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EDWartens UK

Free course · AI and machine learning

AI for PLC Programming: Structured Text, TIA Portal and Siemens Eigen

Use ChatGPT, Claude, local models and Siemens' TIA Portal agent to write, convert, document and test PLC code without trusting it blindly: Structured Text and SCL, specifications an AI can follow, importing generated code into TIA Portal, ladder and legacy conversion, CODESYS and TwinCAT interfaces, tag and alarm lists, simulation in PLCSIM and Factory I/O, TcUnit tests, a code review checklist and a team AI policy.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Intermediate
Modules
13
Video
18 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain what an AI model can and cannot safely do in PLC work; refresh Structured Text and write CASE state machines and function blocks; write an I/O list, sequence and interlock table an AI can follow; generate SCL with ChatGPT or Claude, import it into TIA Portal and fix its compile errors; translate and explain ladder, FBD, STL and Rockwell code and prove the conversion with test cases; evaluate Siemens' Engineering Copilot TIA and Eigen Engineering Agent; use interfaces and methods in CODESYS and TwinCAT as prompts; generate tag tables, alarm lists and comments and check them; test AI code in PLCSIM, CODESYS and Factory I/O and with TcUnit unit tests; review code against a written checklist that covers scan time, race conditions, retentive data and safety; and set up a prompt library and an AI use policy for a controls team.

  • Decide which PLC tasks to give an AI model and which never to, and why safety logic stays out
  • Write an I/O list, sequence, interlock table and alarm list that an AI can code from without guessing
  • Generate SCL with ChatGPT or Claude, import it into TIA Portal as an external source and fix its errors
  • Convert ladder, STL and Rockwell code with AI and prove the conversion with input sequences
  • Evaluate Siemens' Eigen Engineering Agent (formerly Engineering Copilot TIA) on real tasks
  • Use CODESYS and TwinCAT interfaces as prompts, and give agents least-privilege tools
  • Test AI code in PLCSIM, CODESYS and Factory I/O, and with TcUnit unit tests
  • Review AI code against a checklist: double writes, edges, wiring sense, loops, retentive data and security

Software

CODESYS V3.5 (free) with its built-in simulator; the TIA Portal and PLCSIM trial licences from Siemens; Factory I/O (trial); TwinCAT 3 XAE (free download) with the open-source TcUnit library; a free tier of ChatGPT or Claude; Ollama (free) for a local model. The Siemens Eigen Engineering Agent has a one-month trial and is optional.

Hardware

A Windows PC that runs TIA Portal or CODESYS (16 GB of RAM is comfortable). No PLC is needed; everything runs in simulation. A local model needs more memory or a GPU; a cloud model needs none.

Syllabus

13 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1What AI can and cannot do for a PLC programmer3 lessons
  2. 2Structured Text refresher for AI work: types, function blocks and CASE state machines4 lessons
  3. 3Writing a PLC specification an AI can follow: I/O list, sequence and interlocks2 lessonsLab
  4. 4Generating SCL for TIA Portal with ChatGPT or Claude, then importing and compiling2 lessons
  5. 5Ladder, FBD and legacy code: translation, explanation and migration with AI5 lessonsLab
  6. 6Siemens AI in TIA Portal: Engineering Copilot TIA and the Eigen Engineering Agent6 lessons
  7. 7CODESYS and TwinCAT with AI: object-oriented function blocks and interfaces4 lessons
  8. 8AI for tag lists, alarms, comments and documentation3 lessons
  9. 9Simulate before the machine: PLCSIM, CODESYS and Factory I/O2 lessonsLab
  10. 10Unit tests for PLC code: TcUnit and test-driven work with AI4 lessons
  11. 11Code review checklist: scan time, race conditions, retentive data and safety4 lessonsLab
  12. 12A prompt library and a confidentiality policy, with local models as an option2 lessons
  13. 13Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Write and test the same ladder logic in the Lab's PLC simulator, go online and force inputs. The Lab uses a vendor-neutral editor, so brand software stays in the course.

