Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, M.S.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Online MID-Semester Examination. Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2022

MEL445: AUTOMATION IN PRODUCTION (Slot – F)

Time: 60 Minutes (11:00 to 12:00 Hrs, excluding pdf upload time of 15 min.) Maximum Marks: 25 Marks

Instructions to Candidate:
(1) Answer ALL FIVE questions (2) All questions carry marks AS INDICATED.

(3) Support your answer with sketches wherever (4) Match of answers as per cases will lead to unfair
necessary. Use of calculator permitted means.

(5) Answer to each question should be Qualitative as (6) This is by default an Open book examination and
each addition of A4 size paper will create bulky PDF file hence copy of answers from available resources is
for online submission. discouraged. YOUR OWN understanding and YOUR
OWN answers are expected.

(7) Examinee Signature need to be appended in the (8) Clearly write page no., enrolment no., and name in
bottom right corner of all answer sheet. the top-right corner of all pages (see format at the
end).

Q.1 Draw a ladder logic diagram and a circuit that could be used with a conveyor belt which is
used to move an item to a work station. The presence of the item at the work station is detected by
means of breaking a contact activated by a beam of light to a photosensor. There the item stops for
100 s for an operation to be carried out before moving on and off the conveyor. The motor for the
belt conveyor is started by a normally open start switch and stopped by a normally closed switch.
(05 Marks)

Q.2 A stepper motor with 50 step angles is coupled to a leadscrew through a gear reduction of 5:1
(five rotations of the motor for each rotation of the leadscrew). The leadscrew has 1.25 threads/cm.
The worktable driven by the leadscrew must move a distance = 40.0 cm at a feed rate = 90 cm/min.
Determine (a) the number of pulses required to move the table, (b) required motor speed, and (c)
pulse rate to achieve the desired table speed.
(05 Marks)

Q.3 A digital-to-analog converter uses a reference voltage of 120 V DC and has eight binary digit
precision. In one of the sampling instants, the data contained in the binary register = 01010101. If
a zero-order hold is used to generate the output signal, determine the voltage level of that signal.
(05 Marks)
Q4.
i. What is the difference between a NTC thermistor and a PTC thermistor? A thermistor is more
suitable for measurement of temperature within a small range- justify.
(02 Marks)
ii. How would you measure level of a liquid inside a sealed tank? Explain with a schematic
arrangement any one of the methods.
(02 Marks)
iii. Cite an example, system which may require both Analog and Discrete Control?
(01 Marks)

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Q.5
i) What is the implied difference between “discrete automation” and “continuous automation”?
(02 Marks)
ii) Identify the signal conversion process required in the following cases:
a. A local controller (computer) is reading a limit switch
b. A local controller (computer) is reading a LVDT
c. A local controller (computer) controls the DC motor
d. A local controller (computer) controls the stepper motor
(02 Marks)
iii) At which automation level is ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) technology implemented?
(01 Marks)

---- End (Combined pdf attachment of A4 size papers with file name MT20***0**_GEN.pdf
is to be submitted as early as possible and as per college guidelines. Avoid last minute
submission) ----

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ANSWER SHEET format

PAGE No. 01/**

Enrolment No.: MT20***0**

Name: **************

Signature on Each page

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