This project is a pneumatic cylinder sorting station built with Siemens S7-1200 PLC and programmed in TIA Portal using Ladder Logic (LAD). The system handles a continuous flow of plastic-encased cylinders, some of which contain metal. Based on sensor readings, the system sorts and directs these cylinders to the appropriate destination truck using a series of pneumatic actuators, sensors, and logic control.
For more demonstrations and media, please open the demo folder. There are additional videos available to showcase the system's functionality.
- Feeder Mechanism: A pressure-based actuator feeds stacked cylinders onto the conveyor.
- Metal Detection: Metal sensor above the conveyor detects if the current cylinder contains metal.
- Sorting Logic: After a configurable delay, cylinders with metal are pushed off the conveyor.
- Redundancy Tracking: Up to 6 timestamped entries are maintained to handle conveyor stops and queued metal cylinders.
- End of Line Detection:
- Presence Sensor: Stops the conveyor when a cylinder reaches the end.
- Color Sensor: Detects if the cylinder is white to determine which truck it should be routed to.
- Pneumatic Arm:
- Moves between conveyor and destination truck.
- Can lower and use suction to lift and release cylinders.
- Uses sensors for accurate position detection.
- Control Panel:
- Start and stop buttons.
- Green and yellow signal lights for status indication.
Here are key I/O tags used in the PLC program:
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
S1_Start |
Start button |
S2_Stop |
Stop button |
B1_FeederRetracted |
Feeder retracted sensor |
B2_FeederExtended |
Feeder extended sensor |
B3_PusherRetracted |
Pusher retracted sensor |
B4_MetalSensor |
Metal detection sensor |
B5_ColorSensor_IsWhite |
Color sensor detects white |
B6_AtConveyorEnd |
Cylinder reached end of conveyor |
B7_ArmOverConveyor |
Arm is positioned over conveyor |
B8_ArmOverTruck |
Arm is positioned over truck |
B9_ArmIsDown |
Arm is in the down position |
B10_WhiteTruckActive |
White truck selected as target |
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
P1_LightGreen |
Green indicator light |
P2_LightYellow |
Yellow indicator light |
Y1A_FeederExtend |
Extend feeder actuator |
Y1B_FeederRetract |
Retract feeder actuator |
M1_ConveyorMove |
Conveyor motor on |
Y2_PusherExtend |
Extend metal pusher actuator |
Y4_LowerArm |
Lower the suction arm |
Y5_GripperPressureOn |
Activate suction |
Y6_ArmFromTruckToConveyor |
Move arm between positions |
Y3_EnableBlackTruck |
Activate black truck path |
- DB_ArmSafeStopSteps (DB5)
- DB_ItemTracking (DB6)
- DB_Settings (DB2)
- FC_ArmSafeStop (FC5)
- FC_Conveyor (FC1)
- FC_Feeder (FC2)
- FC_PickAndPlace (FC3)
- FC_Truck (FC4)
- Main (OB1)
- Default tag table
- ArmInput
- ArmOutput
- ConveyorInput
- ConveyorOutput
- OperatorPanel
To simulate or deploy this project:
- Open the
.ap19project file in TIA Portal (tested with TIA Portal V19+). - Connect to a Siemens S7-1200 PLC (compatible CPU recommended: e.g., CPU 1214C).
- Ensure all I/O addresses are correctly mapped to your hardware setup.
- Run the program and test the workflow using the demo workstation.
- Actuators rely on an external compressed air source.
- Make sure safety mechanisms are in place before running the physical system.
- The system can be extended with more sensors or vision systems for advanced sorting.
Feel free to open an issue if you have questions or suggestions!