Automation degrees power new Penn College electronics lab

The addition of two automation engineering technology baccalaureate degrees is powering a new electronics laboratory at Penn College. The lab is equipped with 16 student-installed Programmable Logic Controller stations (featuring both Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLCs), four Kuka industrial robots and a conveyer system. “We recruited the whole class that came in now, these freshmen, without having that lab,” said Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies. “So having that lab now is just going to add another layer of excitement. They can see all the learning stations. They can see the robots. They can see the conveyer system.” The lab is for the “tomorrow makers” seeking an automation degree in either mechatronics or robotics.