How to gain Heavy Industrial and PLC experience

[Robotstar5]

Some S7 for ya!!!

ladder

Fbd

You missed STL!

 

[vaughant]

You missed STL!

Delibrately, lets not scare the lad off just yet!!!!

I`m no fan but sometimes it`s the only way to view things, I can get through it but it takes me a lot longer.

 

[Robotstar5]

We had a couple of machines installed a few years ago built by a Dutch company, they have a custom spreadsheet type program running inside S7, after half an hour my brain went into meltdown trying to understand it!.

 

[i=p/u]

back to basics and sign up on engineering for beginners...

 

[mheyes]

You need to understand hardware before software This is a small panel for a conveyor system It has ethernet comms that are quite complex. Start with the basics and work up but remember YOU CANT BE GREAT AT EVERYTHING

 

[sbrown2]

I think a lot of people have said it in this thread and certainly in others. Its about grasping the basics. You must have these basics by the sounds of it. What is your apprenticeship title? What are your qualifications? If they are electrical, allied with the installation experience you have, you sound like you are ready to take the next step. If you are younger experience is important but many companies will take your age into account.
My company has opened a site in Aston with an older Maintenance Manager and he has four/five technicians between 24 and 33. The younger the better he says - I hope that sounds ok!!!!!!!

 

[vaughant]

View attachment 15339You need to understand hardware before software This is a small panel for a conveyor system It has ethernet comms that are quite complex. Start with the basics and work up but remember YOU CANT BE GREAT AT EVERYTHING

Good stuff.
In ford we used a lot of Allen Bradley kit with the comms system and a regular fault was "comms error 7" which meant stopping then restarting the plc!!!
i never really knew what it meant as it was so easy to reset but after a few years of blindly resetting it we started to work out what was going on.
The cause was these Siemens units we used for driving motors (basically a glorified forward/reverse contactor in a smart case) had copper links behind for the various power and control circuits.
With time,the vibration of where they were mounted made them work a touch loose,hence losing the comms link and causing the fault,sometimes for literally 1/2 a second but that was enough.
I started mounting them then on rubber backings to take some of the vibration out and it greatly improved it.
Clever system though,as of course an automation line can be sometimes miles long,but at least then from any workstation you could see the fault on the hmi and go straight to it.
Certainly worth learning as above,get the hardware right first.

 

[Knobhead]

If you enter in to an established company that is already using PLC’s or what ever, I’m sorry but you’re in at the deep end. Most companies will put you with an experienced guy for a while. If he’s any good he will take a back seat as soon as possible, just giving you hints when you’re going of course. The last one I was with took it to the extreme, he stayed in the mess room drinking tea while I was doing the blue fly impression.
One of the most important things is to learn the process. As with any process the operator can be you’re best friend or sworn enemy. Those that will give the right information and those that want to sit on their arse while you flounder around.
To go in to industry now, PLC’s are a fact of life, how far you go with them is between you and the company. Some will have Fred in the office that does all mods, other like the last one I worked for will give you more than enough rope to hang yourself.

 

[Timbits]

Alright lads,

Havnt been on in a while but have got stuck into a bit more of a proper job. Just got my first start as a rope access electrician at a coal power station. Its not 100% electrical and not the PLC stuff I was hoping for, however money is good and its long term so couldnt say no. Think the brain frying mentioned above will have to be some light reading just for now! But will definitely be reading up on and hopefully starting to get a grasp on the basics.


Cheers once again to all

 

[vaughant]

If you enter in to an established company that is already using PLC’s or what ever, I’m sorry but you’re in at the deep end. Most companies will put you with an experienced guy for a while. If he’s any good he will take a back seat as soon as possible, just giving you hints when you’re going of course. The last one I was with took it to the extreme, he stayed in the mess room drinking tea while I was doing the blue fly impression.
One of the most important things is to learn the process. As with any process the operator can be you’re best friend or sworn enemy. Those that will give the right information and those that want to sit on their arse while you flounder around.
To go in to industry now, PLC’s are a fact of life, how far you go with them is between you and the company. Some will have Fred in the office that does all mods, other like the last one I worked for will give you more than enough rope to hang yourself.

.
Quite possibly one of the truest statements ever written on this forum,no surprise it's from you tony.
In my previous job in ford I'd be amazed if I used the plc once a year,we had a department for that,yet in this job I reckon it's out once every few days,it's gone now that I just remember the s5 login procedure off by heart which is usually a bit of a pig to do!!!!
and timbits,great news kid!!!!
a job is a job mate,well done.

 

[Knobhead]

While at the foundry my phone would ring at least once a week. “Where do I find,,,,, in the program”. I could still talk someone through Modsoft log on followed by search F5, search next F5/F6, trace F5/F3, change register value Clrl/Enter.
The fact I was out in a club completely off my face didn’t matter. Funny next morning though, I couldn’t remember a thing about it.

I don’t think you ever do forget it.

 

[Robotstar5]

While at the foundry my phone would ring at least once a week. “Where do I find,,,,, in the program”. I could still talk someone through Modsoft log on followed by search F5, search next F5/F6, trace F5/F3, change register value Clrl/Enter.
The fact I was out in a club completely off my face didn’t matter. Funny next morning though, I couldn’t remember a thing about it.

I don’t think you ever do forget it.

That brings back memories, I must have worked on Modicon PLC's for 15+ years at Rover & Land Rover, used to know all the hotkey shortcuts.

 

[Knobhead]

I must be a sado, I've still got the programs on my PC

Ctrl Alt M as hot keys for it. :sad_smile:

 

[Sperky]

Sorry for hi-jacking but I find myself in a similar situation. Have been using AB/Mitsy/Omron PLC's for the past 2 years. My experience with them only really goes as far as wiring and setting up/troubleshooting physical comms. Havent touched the programming side of these things! So is programming something I should be getting into?

 

[Knobhead]

The last system I put in I wanted to use Mitsubishi so the company stumped up for the software, got change out of £50! They then changed their minds and wanted Modicon (half way through me writing the program!) the new PLC arrived and it didn’t use Modsoft but PL7. We had to buy the PL7 compiler, not a lot of change out of £800!
As a hint, if you want to have a play around, go for Mitzi. A small PLC isn’t out of the way price wise ether.
What ever you try, they all have their little quirks.