| In the last four decades, computer technologies have been applied in manufacturing both directly and indirectly to serve human beings in various ways. A programmable logic controller (PLC) is one of the tools in advanced manufacturing systems that allow the manufacturing facilities to run their operations more efficiently and safely. In this thesis, a PLC was used to monitor a robotic workcell system. The PLC was used to start a conveyor belt and control the sequence of operations in the system.; In this research, a General Electric robot Model P50 with five degrees of freedom and a jointed-arm configuration, Allen-Bradley PLC-5/12 programmable logic controller, safety computer with a parallel I/O board, and conveyor system were used. The PLC control program was written for the following situations: no hazard, mild hazard, and severe hazard. This thesis was conducted in the Factory Automation Laboratory (FAL) at University of Louisville. |
