Laboratories for automation technology



Measurement, control and regulation of practical laboratory systems


Teaching

In each semester, the following laboratories are offered from the 2nd part of course in the Bachelor’s degree courses:

  • Measurement and regulation laboratory
  • Measurement and control laboratory
  • Measurement, regulation and VEU laboratory
  • Measurement, control and VEU laboratory
  • Process control engineering laboratory
  • Process control engineering VEU laboratory
  • Measurement, control, regulation - 2 laboratories

The following laboratories are offered in the Master's degree course in Process Engineering and Production Management:

  • Seminar on Process Control Engineering - CAE

Virtual tested

The methods of virtual commissioning can be applied to various laboratory systems in control engineering/control technology, such as a sorting plant or compressed air storage system. The students can use various simulation software to model both the plant and control engineering concepts and test them virtually before the real commissioning in order to gain important knowledge during the development of systems. In addition, students can also connect PLCs/DCSs to the system model (hardware in the loop/software in the loop simulation) and test them. Process control systems frequently used in industry, such as Siemens PCS7 or ABB Freelance, as well as simulation software from process engineering, such as Chemcad (Chemstation), and from production engineering, such as CIROS Studio (Festo), are available for the realisation of virtual commissioning

 

Holistically monitored and controlled

The methods of process control engineering can be applied to various laboratory systems of control engineering and control technology, such as the Festo Compact Workstation (Festo-MPS-PA). The students can independently set up a small process control system or SCADA system on the systems and develop and commission user interfaces for holistic monitoring and control/regulation. In doing so, the methodical approaches of measurement technology/control technology/regulation technology as well as process control technology can be deepened. Process control systems frequently used in industry, such as PCS7 (Siemens) or Freelance (ABB), as well as SCADA systems, such as FIX (Emerson) or Wonderware Intouch (AVEVA), are available for the realisation of the process control systems.

 

Interesting techniques

Cleanly controlled

The methods and programming languages of control engineering can be applied to various laboratory systems, such as a car wash on a model scale. The students can independently develop and commission control courses on the plants and apply methodical approaches for course development. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) from the manufacturers Siemens and Moeller/Eaton, which are frequently used in industry and are programmed with STEP7 or CoDeSys, are available for the implementation of the control systems.

 

Liquid controlled

The methods of control engineering can be applied to various laboratory systems, such as a three-tank water system. Practical control methods are developed for the systems in the laboratory and validated with the help of model-based simulation systems. Implementation and commissioning are carried out independently in teamwork at the laboratory systems. Software tools frequently used in industry, such as MATLAB/Simulink or WinFACT/BORIS, are available for the realisation of the controllers.

 

Brilliantly calibrated

The methods of measurement technology can be applied to laboratory systems with different sensors. Sensors are used at the plants to record a wide variety of physical quantities and signals. Sensors must be checked at regular intervals to see whether they still comply with the permissible measurement deviation. This process is called calibration and is learned in the measurement technology laboratory on sensors for different measured variables. For example, a precision pressure balance is available for calibrating pressure transducers. Pressure balances are also used as primary standards in calibration laboratories. The independent experimentation in the laboratory test provides an insight into the common calibration of the pressure measuring variable. The determination of the measurement uncertainty is also practised. Measurement acquisition systems frequently used in industry, such as LabView, are available for evaluating the measurements.

 

Equipment

Regulation and process control engineering

  • Three-tank water system
  • Compressed air storage system
  • Analogue controlled system simulator
  • UML test
  • Festo compact workstation (Festo-MPS-PA)
  • Positioning controlled system
  • Laboratory climate control system
  • Development control unit (dSpace MicroLabBox)

Control technology and process control system

  • Festo modular production system (MPS) with PLC
  • Christiani sorting system with PLC
  • Espresso machine with PLC
  • Model car wash system with PLC
  • Model railway with PLC
  • Model lift with PLC
  • Model tablet filling plant with PLC
  • Washing machine with PLC

Measurement technology

  • Flow test stand
  • Pressure balance
  • Spring test stand
  • Temperature calibrator
  • Test stand for digital data acquisition

Robotics

  • Robot cell with ABB industrial robot for application tests
  • Mitsubishi industrial robot
  • Panda collaborating robot

Miscellaneous

  • Model test vehicles
  • 3D printer Zortrax M200

Impressions

The team

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Non-Public Person

Laboratory engineer

Non-Public Person

Research

Development and testing of automation solutions for manufacturing and process engineering sequences

  • Concept development, simulation and analysis of new manufacturing/production sequences
  • Virtual commissioning of production and process engineering systems
  • Development and testing of tools, devices, grippers and controls
  • Programming, parameterisation and calibration of robots; motion optimisation
  • Design, identification and implementation of controllers for machines and systems
  • Support of development projects and commissioning
  • Development of control and diagnostic procedures in automotive engineering:
    • Powertrain mechatronics
    • On-board diagnostics
    • Parameter estimation
  • Development of automation solutions and monitoring systems for machine tools and manufacturing equipment
  • Development of automation solutions for the efficient use of renewable energies (including solar thermal, photovoltaics)
  • Research in the field of laser interferometry and micropositioning

Completed research projects

  • 1997 AGIP project 279.1997 "CAE course for commissioning and optimisation of industrial control systems".
  • 1995-1998 EU TEMPUS project JEP 9582 "Applied Automation". Universities/Hanover, Llubljana (Slovenia), Glamorgan (Wales)
  • 1992-1995 EU TEMPUS Project JEP 4298 "Training courses in the computer based development of control systems", Universities/Hanover, Leipzig, Glamorgan (Wales), Kaunas (Lithuania)
  • 1992-1995 EU TEMPUS Project JEP 4299 "Training courses in the computer based development of control systems", Universities/Hanover, Leipzig, Glamorgan (Wales), Llubljana (Slovenia)
  • 1993-1999 Research focus point REPAM ( Computer-adied Devlopement of Processes, Apparatuses and Machines)
  • 2001-2006 Research focus point AUBIOS ( Automation of environment and bioprocess engineering processes and Systems (e.g. development of automation strategies based on NIR-measurement technology at fresh cheese production systems))
  • 2006-2008 AUBIOS transfer projects (e.g. development of automation strategies based on NIR-measurement technology at fresh cheese production systems)
  • 2008-2011 Optimisation of the operating characteristics of small and medium-sized biogas systems
  • 2012-2015 Economic and bioprocess energy and material flow optimisation for the dairy industry (Oekobest)