Automatic control of processes is a field that has evolved extensively over theyears to reduce downtime, improve quality and increase the productivity ofprocesses in manufacturing industries. ÅF Consult is a consult organization thatprovides industrial solutions worldwide. In order to test equipment andintroduce employees and students to control systems, a PLC based lab station isnecessary. The methodology used in the project is based on a literature study,followed by the solution approach and finally an evaluation. A DistributedControl System setup using a Siemens S7-300 and a Siemens S7-400 PLC hasbeen developed. The PLCs communicate using PROFIBUS DP. The station isdivided into two major parts: a conveyor belt with transportation functionalityand a robotic arm with pick-and-place functionality. The station is providedwith equipment similar to systems currently used in paper and pulp industries.Existing solutions for unloading of paper reels in the paper and pulp industriesare non-universal due to extra equipment like pre-installed rails in trailers. Anautomated solution for unloading using a robotic arm is therefore presented,designed to reduce paper reel handling and to have the possibility to unload toany trailer. The lab station is implemented according to ÅF Consults demandsof a portable, field related station. The low budget resulted in cheap equipmentthat lack accuracy, mainly resulting in issues relating to the ability to control therobotic arm properly. The unloading solution is emulated as a lab task on thestation, showing that a control setup similar to the lab station would be a goodapproach for a real implementation solution.

The PLC is frequently used when implementing automated control, which is animportant part of many modern industries. This thesis has been carried out incollaboration with ÅF Consult in Sundsvall, who were in need of a PLC labstation for educational purposes. The overall aim of this thesis has been todesign and construct such a lab station and also to implement a solution forexternal monitoring and control possibilities. The methodology of this projecthas included a literary study, followed by the implementation of the actualsolutions and finally an evaluation of the project. The finished lab stationincludes a conveyor belt and a robotic arm controlled using two PLCs. Theconveyor belt is designed to be able to store, transport, differentiate and sortsmall cubes of various materials, and the robotic arm is designed as a pick-andplacedevice that can move the cubes between different positions on the labstation. The monitoring and control solution is set up using an OPC clientserverconnection on a PC and it provides a graphical user interface where thelab station can be monitored and controlled externally. The lab station offersdiverse functionality, but due to some inconsistency in the included equipmentit is not entirely reliable. The external monitoring and control solution alsoprovides good functionality, but the time frame of the project resulted in a lessextensive implementation than originally intended. The overall solutions are,however, considered to offer a functional and proper platform for educationalpurposes.