You’re tasked with selecting control engineering products for your project. What should you consider first?

At the beginning, I need to understand which parameters affect the process and how to control it. In next step I define machine/line capacity and make design. In design phase I calculate parameters of machine components (e.g. drives, robots, etc.). I can make simulation in 3D simulator where I test different condition. When I have machine design I can add sensors and safety inputs and calculate how powerful controller I need (how fast, how many I/O, memory, communication I/F, etc.).

What exactly do you want to achieve with your control system? The answer to this question, can help you define the control strategy that encompasses everything from the kinds of inputs/outputs, disturbances that may occur in the process, to the measurement of various parameters in the system that will enable you achieve the control goal. All this will guide you in choosing the right controller to achieve the desired control objective.

I’ve found that a good starting point is to speak to the systems operators, be it the system you may be working to improve or a similar system if you’re building from the ground up. Those with daily interaction can often give the most accurate point of view into how the machine operates, quite often they will also give the most honest and unbiased opinions on how to optimize the process.

Equally important is understanding system operation. Who is using it? how do they interact? What degree of freedom do they have in operation? How responsive are they to alarms? What does maintenance look like? What level of experience does maintenance have? These can all be collected through AGILE principles like user stories, but it can oftentes be difficult to separate what they ask for from what they're really asking for. The system is only as useful as the humans running it. You have to involve them in the design process as much as possible.

Esse artigo come?ou da forma certa e com as perguntas certas. Entender o sistema e seus requisitos s?o a base de tudo. Muitos dos meus clientes querem come?ar um projeto já codificando algo. Porém sabe-se que um projeto, do simples ao complexo, exige um mínimo de "Descida do V" para desenvolvimento.

For selecting software, return to your hardware requirements to select hardware that can run your software requirements. In controls systems hardware determines if your software has a subscription fee or if you have access to the software for free.

Start with the end goal What does the end user want? What is important to their plant or system? Is it cloud based, Maximise uptime or analytics? These questions drive the planning of any new control system to ensure the end user gets the resulting plant that they had envisaged in their mind before reaching out. Understanding what they want is key to delivering the correct product at the end and ensuring lasting relationships