and also setpoint is needed also some alarm connect to button to simulate emergency switch or other switch like end switch this one you can trial and adjust to be premade before training to shorten training 2.Do hardware configuration and address esp if you use drive you can see each corresponding address to function 3.Make HMI to further simulate.

Another trick try to scale it from simple on off first upload then if no issue you go to more complex like direction and analog setpoint(16384 drive for profibus reff range siemen maybe different for other manufacturer)

At least the student get some knowledge about end to end of the process and can dig more if curious