First Factory Simulation

As seen from our video, the fine-tuning required from last week has been completed and the simulation of the first virtual factory is now complete (running without PLC). The simulation is more advanced than was planned with the inclusion of a human and additional resources such as the fences. The majority of collisions that were previously present have also been removed through the use of 'via' points which the robots follow on their path from A to B. The group can now mark basic learning of the Process Simulate software as complete--another milestone in the project plan.

Building a knowledge of PLC programming is more complex than first anticipated, particularly given the lack of dedicated training materials. As so, implementation remains underway and although not complete, progress is steady. The team has identified and created the required robot signals with work currently focussed on connecting these to the required logic source.

This work is currently in preparation for presentation at a progress meeting next week. We hope to display some of this work on the site including a detailed representation of the virtual factory. Also scheduled for next week is the planning of the interim report to be submitted to the University of Strathclyde before the month end. This marks that the project is almost at the half-way stage. Given the progress shown in our video blog today, we continue to feel positive about the outlook for the remainder of the project and making further advancements within the simulation software.