Pick and Place Robot Arm Using PLC Modeling of LLD and PN

Robot Arm is extensively being used in the industry for various applications. Developing a good PLC model is critical in any PLC based applications. With advances in microcontrollers and various other digital controllers, this research is going to investigate if it is still feasible to develop a robot arm application by using a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Since PLC modeling has become more complex, the project is limited to the functions of the robot arm for pick and place activities which are limited to two axes. A flowchart is good for controller planning while the actual implementation is done by using a Ladder Logic Diagram (LLD). This project is going to discuss in detail the development of the robot structure, pneumatic control and PLC modeling using LLD and Petri Net (PN). This project is also going to compare the robot arm with another pick and place robot arm which has similar functions. The pick and place robot arm was verified by running a simple Printed Circuit Board (PCB) as a load in an actual operation. For PLC modeling improvement, PN was used to develop the PLC model followed by automatically generating the equivalent LLD model. By modeling at a higher level of abstraction, it is easier to develop, improve and maintain the LLD model. Hence, PLC as a controller is still feasible to be used in developing a robot arm application due to its ease of use and better modeling technique. In the future, the pick and place robot arm can also be modified to fulfill a specific mission by modifying the PLC model.