in various industries.
Table 1.3: PLC applications by industry
| Industry | Applications |
|---|---|
| Chemical | Batch processing, blending, off shore drilling, material and product handling, pipeline control, etc. |
| Food and Beverage | Baking, mixing, blending, brewing, distilling, filling, material and product handling, sorting conveyor control, warehouse storage and retrieval, palletizing and wrapping, etc. |
| Glass and Film | Cullet weighting, finishing, forming, material handling, packaging, palletizing, etc. |
| Lumber, Pulp, and Paper | Bark burning, batch digesters, chip handling, coating, cutting, pulp batch blending, wrapping and stamping, etc. |
| Manufacturing | Conveyor systems, assembly machines, plastic injection molds, test machines, machine tool control, work cell control, etc. |
| Power | Burner control, coal handling, fuel control, sorting, process control, etc. |
| Snack Foods | Oven control, batching systems, material handling, cooker systems, extrusion and cutting systems, slurry mixing and distribution, etc. |
| Fiberglass | Furnace control, batching systems, material handling, forming systems, cutting and slitting systems, binder mixing and distribution, etc. |
| Material Conveying | Material handling, batching systems, variable speed drives and systems, motor control center systems, slurry mixing and distribution, valve sequencing control systems, and plugged line countermeasure controls, etc. |
| Extrusion Systems | Forming barrel control systems, variable speed drives and systems, cutting control systems, and batching systems, etc. |
| Pharmaceuticals | Autoclave control systems, batching operations, vial capper machines, validation reports, R&D operations, vial washing, vial labeling, etc. |
| Electronic Board Manufacturing | Material handling, material positioning, inventory control system, variable speed drive systems, product conveying systems, machine control systems, etc. |
| Steel Industry | Material positioning, inventory control system, product conveying systems, variable speed drive systems, sequencer control, pump control systems, valve control systems, temperature control, pressure control, etc. |
1.6 PLC Categories
PLCs are made in various sizes and configurations. They can be classified in six categories according to I/O count, memory size, processor type, function, and application. The various sizes are nano PLCs, micro PLCs, small PLCs, medium PLCs, large PLCs, and very large PLCs. Table 1.4 summarizes these sizes and their PLC categories.
1.6.1Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley PLCs
There are more than 60 PLC manufacturers. Some top PLC makers include Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Mitsubishi, GE Fanuc, Omron, and Schneider Modicon. Some Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley PLCs are shown in Table 1.5.
Table 1.4: PLC categories
Table 1.5: Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley PLCs
| PLC Model | Features | |
|---|---|---|
| Pico PLC | Small, simple, and flexible. Ideal for relay replacement applications. Low cost. | |
| Micro 800 PLC | Offers a wide range of small controllers with 10 to 48 points. Designed for standalone machines. Optional plug-in modules. | |
| MicroLogix | Provides 24 or 28 built-in basic I/O. Expandable I/O capability. | |
| CompactLogix | Designed for small and mid-size applications. Machine-level control is its typical applications. I/O modules range from 4 to 32 points per module. | |
| SLC 500 | A modular PLC system at minimum consists of a processor module and I/O modules in a single chassis with a power supply. It can be configured with up to 3 local chassis, for a total of 30 local I/O or communication modules maximum. | |
| ControlLogix | Provides discrete, drives, motion, process, and safety control together with communication and state-of-the-art I/O in a small, cost-competitive package. The systems are modular. | |
| PLC 5 | PLC-5 processors are high-speed, single-slot processors used for control and information processing. They are designed for larger sequential and regulatory control applications with specialized I/O requirements. |
Table 1.6: Siemens PLCs
| Siemens PLC Model | Feature |
|---|---|
| Logic module | Is perfectly suited for small-scale automation projects and makes life much easier by replacing many time switches and relays, counters, and protective relays. |
| Simatic S7 | Simatic S7 controllers are modular controllers that can be expanded flexibly at any time via pluggable I/O, functional, and communications modules. |
| Embedded controller | Embedded bundles are ideal for control or any other applications that need to be implemented on a sturdy, open platform. They combine a variety of tasks such as open-loop control, operator control and monitoring, data processing, as well as safety and communications applications on a shared hardware platform. |
| PC-based controller | They are industrial PCs with typical applications ranging from human machine interfacing to data processing. |
1.6.2Siemens PLCs
Four groups of Siemens PLCs are shown in Table 1.6. They are Logic module, Simatic S7, Embedded controller, and PC-based controller.
1.6.3Mitsubishi PLCs
Three categories of Mitsubishi PLCs are shown in Table 1.7, including Alpha2 Sequence controller, FX compact controller, and L series controller.
1.6.4GE Fanuc PLCs
Four categories of GE-Fanuc PLCs are summarized in Table 1.8. They are Durus controller, VersaMax Micro controller, Series 90-30 controller, and PAC8000 controller.
1.6.5Omron PLCs
Table 1.9 summarizes four categories of Omron PLCs including Compact CP1 series, Modular CJ1 series, CJ2 series, and Rack CS1 series.
Table 1.7: Mitsubishi PLCs
| PLC Model | Features |
|---|---|
| Alpha2 Sequence controller | The Alpha2 is a controller designed to address simple control applications at the lower end of the industrial and commercial control markets. With simple analog processing integrated, a straightforward programming style, and a built-in display, the Alpha 2 is a highly affordable control solution. |
| FX series | They are expandable compact controllers. They are the ideal choice regardless of needing a simple control system requiring up to 34 I/O, or a more complex system with up to 384 I/Os. |
| L series | The L Series is Mitsubishi’s newest controller line, donning an innovative and easy-to-expand rack-free design. The single-CPU architecture includes built-in Ethernet and Mini-USB interfaces, a SD/SDHC memory card slot for program storage and data logging, and 24 I/O for positioning and high-speed counter functions. L Series ideal for both stand-alone machines as well as networked stations in larger applications. |
Table 1.8: GE Fanuc PLCs
| PLC Model | Features |
|---|---|
| Durus controller | Durus controllers integrate I/O, operator interface, and control in one small package. They are ideal for applications requiring less than 44 inputs and outputs such as vending machines, packaging lines, security, and assembly where it could result in cost reduction by replacing timers and counters. |
| VersaMax Micro | When you need amazing functionality in a compact package, VersaMax Micro PLCs are ideal for fast cycle times, a robust instruction set, and extensive
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