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Outcome — placement offered. Starts 6 July 2026.

Placement Interview · 9 April 2026 · Bosch Rexroth

Automation,
from first principles.

An 11-slide pitch built end-to-end on Bosch Rexroth's open-source stack. Same closed loop as my plant waterer — moisture in, water out — but driven by ctrlX CORE, sized in the configurator, programmed in PLC Engineering, and orchestrated from Python.

Role
Author, designer, builder
Audience
Bosch Rexroth — placement interview panel
Output
11-slide deck · live virtual-machine demo · placement offer

The deck

All eleven slides, interactive.

Use the arrow keys, click the navigation arrows, or open in fullscreen. The deck is the original 1920×1080 design — scaled to fit the viewport.

Slide index

How the argument is structured.

  1. 01CoverAutomation, from first principles.
  2. 02About mePractical automation, learnt collaboratively.
  3. 03ProjectPlant waterer — the closed loop, scaled down.
  4. 04Solid MechanicsWhy first-principles thinking shapes the demo.
  5. 05Product OneMS2N servos + ctrlX drive for a dual-axis gantry.
  6. 06Configurator democtrlX configurator: motors, drive, apps.
  7. 07ArchitecturePython script ↔ Data Layer API ↔ PLC ↔ ctrlX CORE VM.
  8. 08Smart Function KitReprogrammable pressing, force-controlled.
  9. 09LinSelect demoSizing the kit from real requirements.
  10. 10MoccamasterFlexibility made concrete: model-aware test rig.
  11. 11What I'm looking forThree things I'd take away. Three things I'd bring.

Stack

What it's actually built on.

Hardware

  • MS2N servo motors (×2)
  • ctrlX drive (single-unit, dual-axis)
  • ctrlX CORE controller (virtualised)
  • Smart Function Kit for Pressing

Software

  • ctrlX configurator
  • PLC Engineering
  • ctrlX Data Layer API (REST)
  • LinSelect (kit sizing)
  • Python (host-side simulation)

Build process

  • Sized motors + drive in configurator
  • Wrote jog logic in PLC Engineering
  • Bridged Python ↔ Data Layer over REST
  • Ran the loop against a virtual ctrlX CORE

Closing

Three things I'd bring, and three things I'd take away.

01

Real-world experience

Engineering theory I'm being taught, applied to industrial kit — not just the worked example in the lecture.

02

A learning environment

The Rexroth Academy and the depth of materials online are staggering. The fact I could pull this demo together from those resources alone says a lot.

03

Teamwork

I do my best thinking out loud with other engineers. Pairing in tutorials is how I learn fastest.

Thanks. Questions welcome — zs828@bath.ac.uk.

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