First runner-up at PLC Design Competition SEA 2023

A team of four students, namely Khor Yin Loon, Chong Kai Wen, Ong Li Kang and Chin Jin Yuan from UTAR Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science emerged as first runner-up winners at the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Design Competition South East Asia (SEA) 2023, which was held from 15 June 2023 to 24 June 2023 via Microsoft Teams. The team walked away with SGD150 and a certificate each.

Organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Student Chapter in collaboration with Republic Polytechnic, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, and the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), the competition required participants to use their imagination and their analytical skills to invent, design, and eventually turn their ideas into products while competing against students from other Southeast Asian countries. Workshops were also provided on 17 and 21 June 2023 to guide students on how to operate the automation software.

The competition required the participants to design an automatic bottle-filling system using the PLC. Hence, the team came up with the “Automatic bottle filling system”. The system included proximity sensors, push buttons, motors, timers, and counters to ensure the bottle-filling process is carried out smoothly. The system had to fulfil specific requirements which included transporting the empty bottle, cleaning it with water and filling it with liquid in accordance to the volume of bottle, capping and finally, packaging.

Feeling grateful, the team said, “We are thrilled and humbled by our victory! From the outset, we had a strong belief in our abilities, but as the competition day unfolded and we saw the impressive lineup of teams from Singapore and other Malaysian universities, our confidence wavered a little. The competition question turned out to be deceptively simple, but we knew we had to think outside the box and approach it from unique angles. Team synergy and unique perspectives led us to success. Heartfelt thanks to our dedicated teammates. As the submission deadline approached, we knew we had given it our all, and we resigned ourselves to fate, hoping for the best outcome.”

The team also added advice for their fellow juniors, “To future juniors, embrace your academic journey, follow your passion, explore thoroughly, and work diligently. Success comes from determination and embracing new perspectives. Dream big, learn continuously, and achieve greatness together!”

Khor

Chong

Ong

Chin

Certificates of achievement