Build a complete production line
Do you feel you are ready to build your own production line? Here we have some inspiration and ideas to help you in the process.
Ramps
The ramps can be used as a buffer in the entry station. Here, two cylinders on each ramp are making sure that only one product passes at a time. The components used in this station are listed in the table below.
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Component
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Thumbnail
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Double-acting stopper cylinder
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Detection plate
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Ramp with flip to standing
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mini conveyor 500 x 200 mm
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Conveyor guide 400mm
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Soup dispenser
The soup dispenser has two tanks, one with goulash and one with bean soup. The nozzle can be lowered while filling the product. The tanks have built-in sensors that give a voltage between 0 to 10V depending on the level of each tank. The components used in this station are listed in the table below.
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Component
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Thumbnail
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Soup dispenser
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Pneumatic rotary actuator
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Tin can hook
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Lid sealer
The lid sealer has a built-in lid dispenser with a maximum storage of 10 lids. The sealer can be lowered and started by activating electric inputs. It gives the current level of the lid storage as a voltage signal between 0 to 10V. The components used in this station are listed in the table below.
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Component
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Thumbnail
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Lid sealer
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Pneumatic rotary actuator
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Tin can hook
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Packaging station
You can build a packaging station using a robot, or like in this example, by connecting linear ball screw actuators. The actual position of each axis can either be sent to the PLC by using limit switches (like in the example below), or by using the analog output signal from the ball screw actuators. The components used in this station are listed in the table below.
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Component
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Thumbnail
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mini conveyor 500 x 200 mm
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Tin can pallet
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Linear ball screw actuator 420 mm
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Linear ball screw actuator 170 mm
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Limit switch
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Vacuum gripper one cup
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Time to play!
These are just some examples, you set the limits with your imagination and your skills. You can build the production line by yourself or together with some colleagues, using one or several PLCs and robots.
We hope you enjoyed this tutorial on getting started with production line building! Head over to our Community Forum to discuss system building, get inspiration or support!