Development of an automatic monitoring and control system for the objects on the conveyor belt

Belt conveyors are durable and reliable components used in the industries for transporting material. Conveyors producing single type of component at a time generally monitor and control a single type of object. However, if there are more objects, then another system needs to be developed. This paper presents the design, fabrication and validation of a prototype of an automatic monitoring and control system designed for probing various types of objects on a belt conveyor. This system uses Allen Bradley MicroLogix PLC for controlling and feedback sensors for monitoring the objects. The production capacity of the system can be set in the program which can be easily altered satisfying the seasonal demand. The system stops automatically after reaching the desired production. In order to validate the designed system, experiments are performed using Taguchi's methodology wherein parameters like position, orientation, filling time, material type and types of objects i.e. trays and bottles are studied elaborately.