Bachelor and Master Theses

An automation system is the main part of manufacturing that controls the processes and collects production data. It consists of three main components, including sensors, such as pressure sensors, controllers, which are the “brain” of the process to make decisions, and actuators that perform a certain function according to the commands from the controllers. The process of data collection, control, and performing a command is called a control loop. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are the common controllers in automation systems. Traditionally, they are the big players in controlling processes in manufacturing, including controlling robot arms, machine control, etc.

Following trends of moving towards software, automation systems are also impacted. A promising example is the increase in the use of software-based PLCs, also called softPLCs. SoftPLCs perform similar control systems to the hardware PLCs, but provide more flexibility and scalability. The core idea is to develop the control function independent of any hardware, which can be executed on Industrial PCs or Raspberry Pi. This brings many benefits including scalability, flexibility, and the possibility of implementing advanced features such as Machine-Learning algorithms that are not possible in traditional PLCs.

In this thesis, we would like to investigate the performance of using softPLC instead of a traditional PLC in a realistic environment. The performance will include the latency, the minimum cycle times, the impact of the network, and the user experience. For this reason, the student(s) will work in a realistic production environment available at Mälardalen Industrial Technology Center (MITC) in Eskilstuna.

Tasks:

1-    Study softPLC and existing literature in comparing softPLC and hardware PLC.

2-    Study the requirements of developing a softPLC in a realistic setup.

3-    Design a softPLC control for an automation system at MITC.

4-    Conducting experiments to identify the performance of softPLC in realistic scenarios.

5-    Write a report to present the results.

6-    Make a demonstration for a few audience members.

1-    The students should be familiar with control systems.

2-    The students should be familiar with programming and logic.

3-    Basics of PLC programming is a bonus.

4-    Two students for this project would be preferable.

This thesis will be conducted at MITC in Eskilstuna.