News Blogs

The Basics of PLC Programming - Part 3

November 04, 2019

In this installment of the Practicing PLC Technician Series, we continue our investigation into some of the ladder logic instructions that are based on real world field equipment familiar to the technicians of today. We have covered virtual coils and contacts, as well as timer instructions used for time driven program segments. Here we will be taking a look at a simple Event Driven program segment using another staple of relay logic control systems, the drum sequencer. This real world contr

The Basics of PLC Programming - Part 2

September 06, 2019

In our last installment of the Practicing PLC Technician Series, we began to look at some of the similarities between relay logic control circuits and plc ladder logic programming. Over the next few blogs, we will further examine some additional instructions that are based on real world field equipment or devices that have been included in the ladder logic programming approach available for programming modern PLC’s.

Basic Instructions and Operation of a PLC - Part 1

July 22, 2019

In this installment of the Practicing PLC Technician series, we are going to look at the basic structure of a PLC and how it operates.

What Are the Different Types of PLC Programming Languages

May 14, 2019

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are general-purpose control devices often used in plants or manufacturing systems. They provide both a useful and efficient control solution for a variety of applications, and can accept inputs from a variety of devices, such as motion detectors, joysticks and buttons, amongst others. In turn, PLCs are able to produce outputs that control lights, motors and sound effects, amongst others.

File Based Addressing Tips - Part II

April 18, 2019

In our second installment of the Practicing PLC Technician series, we continue our examination of the basics of File Based Addressing for students and practicing PLC technicians. In our last article, we examined the overall data file system used. We defined the default file types used in files 0 – 8. We then moved on to discuss the default data files specifically relating to inputs and outputs. Each of these files is comprised of memory locations made up of 16 bit words. Each word corres

File Based Addressing Tips - Part I

March 26, 2019

This is the first in a series of brief articles discussing important topics specific to PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) technicians and technician students preparing for a role in an increasingly automated workforce. In this series we will be discussing skills and knowledge unique to the understanding of PLC’s.

Five Common Issues with PLCs & How to Solve Them

March 25, 2019

PLCs are digital electronic devices that contain programmable memory that can store a series of instructions. As PLCs have increased in functionality and decreased in cost, they have become mainstream in the world of automated systems, and have become fundamental to monitor and control both individual machines and complex processes.

What Are the Essential Elements of a PLC System?

December 11, 2018

The world of manufacturing has been changing rapidly over the past decade. Processes are largely automated and as a result, the quality of products that are produced and the efficiency of systems that produce them is at an unprecedented level.