This work presented consists of automatically managing a real process based on different manufacturing recipes. The data is routed over a digital network (Local Area Network) and encapsulated in an OPC UA protocol. The homothetic process is a chemical system consisting of different baths for surface treatment of metal objects. Recipes can be loaded automatically from Excel files. Each Excel file has been adapted with a script in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The various recipes are available in read-write format. Under these conditions, the process manager can process all datain an adapted human-machine interface solution. The control system is managed by a Schneider Electric PLC (Modicon M340). The program embedded in the PLC is developed in the EcoStruxure Control Expert software environment (CEI 61131-3). This 28-hours assignment is for 2nd year Bachelor students. It responds perfectly to the current needs of industry. In this context, students can acquire new skills in the context of the connected factory and in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) environment. A specific collaboration with a software publisher (Skkynet) and our University enables the use of a client/server gateway for OPC UA protocol. This official partnership agreement allows our University to use a software package that is normally very expensive, but which is totally free under these conditions.

Authors: Pascal Vrignat, Christophe Charrière, Manuel Avila, Florent Duculty, Stéphane Begot, Jean-Christophe Bardet

Published in: Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE-2024)

• Date of Conference: 2-4 April, 2024
• DOI: 10.20533/IICE.2024.0020
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-70-9
• Conference Location: Dún Laoghaire, Ireland