Robotics & Automation Technician

In this course, students will learn direct current (DC) electrical theory and applications. This course is designed to teach students electrical circuit schematics and diagrams including charging and storage functions. This also includes circuit operations and electrical fundamentals, which will prepare the student for electrical functions, design, and troubleshooting. Students will design, calculate, build, and troubleshoot a variety of electrical circuits with the use or construction of an electrical schematic utilizing the proper testing equipment.

In this course, students will learn single phase, alternating current, electrical theory and principles, and their application to energy technology and power generation systems. Students will learn (AC) electrical circuit schematics and design, including AC electrical component operation, electrical fundamentals, circuit calculation, circuit design, circuit construction, and proper procedures for testing for advanced electrical functions and troubleshooting. Students will demonstrate complete lab projects, with the use of schematics, troubleshooting electrical faults, and disassembly of components for repair, testing, and inspections.

In this course, students will gain knowledge of the technology used in the field of manufacturing. The students will acquire an understanding of safety, automation processes, types, and uses of industrial robots, machine tools, and various other equipment within the field of automation. Students will be evaluated based on their knowledge through testing and lab projects.

Students will gain knowledge in mathematics, which will be applied to relevant subject areas throughout the program, including applications of formulas, conversions, imperial systems, metric systems, and other subject areas relevant to progress in the program. Additionally, students will learn physics concepts and calculations with relevance to the disciplines of industry.

In this course, the students will learn the proper use and interpretation of precision measuring devices such as dial indicators, micrometers, calipers, depth gauges, thread pitch gauges, etc., and the importance of precision measuring devices. This course will include both standard and metric tools, calculations, and additional technology that will be encountered in the field. Additionally, the students will learn about safety requirements while performing tasks on the job, including an understanding of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and certification. General lab safety and material handling will be covered as well as regulation compliance.

In this course, students will utilize the prior learning from DC and AC Electrical Theory to advance their knowledge of more advanced electrical circuits. Students will gain knowledge of electrical equipment such as; Programmable Logic Controllers, Variable Frequency Drives, servo motors, and 3-phase power. Power and control circuits will be built to support the student’s practical knowledge of electricity used in factory and process automation environments. Students will work on lab projects, with the use of schematics, troubleshooting electrical faults, repair, testing, and inspections.

Students will learn the basics of digital electronics by exploring semiconductors, numbering systems, logic gates, Boolean logic, and integrated circuits. Students will construct basic electronic circuits and further their learning by working on test instruments such as an oscilloscope to troubleshoot electronic equipment. Students will be evaluated using lab projects, demonstrations, and testing.

In this course, students will use the knowledge obtained from prior course content to build up their programming foundations to an industrial control level. Programming will be explored in reference to industry-specific control applications such as manufacturing and process control along with additional practical applications. Students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by completing lab projects which will be further developed for future applications in this program.

In this course, students will gain basic industrial networking knowledge with an emphasis on industrial automation systems. Networking and integration will be taught in respect to factory automation and process automation. Industrial networking will be defined and compared to the more wellknown computer-based network. The class will dive into open source and proprietary protocols, network types and topology, cabling, and advancements emerging with Industry 4.0. Network infrastructure and architecture will be explained, and students will begin to understand the importance of monitoring, reliability, and security within an industrial process. Learning about networking in an industrial environment is essential to troubleshooting machine communication and control problems. This foundation is crucial to working with the basic automation as well as the growing adoption of smart, automated systems in so many industries.

Students will gain knowledge of basic programming concepts that will be expanded in future courses. Understanding a general-purpose programming language will set the student up to learn how to work with a wide variety of applications including industrial controllers, motion control, robotics, and more. Numbering systems and terminology will be reviewed so that students can move into program flow, basic arithmetic, I/O, and hardware use. Students will use data types, functions, loops, and conditionals to gain operation knowledge of programming. Proper programming etiquette will be stressed as students complete a variety of projects that will challenge them to design, build from, and troubleshoot code.

The course teaches students about calibration, maintenance, and control strategies for process automation. Students will explore devices that measure temperature, pressure, level, and flow as well as the associated terms and diagrams used in industry. The course will cover workplace safety, process monitoring, controller tuning, device calibration, system maintenance, and adjustable control parameters such as the proportional, integral, and derivatives. Testing and troubleshooting of industrial instrumentation devices and process control applications will be practiced and evaluated. Students will become aware of all areas involved with instrumentation and process control and how it fits in with areas like industrial networking and the larger automation industry.

Students will gain knowledge of industrial robotic systems, programming methods, safety, and maintenance. Students will explore robot operations, set up frames, write/execute/modify programs, robot integration, and system troubleshooting. The programming of these robots will be done hands-on with the equipment as well as through leading industry simulation software just as it is done in the field. Students will demonstrate the operation, programming, and troubleshooting of industrial robots and will be evaluated based on their knowledge through testing and lab projects.

In this course, students will gain basic knowledge of Computer Aided Design software and mechanical drawings. This course will cover 2D and 3D designs, symbols, lines, types of views, title block information, dimensioning and tolerances. Students will work with a variety of technical tooling to replicate components, create models for application, and design drawing layouts based on drawing standards. The students will bring these designs to life utilizing additive manufacturing equipment, which they will work hands on with to prepare both file and equipment for printing. Software parameters and equipment settings will be discussed and practiced as students will test their ability to meet specified criteria for design and editing.

This course will work on advancing the student’s ability to program the equipment covered in past courses. Students will program, integrate, and troubleshoot equipment that was covered in courses such as instrumentation and control, industrial networking, programmable logic controllers, industrial robotics, and mechanical systems, as well as their electrical and electronics courses. Motion control, feedback, integration, and interfacing will be a focus as the students are faced with more advanced projects than they have seen before. The course will focus on advanced manufacturing applications and on electromechanical equipment. The students will be evaluated based on their knowledge through testing and lab projects.

In this course, students will apply prior course knowledge to learn about SCADA systems. Students will use industrial control equipment to fully embed technology such as conveyer belts, sorting operations, and robotic arms. Students will use industry software to simulate and design their own facility. The goal of this course is to fully automate an environment so that it can be operated and controlled with an HMI (human machine interface).