PLC-Driven Dual Conveyor System for Separating Metal: A 3D Simulation Study Using Factory IO

The primary issue in today's industrial world is the need for higher efficiency and productivity through automation., particularly in material sorting processes. One of the challenges is the automatic separation of metal and non-metal materials. To address this., the aim of this research is to develop a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)-based conveyor system capable of automatically sorting materials., as well as verifying and optimizing the system through 3D simulation using Factory IO. This study employs an experimental method consisting of five stages: needs analysis., design., implementation., testing., and evaluation. The system utilizes a Siemens S7-1200 PLC integrated with the Factory IO simulator to control sensors and actuators., including optocouplers and inductive sensors. The results show that the system can accurately process both metal and non-metal materials., consistently identifying and sorting materials based on size and type. The time required to process rejected materials is an average of 20 seconds., while accepted materials take 41 seconds per cycle. The system was tested twice using different patterns., producing consistent performance in detecting and sorting materials.