PLC Factory

The packaging cell has lost its program and production is waiting. The old printout shows the required behaviour, but the rungs have to be rebuilt and tested before the line can run: the conveyor starts on a sensor, stops on the e-stop, and the gate opens only when both sensors agree. Build each rung contact-by-contact, then test it against the live cell. Wrong logic gets rejected by the safety review - the way it would on a real commissioning job.

Ladder logic is the daily language of controls technicians and automation specialists. Strong performance strengthens the Electrical, Instrumentation and Manufacturing pathways.

• Translate machine behaviour into series ladder logic
• Place normally-open and normally-closed contacts correctly
• Always finish a rung with its coil (output)
• Understand the PLC scan and why contact order matters

• A rung conducts when every contact in series is closed
• NO contacts close when their input is active; NC contacts open when their input is active
• Safety inputs use NC contacts so a broken wire fails safe
• The coil is always the final element of the rung

• Read the task card for the required behaviour
• Click elements below the rung to add them in order
• Click an element in the rung to remove it and everything after
• Press Test program - the 3D cell runs only when the logic is right

• Each rung task is worth 10 points plus streak bonuses
• Rejected programs return you to the rung to fix it
• Pass each level with 70% or more

Rejected programs leave the rung visible so you can compare your logic against the required behaviour before retrying.

• Putting the coil in the middle of the rung
• Using a NO contact for the e-stop (unsafe)
• Adding the run contact after the coil
• Forgetting that every contact in series must be closed for the rung to conduct