Engineering · PLC · Project 12 of 15 · Process and level · Level 2

Bottle filling station

Place a bottle, press START, the valve opens for 3 seconds and a DONE lamp lights until you remove the bottle.

Learning model only. This page teaches the program logic. A real machine needs a proper control panel with an isolator, fuses, motor protection and a hard-wired emergency stop. Mains and motor wiring is for qualified electricians. A PLC output never drives a motor directly.

You will learn

SET and RESET coils: DONE is switched on by one rung and only cleared by another. This is another way to remember an event, and it is the form used in alarm and batch programs.

How it works

Click the bottle to place it under the nozzle.
Press START. The valve opens for 3 s and the bottle fills.
DONE lights. Remove the bottle to clear it.

In real life

Bottling lines, dosing machines, sauce and oil fillers.

Inputs, outputs and addresses

The same signals on seven PLC brands. Inputs and outputs are numbered in order; check your own hardware and software, because addresses depend on the model and module position.

Name	What it is	Type	Siemens S7-1200	Allen-Bradley CompactLogix	Mitsubishi iQ-F FX5U	Delta DVP / AS	Omron CP2E	Schneider M241	Inovance H5U
START	START push-button	Input	`%I0.0`	`Local:1:I.Data.0`	`X0`	`X0`	`0.00`	`%IX0.0`	`X0`
STOP	STOP push-button (N.C.)	Input	`%I0.1`	`Local:1:I.Data.1`	`X1`	`X1`	`0.01`	`%IX0.1`	`X1`
BOTTLE	Bottle present sensor	Input	`%I0.2`	`Local:1:I.Data.2`	`X2`	`X2`	`0.02`	`%IX0.2`	`X2`
VALVE	Filling valve	Output	`%Q0.0`	`Local:2:O.Data.0`	`Y0`	`Y0`	`100.00`	`%QX0.0`	`Y0`
DONE	Done lamp	Output	`%Q0.1`	`Local:2:O.Data.1`	`Y1`	`Y1`	`100.01`	`%QX0.1`	`Y1`

Ladder diagram (shown for Siemens, live state)

Green wires carry power in the moment captured below. Switch the brand and the language in the simulator.

Structured text, Siemens SCL

(* Siemens S7-1200, CPU 1214C DC/DC/DC - TIA Portal - SCL *)
(* Rung 1: Fill while the bottle is present *)
"FILLING" := ("START" OR "FILLING") AND "STOP" AND "BOTTLE" AND NOT "DONE";
(* Rung 2: Fill time (3 s) *)
"T1"(IN := "FILLING", PT := T#3s);
(* Rung 3: Open the valve *)
"VALVE" := "FILLING";
(* Rung 4: Set DONE when the time is up *)
IF "T1".Q THEN "DONE" := TRUE; END_IF;
(* Rung 5: Clear DONE when the bottle is removed *)
IF NOT "BOTTLE" THEN "DONE" := FALSE; END_IF;

Structured text, Allen-Bradley

(* Allen-Bradley CompactLogix 5069 (L306ER) - Studio 5000 Logix Designer - Structured Text *)
(* Rung 1: Fill while the bottle is present *)
FILLING := (START OR FILLING) AND STOP AND BOTTLE AND NOT DONE;
(* Rung 2: Fill time (3 s) *)
Timer1.PRE := 3000;   (* ms *)
Timer1.TimerEnable := FILLING;
TONR(Timer1);
(* Rung 3: Open the valve *)
VALVE := FILLING;
(* Rung 4: Set DONE when the time is up *)
IF Timer1.DN THEN DONE := TRUE; END_IF;
(* Rung 5: Clear DONE when the bottle is removed *)
IF NOT BOTTLE THEN DONE := FALSE; END_IF;

Try this

Remove the bottle in the middle of filling to see the valve stop.
Change the time to 5 s.

Parts to buy

The links open a search on each store, so you see what is in stock today. Check the model, voltage and price before you order.

#	Item	Buy / compare
1	PLC	Amazon.in · IndiaMART · Robu.in
2	Bottle sensor	Amazon.in · IndiaMART · Robu.in
3	Solenoid valve	Amazon.in · IndiaMART · Robu.in
4	START and STOP buttons	Amazon.in · IndiaMART · Robu.in

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This is a learning tool. It teaches the logic, not the exact keystrokes of each vendor’s software. Check the manual of your own PLC.