BENE 4233 - Industrial Control

Assignment #2
As an illustration of the use of a sequential function chart to describe a program involving
sequential control of pneumatic valves and cylinders, consider the situation in which we
have two cylinders with the required piston sequence A. A, A, B and then
simultaneously A and B, that is, piston A moves out to full stroke, then it retracts,
then it is switched on again to full stroke, then B is switched on to full stroke, and then
simultaneously both A and B retract (Figure 1a).The sequential function chart for the
program is shown in Figure1b.

A A A+
Start

Start switch

Step 1 A+

A+ limit switch
A+ A

Step 2 A

A limit switch

B B B+ Step 3 A+

A+ limit switch

Step 4 B+

B+ limit switch
B+ B

Step 5 A Step 6 B

(a)

A AND B limit switch

End
(b)

Figure 1: Piston sequence B, B, B, A and then, simultaneously, A and B.