Industrial Automation & PLC Programming

A-Basic Information

Semester number 6
Semester type Spring Semester
Study year Third Year
Course code ELEC 603
Academic year 2023/2024
Program name Control / Robotics / Manufacturing / Pharmaceutical
Department offering the course Electrical Engineering
Specialization Communications and Electronics
Type of course Mandatory
Number of sessions/week 1 lecture/week and 1.5 labs/week
Weekly contact hours 2 hours of lecture time and 3 hours of lab time
Student workload 150 ECTS
Credit points (ECTS) 5

B- Professional Information
Course Description
This is a course that explores automation and the digital transformation in Industry 4.0, with focus
on PLC programming. It is offered at the GIU for mechanical engineering (robotics and
manufacturing programs), electrical engineering (control program), as well as pharmaceutical
engineering. This course introduces the history of automation and main layouts and features of
PLCs, DCS, as compared to traditional control systems. Hardware structure of PLCs, their I/O
interfaces and how to connect them to the real world will be investigated. Mainly, Siemens S7-1200
series will be used for illustration; however, students will be exposed to other PLCs, as well. Using
different programming languages, such as LAD, FBD, and SCL will be covered, with focus on
developing algorithms and understanding the different communication and control methodologies.
A delicate balance between simulations and practical realizations will be adopted. Students will
learn using the built-in HMI, the TIA portal, and the practical-based projects to construct industrial-
like applications, using a variety of analog and digital ranges of sensors and actuators.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course the student will have gained the following skills:

a. Knowledge & Understanding

a1. Explain the need for automation
a2. Describe the structure of PLCs and their communication protocols
a2. Extend their digital logic knowledge and soft programming skills to program PLCs
a3. Choose among different programing languages, depending on the nature of the projects
a5. Integrate a variety of analog/digital sensors/actuators in control applications
 (Prof. Ashraf Zaher) SS24 – Industrial Automation & PLC Programming – 6th Semester – Electrical Engg. 2023/2024

b. Professional & Practical skills

b1. Use PLCs for implementing automated industrial-like applications
b2. Simulate event-based control applications, using HMIs and other software tools
b3. Interface standard hardware components to PLCs

c. Intellectual skills
c1. Use simulations to generate digital-twins and to verify practical operations
c2. Investigate the innerworkings of the PLCs and their timing diagrams
c3. Develop low-cost and fully automated solutions to practical problems
c4. Illustrate the correlation between PLC, DCS, and other types of control systems

d. General and transferable skills

d1. Customize different programming techniques, when programming PLC
d2. Research the integration of PLCs with both analog and digital controllers
d3. Explore the addition of more wireless capabilities, i.e. IIoT-ready
d4. Investigate the use of advanced techniques related to MATLAB and Simulink

Teaching Hours
Week Topic Lecture Lab
1 Automation and the industrial revolutions 2 0
2 Introduction to ICS, PLCs, DCS, and SCADA 2 3
3 Structure of PLC systems: hardware, sensors, and actuators 2 3
4 Siemens S7-1200 and TIA 2 3
5 IEC-61131 standards (LAD, FBD, and SCL) 2 3
6 Basic Examples using relay logic and equivalents 2 3
Review - midterm exam - -
7 Different PLC Programming techniques & HMI 2 3
8 Using timers and counters in PLCs 2 3
9 Applications, using digital I/Os 2 3
10 Applications, using analog I/Os 2 3
11 Applications, using mixed signal, analog and digital I/Os 2 3
12 Current practices, future trends, and introduction to IIoT 2 3
Review – final exam - 3

Learning and Teaching Methods

Lectures and tutorials/labs, using a computer-based approach

Facilities required for teaching & learning

• Lecture hall equipped with microphones, computer, white board and markers
• Internet connection
• A dedicated PLC lab, with Siemens S7-1200 modules and TIA software package,
integrated with additional PCs, with MATLAB/Simulink for advanced integration
of this course with other courses in control engineering

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 (Prof. Ashraf Zaher) SS24 – Industrial Automation & PLC Programming – 6th Semester – Electrical Engg. 2023/2024

Assessment
• Lab experiments: 30%
• Quizzes: 20%
• Midterm exam: 20%
• Final exam: 30%

References
• Introduction to Industrial Automation, Manesis and Nikolakopoulos
• Automating Manufacturing Systems with PLCs, Hugh Jack
• IEC 61131-3: Programming Industrial Automation Systems, John and Tiegelkamp
• https://new.siemens.com/global/en/company/sustainability/education/sce.html
• Special handouts (lab experiments) – supplied by the instructor

C- Administrative Information
Course Coordinator Contact Information
Course Coordinator: Prof. Ashraf Zaher
E-mail: ashraf.zaher@giu-uni.de
Office: S1-406

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