Stourbridge College's new GBP 8 million Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) has recently taken delivery of building and industrial automation training kits from leading automation supplier. switchgear sp.

Stourbridge College's new GBP 8 million Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) has recently taken delivery of building and industrial automation training kits from leading automation and switchgear specialist, Moeller. The centre, located at the Waterfront Business Park, Brierley Hill in the West Midlands and opened in September 2001, is the base for all Stourbridge College's built environment courses. It is equipped with state-of-the-art information and communications technology.

The ATC also runs courses for industrial control engineers, and as a part of its City and Guilds courses it has launched a new course called 'Introduction to Moeller Programmable Logic Controllers' as a natural progression from its existing Moeller's switchgear-based course on contactor control.

As a basis for this course, the ATC has selected Moeller's PS4 programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and an Easy 620 relay.

The course training kits comprise six PS4 PLCs and training boards, three system simulators and one Easy 620-DC-TC mounted in an F and G Concept 2000 board complete with an Easy power 0.5 power supply.

The system simulators provide students with the experience of programming the PLC with realistic industrial control examples such as silo control, goods lifts and conveyor motors.

The Easy relay can be programmed using Easy soft 3.1, which can be run on a PC or lap-top.

Students developing their own programs can down load it into the Easy trolley mounted demonstrator, where the results of their labours can be shown with, for example, the actuation of lights or motors.

On the College's 50 inch plasma display screens the student's programs or examples of programs can be shown to the class and analysed line by line.

The Easy relays can be programmed simply via touch buttons and an LCD screen.

Bob Hughes, course director, said: 'From my experience in industry, applied automation skills such as PLC programming are absolutely essential for our students to compete in the market place.

Moeller, with its industry-renowned name in automation and switchgear, together with user friendly functionality, yet sophisticated equipment is the ideal partner for our new automation courses.' Aimed at fledgling engineers who have completed the Introduction to Moeller PLCs course, an applied drives course is planned to commence at the ATC in the near future.

Based on Moeller's popular Optidrive, the course will serve as a comprehensive introduction to the programming of drives for applications such as ramped start-ups of motors in conveyors and controlled motor acceleration and deceleration.

Hughes added: 'The course on drives is a logical extension to the course on PLCs and enables our students to acquire the prerequisite skills to contribute to industry, providing students with a competitive edge in pursuit of their desired engineering career.'