As industrialization levels continue to rise globally, industrial enterprises worldwide are striving to design, strengthen, improve, and upgrade their automated production capabilities. From early manual workshops to semi-automatic and fully automated large-scale mechanized production, and now to robots replacing manual labor in some areas, the companies and countries that possess the most advanced automated production equipment and capabilities will be the future world leaders!
PLC , also known as Programmable Logic Controller, is the most important part of electrical control in automation control. It is now widely used in textiles, metallurgy, automobile production, food and beverage, electronics manufacturing, chemical industry, power plants, papermaking, oil extraction, mechanical design, national defense and other fields. Learning PLC programming can help you in the following ways in life and in building your knowledge base.
First, it can improve your computer skills.
Learning PLC programming begins with mastering the installation and uninstallation of various PLC and touchscreen software. Typing is also essential. Understanding and using the software's menus is equivalent to learning the basics of computer skills. Some people only know how to click with a mouse, which ultimately makes them computer illiterate. To learn PLC programming effectively, you need to use both the keyboard and mouse. Regarding computer hardware, you'll naturally learn the required specifications, serial ports, and external interfaces during the learning process.
Second, I naturally learned English well.
The PLC software's instructions LD (load) , OR, ANB (and block), SET, DMOV (double move), along with the English help files and manuals, force you to memorize these words and technical terms.
Third, it's equivalent to getting started with your knowledge of computer languages and microcontroller programming languages.
The mnemonics (instruction list) of PLCs , ST high-level programming language, touch screen macro instructions, and D scripts are actually the prototypes of computer C language and microcontroller assembly language. Many instruction codes have the same function and effect. The binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal, bit elements, word elements, arrays, bytes, 16-bit binary signed integers, 16-bit binary unsigned integers, 32-bit floating-point numbers, etc. used in PLC programming are completely consistent with the international standards of computer languages.
Fourth, learn electrical engineering knowledge and electronic technology.
Many beginners to PLC programming lack basic electrical engineering knowledge and electronic skills. However, through gradual learning and application, they also learn about circuit self-locking, interlocking, self-holding, AND gates, OR gates, NOT gates, PWM circuits, and source-sink type PLC input circuits, etc.
Fifth, improve logical thinking skills.
To write a complete and systematic electrical program for mechanical equipment, one must have a thorough understanding of the equipment's actions and processes. To achieve the equipment's functions, one must first select relevant electrical materials and component models, draw circuit diagrams, connect and install the wiring, conduct preliminary debugging, write and refine the program, and once the equipment's performance objectives are met, one must write an operation manual, organize and archive the data, etc. At the same time, ensuring the logical relationships between the various variables used in the program are reasonable and free from contradictions can enhance the logical thinking ability of programming learners.
Sixth, by drawing inferences from one instance to another, one can gradually become familiar with, and even master, the production processes of machinery, pneumatics, hydraulics, and various products.
When dealing with equipment, you inevitably come into contact with these components: dividers, robotic arms, electric cylinders, solenoid valves, proportional valves, transmitters, hydraulic transmissions, and so on. You must understand the process flow and the technical parameters that the equipment guarantees, and have a clear grasp of all of these.
7. It improved my self-learning ability.
I often encounter students or people wanting to learn PLC programming saying, "I want to learn Omron PLC programming," "I want to learn Delta PLC programming," "I want to learn Panasonic PLC programming," "I want to learn servo programming," and so on. I can immediately tell they don't understand programming or haven't delved into the course content. Most people who have successfully learned programming start with a Mitsubishi, Siemens, or Omron series PLC. After understanding the principles of that type of PLC, other types are basically similar. This is just like learning to drive; once you learn one type of car, you can figure out how to drive others. Many people consider servo drives to be the most technologically advanced new industrial control equipment. In reality, servos are only slightly more complex than frequency converters; their functions are basically the same, just with higher control precision than stepper motors and frequency converters. Learning servos is simply adjusting parameters and connecting circuits, just like with frequency converters—much simpler than learning PLC programming. To truly master programming, besides having a good, experienced teacher who explains the relevant knowledge in a simple and easy-to-understand way, students also need to practice extensively to solidify their learning. Furthermore, they need to strengthen their self-learning abilities. Understanding how to flexibly apply what they've learned to practice and work requires gradual personal development and understanding.
