Industrial Automation Control

What You Will Learn

• 1 Learn the foundational principles of industrial automation, including control system architectures, signal types, and the historical evolution from manual to fully automated production environments.
• 2 Understand programmable logic controllers (PLCs), their hardware components, scan cycle operation, and how they form the backbone of modern discrete and process control applications.
• 3 Explore human-machine interface (HMI) design principles, SCADA system architecture, and how operators interact with automated systems to monitor and control industrial processes.
• 4 Analyze industrial sensors and instrumentation, including measurement principles for temperature, pressure, flow, and level, and how accurate field data drives reliable control decisions.
• 5 Understand process control theory, including proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control, loop tuning strategies, and cascade and feedforward control configurations.
• 6 Apply industrial networking and communication protocols, including fieldbus systems, industrial Ethernet standards, and OPC-UA data exchange frameworks used in modern automation architectures.
• 7 Discover motion control and drive systems, including variable frequency drives, servo systems, and the principles governing speed, torque, and position control in automated machinery.
• 8 Understand industrial safety systems, including safety integrity levels (SIL), safety instrumented systems (SIS), functional safety standards under IEC 61511, and safety lifecycle management.
• 9 Explore distributed control systems (DCS) used in continuous process industries, their architecture, redundancy design, and how they differ from PLC-based discrete control systems.
• 10 Analyze industrial cybersecurity frameworks for operational technology (OT) environments, including the Purdue model, network segmentation strategies, and IEC 62443 compliance principles.
• 11 Develop skills in automation project management, including system design documentation, factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), and commissioning workflows.
• 12 Build proficiency in automation performance optimization, including overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) analysis, predictive maintenance frameworks, and continuous improvement strategies for automated systems.