MN601 Installing PLC In Robots For Computer Aided Design

Installing PLC in Robots

Project will start on 25^th September 2018 and it will end on 8^th January 2019.

• To make the school students aware about robotics
• To successfully install Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) in robots
• To incorporate and execute the project requirements within the estimated project schedule and budget.

• To develop a detailed Computer Aided Design (CAD) model for the project [1]
• To carry out engineering analysis for the PLC in robots
• To complete the electrical design for the project
• To develop the prototypes for installation of PLC in robots
• Installation of PLC in Robots

• Performance: The PLC must perform as per the algorithm and codes and there shall be no deviation in terms of the execution of functional aspects.
• Availability: The PLC must function in robots at all times and at any hour of the day.
• Reliability: The logic implemented with the installation of PLC must allow the robots to take the recommended action at all times.
• Security: The PLC must have the option to control the robot and make sure that none of the security risks and attacks take place [2].
• Usability: The PLC must allow the robot to carry out the activities as per the codes included in it and must fulfil all of the functional aspects.
• Maintainability: The PLC must be easy to update and shall also be easy to maintain.

There will also be Finance Expert, Tester, and Installation Engineer involved with the project.

• To carry out the project planning activities covering defining the requirements of PLC, conduction of feasibility study, development of a project plan for installation, and preparation of schedule & budget.
• To carry out the preliminary design for the project comprising of activities as creation of concept model, drafting preliminary bill of Materials, and conduction of preliminary design review.
• To develop a detailed design for the project by developing a detailed CAD model, performing thorough engineering analysis, generating complete BOM, completing electrical design, performing risk analysis [3].
• To execute the designs and models by presenting drawings and data sheets, procuring hardware, building prototype, performing validation testing, performing system life test, and getting prototype acceptance.
• To identify the necessary changes required and to make the changes approved.
• Selection of vendor for PLC
• Installation of PLC in robot
• Testing and launching of the robot

The project team will participate in the procurement activities only in the processes of providing the requirements and making the selection from available set of choices. However, the negotiations on pricing will not be carried out by the Project Manager or any other team member.

The estimated timeline and schedule of the project with the start date and end date of each of the project activities has been shown below.

The resources involved with the project and the type of resource has been shown in the table below. The resource usage and the respective need of every resource in the project is illustrated in the next table.

The estimated cost for the project is $68,800. The cost break-up has been shown in the table and the costs are assigned to each of the project activities.

The quality standard that will be followed in the project will be ISO 9001: 2008 [4].

The following activities will be executed to assure and control the quality.

• Assembly checks
• Validation testing
• System life checks
• Form completeness checks
• Customer checks
• Automatic programmable calibration

There will be automated smart checking system utilized for carrying out the above activities through tunnel-based scanning system.

There will be different internal and external stakeholders associated with the project with varying degree of contribution, interest, and influence [5].

The members of the project team will communicate with each other daily in the daily stand-up meeting that will be conducted every morning. The Project Manager will book the location for the meeting and circulate the meeting agenda. The team members will also use tools as emails, instant messengers, and SharePoint for sharing the message and information. Any of the confidential information related with the project shall be uploaded in the form of a document on the SharePoint. There will be use of secure mails that will also be done [6].

The members of the project team will visit the universities, colleges, and MCD and will provide the details about the project. The seminars and workshops will be organized by these bodies and the information will be shared and communicated with the students. There will be use of emails that will be done to share details with the college or University representative. The supplier groups and regulatory agencies will be communicated through the use of reports and documents.

Social media channels will also be used to communicate with the external stakeholders especially the students.

The risks in the project will be managed by following a phased approach of identification, analysis, treatment, monitoring, and closure.

The risk register for the project has been illustrated below.

The scores for probability and impact levels have been assigned on a scale of 1 to 5. 5 is the highest probability or impact associated with the risk and 1 is the lowest level. The score has been obtained by multiplying the probability and impact levels [7].

There are ethical issues associated with Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. The PLC installed in robots shall not allow the robots to be destructive or cause harm to any entity in any manner. There are designs that may be developed to cause damage to the elements of society. Also, the resources in the project team may pass on the private information to the unauthorized parties [8].

These issues will have negative consequences and will not be aligned with the regulatory rules as well. The ethical non-compliance may be reported and shall be resolved with ethical analysis and audits.  

The deployment of the project shall also be done in the phased manner and there must be use of phases as planning, execution, control, and closure. There shall be use of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) as the methodology for managing the deployment tasks and activities. The handling of the areas of deployment and issues will be done by using this methodology.

There shall be change management activities that shall be done prior to the deployment and the deployment shall be done by an expert. There shall be a feedback process that must also be attached with the entire procedure.

Senior Management: <Signature> & <Date>

Additional Comments

The post project review shall be made on the basis of the gap analysis to be done for schedule and costs. The schedule variance and cost variance shall be calculated. The feedback process was included in the deployment and the entire project timeline. The feedback provided by the stakeholders shall be analysed to determine the performance. There shall be performance checks and quality checks made in the deployed PLC to ensure that there are no deviations and bugs.

It is recommended that the testing processes are introduced earlier in the lifecycle of the project along with the conduction of reviews by the senior management and experts. It will make sure that any of the gaps and deviations are avoided and there are improvements made in the identified areas.

[1]L.  Bogdan, "Using the Microcontroller and the PLC in a RPP Robot Control", Advanced Materials Research, vol. 463-464, pp. 1721-1724, 2012.

[2]M.  Ahmad, N.  Belloir and J.  Bruel, "Modeling and verification of Functional and Non-Functional Requirements of ambient Self-Adaptive Systems", Journal of Systems and Software, vol. 107, pp. 50-70, 2015.

[3]O.  Ozerdem, "Design of two experimental setups for programmable logic controller (PLC) laboratory", International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 331-340, 2016.

[4]Iso, "ISO 9001:2008 - Quality management systems -- Requirements", Iso.org, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.iso.org/standard/46486.html. [Accessed: 26- Sep- 2018].

[5]K.  Rose, "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)-Fifth Edition", Project Management Journal, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. e1-e1, 2013.

[6]E.  Markaki, D.  Sakas and T.  Chadjipantelis, "Building the Interactive Relationship between the Top Management and the External Project Manager: The Communication Plan in Laboratory Research", Key Engineering Materials, vol. 495, pp. 151-154, 2011.

[7]C.  DeBrusk, "Five Robotic Process Automation Risks to Avoid", MIT Sloan Management Review, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/five-robotic-process-automation-risks-to-avoid/. [Accessed: 26- Sep- 2018].

[8]R.  Bogue, "Robot ethics and law", Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 335-339, 2014.