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EDWartens UK

Free course · PLC programming

TIA Portal: Build a Machine

One machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.

See the modules

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

Level
Intermediate
Modules
9
Video
9 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Write a functional description and an I/O list for a machine, structure a TIA Portal project into station blocks with UDTs, program a conveyor with seal-in and interlocks, a timed fill station on a scaled 4-20 mA level, a step-sequenced capper with edge-triggered counters, an inspection and reject sorter with bottle tracking, and a WinCC screen with setpoints, alarms and a trend; then commission it against a test record, find a planted fault with cross-references and a trace, and archive and protect the project so another engineer can restart the line from your hand-over note.

  • Write a functional description in numbered steps and an I/O list with addresses, types and normal states before the first rung
  • Structure a project into station blocks called from OB1, with UDTs and an FB with instance data wherever state must be remembered
  • Program a motor rung where Stop always wins, with the E-stop and the downstream interlock in series with the seal-in
  • Scale a 4-20 mA tank level to litres and build a fill sequence with the right timer for each job
  • Sequence a pneumatic capper on a step number proven by its sensors, and count bottles so one bottle is one count
  • Track a failed bottle to the reject pusher with a shift register, and stop the line on a run of rejects
  • Build the operator screen with momentary buttons, limited setpoints, discrete and analog alarms and a trend
  • Commission against a written test record, find a planted fault with cross-references and a trace, and archive, protect and hand over the project

Software

TIA Portal V17+ (21-day trial) with S7-PLCSIM and the WinCC HMI simulator. Factory I/O (30-day trial) is optional and makes the machine visible; every stage can be proven in PLCSIM alone.

Hardware

None, everything runs in simulation

Syllabus

9 modules

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

  1. 1The Machine, the Spec and the I/O List1 lesson
  2. 2Program Skeleton: Blocks, UDTs and a Tag Table That Scales3 lessons
  3. 3Infeed Conveyor: Start, Stop, Seal-in and Interlocks3 lessonsLab
  4. 4Fill Station: Timers and a Scaled Tank Level4 lessonsLab
  5. 5Capping and Counting: Cylinder Sequence, Edges and Counters5 lessonsLab
  6. 6Inspection and Reject: the Sorter Station2 lessonsLab
  7. 7The Operator Screen: Buttons, Counts, Alarms and a Trend4 lessonsLab
  8. 8Commissioning and Hand-over: Test, Trace, Archive, Protect5 lessons
  9. 9Final 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 TIA Portal: Build a Machine. 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 TIA Portal: Build a Machine

Credits

Who made the lessons

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

Questions

About this course

How is this different from the Siemens TIA Portal course?
The TIA Portal course teaches the instructions one module at a time. This course uses all of them on one machine, in the order a commissioning engineer would, and ends with a project you submit rather than only a paper you sit. If you finished the flagship course and wondered what to do with it, this is the answer.
What does the project ask me to submit?
The archived TIA Portal project, the functional description and I/O list, the completed test record with the failure cases, the cross-reference finding for a fault you plant on purpose with a trace screenshot, and a one-page hand-over note. The brief on module 8 lists them, and the rubric it is marked against is printed beside it. Submitting it is strongly recommended, because the machine is the point of the course; the certificate itself is issued when you have finished the modules and passed the final.
Do I need Factory I/O?
No. Factory I/O has a 30-day trial and makes the line visible, which many people enjoy, but every stage of the machine can be proven in S7-PLCSIM by forcing inputs and watching outputs, and the test record is written to be run either way.
Do I need to buy TIA Portal?
No. Siemens publishes a free 21-day trial of TIA Portal with S7-PLCSIM and WinCC Basic included; it needs only a free Siemens account. The course is about fourteen hours of work, so the trial covers it if you install when you start module 2.
Who marks the project?
An automated reviewer marks it against the printed rubric and gives you the score and comments; the EDWartens team reads submissions too. The certificate is released on submission, not on the mark, so a review outage never holds your certificate.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, the project brief, the review and the final assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The only paid item is the certificate, and only if you decide you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a Siemens qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion for the project course, issued when you have finished the modules and passed the final (the project is strongly recommended practice, but not a condition), with a unique number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Siemens credential and we will never describe it as one.

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