In the blink of an eye, it has been in the industrial control industry for N years. From a fledgling rookie to now being able to stand alone, along the way, I know that perseverance is not easy.
would like to share some workplace experience with friends in the industrial control industry. I hope that everyone can go smoothly on the road of being an engineer and continue to achieve success.
Experience 1: When encountering something you have never done before, you must learn to do experiments and find information.
Even the most experienced engineers will encounter things they have never done before. For example, a master who is very familiar with and Mitsubishi suddenly has a customer specify Yaskawa PLC for the next project. What should he do at this time?
I told my boss that I have never done it and can’t do it? If you say so, then you are not far away from being killed. Regardless of any industry or position, remember not to say "no" to tasks assigned by the leader. But you can’t pretend to understand something you’ve never done before. What to do?
The first thing at this time is to go online to find manuals and software. In today's Internet era, information is very transparent. If you want to find the manual of any product, you can directly go to the official website to register an account and download it. You must be proactive when looking for manuals. Some friends are used to asking in groups, such as the Industrial Control Worry-Free Group. The more peers you have, the higher the probability of being able to help. If not, you have to download it yourself. Don’t be lazy. .
A group friend once asked me for a manual from Innovator. It can be downloaded from the official website, but he waited for a day until I sent it to him. This is a serious waste of time and is not advisable.
After downloading the software and manual, the next thing to do is to compare the common instructions of Keyence PLC with the common instructions of Mitsubishi PLC.
Generally speaking, PLCs are similar. The structure of the ladder diagram, normally open and normally closed, coil output, set reset, and transmission comparison are all the same. The big differences are generally in functions such as positioning and communication.
Therefore, we need to spend the shortest time to implement the common instructions of Mitsubishi PLC with Keyence PLC. Especially functions such as positioning must be sorted out clearly if they are to be used. If possible, do an experiment with a physical PLC. In short, there is only one purpose. By searching for information and doing comparative experiments, you can use the writing method you are most familiar with to understand the brands you have never played with.
If you encounter servo, stepper, instrumentation, etc. that you have never touched, how should you start? In this case, you must ask the supplier for the manual and the phone number of the technical support staff. Sometimes the manual may not be very clear, so seeking technical support from the supplier is often the final solution.
Especially when it comes to wiring, you must not just rely on your feelings. I have made this mistake before. The supplier wanted me to test a servo sold by the supplier, so I connected it according to the Mitsubishi J4 connection method. It burned out because the auxiliary power supply of this servo should not be connected. Therefore, regarding servo stepper instruments that have not been used before, you must communicate with the supplier's technical personnel to ensure that they are foolproof before designing.
’s second experience: Project progress comes first, make node arrangements and time plans!
Compared with the craftsmanship of Germany and Japan, China's automation industry emphasizes speed first. As engineers, since we cannot change this status quo, we can only adapt to it. This requires engineers to maximize time planning and control over schedule arrangements. Specific to the project, it is how we should do it at each stage. The stages of the
project are nothing more than the demonstration stage, the selection and drawing stage, the programming and debugging stage, and the after-sales acceptance stage. Among them, model selection, drawing, programming and debugging are the main stages of implementation by our electrical engineers. How to implement to maximize efficiency?
This point is generally a headache for novices. Even veterans with some experience don't know how to do many processes when switching to a new company. So let me briefly analyze my suggestions on this point.In terms of
selection and drawing, if you enter a slightly larger company, you must have BOM sheets, purchase lists and electrical drawings from previous projects. My suggestion is to directly copy the original drawings and BOM, and make modifications based on your new project based on the original project (such as circuit breaker, size and number of contactors, branch wire specifications, etc.) , the IO points of the PLC, special equipment, etc. will be confirmed separately. The advantages of this are:
1. It is convenient for purchasing and placing orders. The option brands are the same as before, and the supplier does not need to make temporary changes;
2. It is convenient for electricians to read drawings. Electricians are used to the company's drawing style, and engineers can just follow it.
3. Improve your own efficiency, no need to start drawing from scratch, saving a lot of time. In comparison,
programming is more flexible and does not have so many rules. Although some companies will also set some program templates to avoid the situation where engineers run away halfway and the successor has trouble wiping his butt. If there is a prescribed program template, we can only try our best to adapt and apply it. The main point I want to talk about next is the debugging sequence. A complete program of
includes power-on initialization, automatic process framework of division of labor, manual and output, data parameter processing, axis startup, communication link, global alarm and other parts. Taking a project with 6 axes and 300 input and output points as an example, it will take about half a month to initially adjust the program.
For us electrical engineers, this time is more suitable, but for leaders, it may be too long. Because from the leader's perspective, he will regard whether the machine can run as an important criterion for the progress of the engineer's work. As for processes, fool-proof interlocks, alarms, etc. that our engineers think are more important, the leader will Not the primary concern.
Therefore, if you write a program for a week and the machine cannot even move, your boss will probably doubt your ability.
So how to solve this problem? My suggestion is to start writing the program, while writing the automatic process framework, and at the same time writing the jog output of the Y point. Use the fastest time to write the jog test programs and interfaces for all Y points and all axes, then download them into the device and power on. Test all X points, then jog all Y points, set the servo parameters, JOG all axes, make sure all IO hardware is in good condition, and then write automatic programs with peace of mind.
Before writing an automatic program, be sure to plan the flow chart, allocate program segments and internal registers and relays, ensure that internal addresses are continuously reserved, and then write automatic processes one by one. During the programming process, write in as many alarm and fool-proof interlock conditions as you can remember. If you really can't remember, just reserve the alarm points and add them gradually during debugging.
In short, for program debugging, you must first debug manually and test IO, then debug the dry-running program, and finally add alarms and anti-fool interlocks. This will allow leaders to see your progress at all times, and prevent the machine from failing for several days. The embarrassment of not being able to run. Of course, this requires continuous accumulation of experience to become familiar with it. Before that, we at least have this concept in mind.
Lesson 3: Gratitude and responsibility: the necessary mentality of an excellent engineer
Everyone grows up from a rookie, and you and I are no exception. In the process of going from rookie to veteran, in addition to your own unremitting efforts, the help of destined people is also crucial.
Experience 4: Live and learn, constantly enrich and update your knowledge base
In today's world, knowledge is constantly being upgraded, and it is the same in all walks of life. Mitsubishi went from 2N to 3U to 5U, Siemens went from 200 to 200smart to 1200... This is also a requirement for our self-learning ability. If you just hold on to what you know and don't accept new things, you will be eliminated sooner or later.
The update speed of the industrial control industry is already very slow compared to other industries. However, we cannot relax. After all, learning is like sailing against the current. If we do not advance, we will retreat. Always maintain your curiosity and love for new technologies and keep learning so that you can keep pace with the times.
After all, industrial control is not only a means of making a living for us, but also a passion and a career.
Note: The above content is reproduced from Industrial Control, not written by me. It is very useful to read! Thanks to the author for sharing his experience!
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