Industrial Automation

Robots at work. PLCs, industrial networks, industrial robot applications, robot cell design and safety, and Industry 4.0.

• PLC Programming (IEC 61131-3) — Programmable logic controllers run factories and machines. Learn PLC hardware (CPU, I/O, racks, remote I/O), the scan cycle, the five IEC 61131-3 languages (Ladder, Function Block Diagram, Structured Text, Instruction List, Sequential Function Chart), contacts and coils, seal-in circuits, timers (TON/TOF/TP), counters, edge detection, analog scaling, state machines, and good practice — with a Python model of a PLC scan.
• Industrial Communication: HART, Modbus, Fieldbus & OPC UA — How instruments, controllers and computers talk. Learn the automation pyramid, HART, Modbus RTU/TCP (function codes, registers, CRC), PROFIBUS/PROFINET, Foundation Fieldbus, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, IO-Link, wireless (WirelessHART, ISA100), OPC UA and MQTT for IIoT, determinism, topologies and cybersecurity — with Python that builds a real Modbus frame and decodes a float.
• Industrial Robots — Industrial robots automate welding, handling, painting and assembly. Learn robot types and specifications (payload, reach, repeatability), programming methods (teach pendant, offline), cell design, safety standards, collaborative robots and ROI.
• Industrial Robot Cells, Safety & Automation Systems — Putting robots to work on the factory floor. Learn robot cell design (layout, fixtures, feeders, conveyors, end-of-arm tooling and grippers), robot programming (teach pendant, offline programming and simulation, digital twins), integration with PLCs, I/O and fieldbuses, cycle time and throughput analysis, OEE, safety standards (ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, ISO 13849 performance levels, ISO 13855 safety distances), risk assessment and safeguarding (fences, light curtains, scanners, collaborative modes), commissioning, maintenance, and the business case (ROI) — with Python computing a light-curtain safety distance, OEE-based throughput and payback.
• Industry 4.0, IIoT, Digital Twins & Predictive Maintenance — The connected, intelligent factory. Learn the industrial revolutions, cyber-physical systems, IIoT architecture (sensors → edge → cloud), protocols (OPC UA, MQTT), data and analytics, digital twins and virtual commissioning, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance (vibration, thermal, oil analysis, remaining useful life), collaborative robots, additive manufacturing, AR, cybersecurity and business impact — with Python predicting a bearing's time to failure from vibration trends.