Automation Engineering Course

Lesson 1 • Safety and Standards in Automation

Introduces functional safety principles and international standards governing automated equipment. Grounds students in compliance requirements before hands-on design work.

Lesson 2 • Core Components of Automated Systems

Identifies sensors, actuators, controllers, and communication links as fundamental building blocks. Provides a component-level understanding essential for system design.

Lesson 3 • Automation System Architectures

Examines hierarchical and distributed control architectures used in industrial plants. Connects system structure to operational efficiency and scalability.

Lesson 1 • DC Circuit Analysis

Covers voltage, current, resistance, and power relationships in direct-current circuits. Provides the mathematical foundation for understanding control panel wiring.

Lesson 2 • Reading and Creating Electrical Schematics

Teaches standard symbols, drawing conventions, and schematic interpretation skills. Enables students to read control panel drawings and create basic wiring diagrams.

Lesson 3 • Electronic Components and Circuits

Introduces diodes, transistors, and op-amps as building blocks of control electronics. Links component behavior to signal conditioning and interface circuits.

Lesson 4 • AC Circuit Principles

Explains alternating current waveforms, impedance, and power factor in industrial contexts. Prepares students to work with motor drives and power distribution systems.

Lesson 1 • Position, Proximity, and Level Sensing

Examines inductive, capacitive, optical, and ultrasonic sensors for discrete and continuous detection. Provides selection criteria for machine and process automation scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Pressure and Flow Measurement

Covers differential pressure, gauge, and absolute pressure sensors alongside flow measurement technologies. Builds competency in selecting instruments for fluid and gas processes.

Lesson 3 • Sensor Calibration and Validation

Introduces calibration procedures, traceability, and uncertainty analysis for industrial instruments. Connects calibration practice to quality and regulatory compliance requirements.

Lesson 4 • Signal Conditioning and Transmission

Explains amplification, filtering, isolation, and 4–20 mA/HART signal standards. Ensures students can interface field devices to controllers without signal degradation.

Lesson 1 • PLC Commissioning and Troubleshooting

Covers online monitoring, force functions, diagnostic buffers, and systematic fault-finding methods. Prepares students to commission and maintain PLC systems in live plant environments.

Lesson 2 • Timers, Counters, and Data Handling

Teaches timer and counter instructions alongside data move, compare, and math operations. Builds the instruction set needed for real-world sequence and batch control programs.

Lesson 3 • IEC 61131-3 Programming Languages

Covers Ladder Diagram, Function Block Diagram, Structured Text, and Instruction List languages. Enables students to choose the appropriate language for each control task.

Lesson 4 • Program Structure and Modular Design

Introduces program organization units, tasks, and modular programming best practices. Promotes maintainable, reusable code structures for complex automation projects.

Lesson 1 • PID Controller Design and Tuning

Explains proportional, integral, and derivative actions and their combined effect on process response. Covers manual and auto-tuning methods for real industrial loops.

Lesson 2 • Discrete and Batch Process Control

Addresses sequential logic, state machines, and ISA-88 batch control standards for recipe-driven processes. Connects continuous control knowledge to discrete manufacturing contexts.

Lesson 3 • Fundamentals of Feedback Control

Introduces open-loop and closed-loop control concepts, block diagrams, and transfer functions. Establishes the mathematical language used throughout process control design.

Lesson 4 • Process Simulation and Loop Testing

Uses simulation tools to model process dynamics and validate controller designs before plant deployment. Reduces commissioning risk by identifying tuning issues in a virtual environment.

Lesson 1 • Network Design and Cybersecurity Basics

Teaches network segmentation, firewall placement, and patch management for industrial control systems. Establishes a security-aware mindset before students work on connected automation projects.

Lesson 2 • Industrial Wireless Networks

Covers WirelessHART, ISA100, and Wi-Fi standards for industrial environments. Addresses coexistence, reliability, and security challenges unique to wireless automation.

Lesson 3 • Fieldbus Technologies

Compares PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, Modbus, and Foundation Fieldbus in terms of topology and performance. Provides the basis for selecting legacy and modern fieldbus solutions.

Lesson 4 • OPC UA and Data Modeling

Introduces OPC UA architecture, information models, and secure client-server communication. Bridges field-level data to enterprise systems and IIoT platforms.

Lesson 1 • Data Acquisition and Historian Systems

Explains tag configuration, scan rates, compression algorithms, and historian query methods. Enables students to implement data collection systems that support analytics and reporting.

Lesson 2 • SCADA System Architecture

Describes SCADA components including RTUs, communication servers, and historian databases. Provides the structural knowledge needed to design scalable monitoring solutions.

Lesson 3 • Alarm Management and Rationalization

Covers alarm philosophy, rationalization, and key performance indicators per industry best practices. Addresses alarm flood prevention and operator workload management.

Lesson 4 • HMI Screen Design Principles

Applies human factors and situational awareness principles to create effective operator displays. Directly reduces operator error and improves response time during abnormal situations.

Lesson 1 • Robot Programming and Path Planning

Teaches teach-pendant programming, offline simulation, and path optimization techniques. Enables students to create efficient, collision-free robot programs for assembly and handling tasks.

Lesson 2 • Multi-Axis Coordinated Motion

Covers electronic gearing, cam profiles, and synchronized multi-axis motion using motion controllers. Prepares students to design coordinated motion for packaging and assembly machines.

Lesson 3 • Industrial Robot Fundamentals

Covers robot classifications, kinematics, workspace analysis, and end-effector selection. Establishes the mechanical and spatial understanding needed for robot programming.

Lesson 4 • Collaborative Robots and Vision Guidance

Introduces collaborative robot safety, force-torque sensing, and vision-guided pick-and-place. Extends traditional robot knowledge to flexible, human-adjacent automation applications.