Works alongside AI for PLC Programming: Structured Text, TIA Portal and Siemens Eigen. The Lab is plc programming practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
PLC programming: Program a PLC, see it run.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for AI for PLC Programming: Structured Text, TIA Portal and Siemens Eigen

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • ControlByte Automation

    ChatGPT writing PLC code, the TIA Portal and Claude Code workshop, the live LAD to SCL conversion, the Micro820 with AI workshop, CODESYS Python scripting with Claude, the CODESYS MCP server with Claude, and running a local model for PLC coding

  • Tim Wilborne

    ChatGPT doing PLC homework, and the lead/lag alternating pump quiz and its answer used for the specification exercise

  • ACC Automation: PLC & Industrial Control Learning

    the PLC challenge Claude gets subtly wrong, and seven common ladder logic mistakes

  • SquishyBrained

    the introduction to IEC 61131-3 and the Structured Text state machines lesson

  • RealPars

    the basics of Structured Text and which PLC language suits which job

  • Tohid Alizadeh

    the CODESYS state machine example in Structured Text

  • Hegamurl

    free AI code generation for TIA Portal, and the four PLC memory areas

  • ELSCITECH

    generating source files from STEP 7 and TIA Portal blocks and importing them

  • PLCskilltree

    moving from Studio 5000 to TIA Portal program execution, and the Eigen Engineering Agent free trial and set-up guide

  • Grollmus | TIA Portal & Automatisierung

    the introduction to the TIA Portal Copilot and the quick alarm analysis that creates an SCL block

  • Siemens

    the launch film introducing the Eigen Engineering Agent

  • Siemens Knowledge Hub

    the conversation with Michael Schrapp on the Eigen agent for automation engineering

  • Antomatix

    an independent test of whether the Eigen agent is any good on real tasks

  • CODESYS Group

    object-oriented industrial programming in CODESYS with practical examples

  • Beckhoff Automation USA

    TwinCAT Chat, the chat model inside TwinCAT engineering

  • zeller automation and plc

    exporting and importing TIA Portal PLC tags through Excel

  • Engineering made Easy (Ing ME)

    the introduction to TIA Portal Openness with block import and export

  • Ngoza Automation Solutions

    PLC simulation in PLCSIM with an S7-1200, including tag import and export

  • plcgoods

    linking CODESYS with Factory I/O for a sorting machine

  • Jakob Sagatowski

    the four-part unit testing in TwinCAT series with TcUnit

  • Diligent Automation

    four programming mistakes that cause intermittent machine faults

  • S4 Events

    the talk on secure coding practices for PLCs

  • Hamed Adefuwa

    connecting Claude to TIA Portal through a simple MCP server

  • LEARNACON

    the introduction to IEC 61131-3 used as the final review

Questions

About this course

Who is this AI for PLC programming course for?
It is for PLC programmers, automation engineers and technicians who already write ladder logic or basic Structured Text in TIA Portal, CODESYS, TwinCAT or Studio 5000 and want to use ChatGPT, Claude or Siemens' TIA Portal agent without risking the machine. Plant and system-integrator engineers worldwide are a large part of the audience. You need no AI background.
Can ChatGPT or Claude write PLC code?
Yes, they can draft Structured Text and SCL quickly, and the course shows how convincing and how wrong those drafts can be. Every block is specified first, then compiled, simulated, unit-tested and reviewed against a checklist before it goes near a machine, and safety functions are never generated by AI.
What is the Siemens Eigen Engineering Agent?
It is Siemens' AI agent inside TIA Portal, generally available since April 2026 as a subscription with a one-month trial, and the successor to Engineering Copilot TIA. Siemens lists TIA Portal V19, V20 and V21. The course explains what it does, where its data goes and how to trial it fairly; it is optional, and every exercise can be done with free tools.
What software do I need?
CODESYS (free) or the TIA Portal and PLCSIM trial, a free tier of ChatGPT or Claude, and optionally TwinCAT 3 with TcUnit, Factory I/O and Ollama for a local model. No PLC hardware is needed.
Is the course free to learn?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the worked problems, the project and the final assessment are free. Only the certificate is paid, if you want one.
How long does the course take?
About 17 hours of video, notes and practice at your own pace, of which about 11 hours is video. The optional pump-station project takes about 14 hours more.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the 15-question final at 60 percent, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Siemens, Beckhoff, CODESYS or Rockwell certification.
What should I take before or after this course?
Take Siemens SCL Structured Text in TIA Portal or CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 Programming first if Structured Text is new to you. AI Coding for Engineers goes deeper into coding agents, and Siemens TIA Portal with Factory I/O gives more virtual commissioning practice.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module