6–9 Months | 32 Weeks | 450–550+ Hours — PLC • SCADA • HMI • Robotics • Drives • Industrial IoT • Machine Vision • AI • Smart Factory. Theory + automation lab + PLC lab + robotics lab + electrical lab + SCADA lab + IIoT lab + industry project.
Program objective: Develop industry-ready automation engineers capable of designing, programming, commissioning, troubleshooting and optimizing automated industrial systems using PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, drives, robotics, industrial networks, machine vision, IIoT and Industry 4.0 technologies — not just PLC programming.
Student journey: Industrial Process → Electrical System → Sensors → Actuators → PLC → HMI → SCADA → Drives → Servo → Industrial Network → Robotics → Machine Vision → IIoT → MES → Digital Twin → AI → Smart Factory.
Core promise: Don't just learn PLC programming. Learn to engineer the connected factory.
Target career roles
- Industrial Automation, PLC, Control Systems, Commissioning, Instrumentation Engineer
- HMI, SCADA, DCS, VFD, Servo, Motion Control Engineer
- Industrial Robot Programmer, Machine Vision, IIoT, Industry 4.0, Smart Factory Engineer
- Automation Maintenance, Controls Technician, Digital Twin Engineer
Three RASA certification levels
- Level 1 — Industrial Automation Technology Professional: Electrical + sensors + PLC + HMI + basic drives
- Level 2 — Professional Automation Engineer: PLC + HMI + SCADA + VFD + servo + networking + robotics
- Level 3 — Industry 4.0 & Smart Factory Engineer: Automation + robotics + vision + IIoT + MES + digital twin + AI
Phase 1 — Industrial Automation Fundamentals (Weeks 1–2)
Module 01 — Introduction to Industrial Automation
- Manual, semi-automatic, automatic, feedback, closed-loop, process control, factory automation
- Automation hierarchy: Field → Control → Supervisory → MES → ERP
Module 02 — Types of Industrial Automation
- Fixed, programmable (PLC/batch), flexible (CNC, robotics, FMS), integrated (PLC + SCADA + MES + ERP + IIoT)
Phase 2 — Electrical & Control Fundamentals (Weeks 3–4)
Module 03 — Industrial Electrical Fundamentals
- Voltage, current, resistance, power; AC/DC; single/three phase
- MCB, MCCB, contactor, relay, overload, fuse, SMPS, transformer
- Induction, synchronous, servo, stepper motors
Module 04 — Control Fundamentals
- Open/closed loop, feedback, setpoint, process variable, error
- ON/OFF, P, PI, PID control
- Practical: temperature / level / speed closed-loop control
Phase 3 — Sensors & Instrumentation (Weeks 5–6)
Module 05 — Sensors
- Proximity (inductive, capacitive, photoelectric), limit switch, encoder, linear sensor
- Temperature, pressure, flow, level; vision, laser, ultrasonic sensors
Module 06 — Industrial Instrumentation
- Digital/analog signals; 0–10 V, 4–20 mA
- Pressure, temperature, flow, level transmitters
- Signal conditioning: isolation, scaling, filtering, conversion
Phase 4 — PLC Programming (Weeks 7–10)
Module 07 — PLC Fundamentals
- PLC architecture: CPU, memory, digital/analog I/O, comm modules, power supply
- Input → CPU → logic → output operation
Module 08 — PLC Programming (IEC 61131-3)
- Ladder Logic, FBD, Structured Text, SFC awareness
- Contacts, coils, timers, counters, latches, interlocks, comparators, arithmetic, data handling
Module 09 — Advanced PLC Programming
- Data blocks, arrays, structures, functions, function blocks, state machines, alarms
- Modular programming, naming conventions, fault handling, reusable functions
Module 10 — PLC Troubleshooting
- Sensor/output/communication/logic/interlock/E-stop/motor fault diagnosis
- Symptom → PLC input → logic → output → actuator → physical process
PLC practical projects
- Traffic-light controller, conveyor control, water-level control, bottle filling, elevator control, sorting system
Phase 5 — HMI (Weeks 11–12)
Module 11 — Human Machine Interface
- Screens, tags, buttons, indicators, alarms, trends, recipes
- Home → manual → auto → alarm → trend → maintenance screens
Module 12 — Industrial HMI
- Start/stop, auto/manual, setpoints, alarm acknowledgement, password levels
- Production counters, OEE indicators
Phase 6 — SCADA (Weeks 13–14)
Module 13 — SCADA Fundamentals
- Architecture: sensors → PLC → SCADA → operator
- Tags, historian, alarm management, trends, reports, user management
Module 14 — SCADA Project
- Industrial water treatment monitoring: flow, pressure, level, pump status, temperature, alarms
- Real-time dashboard, historical trends, alarm and production reports
Phase 7 — VFD & Motor Control (Weeks 15–16)
Module 15 — Variable Frequency Drives
- VFD architecture: AC/DC conversion, DC link, inverter, frequency control
- Frequency, acceleration, deceleration, motor current, torque parameters
- Practical: conveyor speed control using VFD
Module 16 — Motor Control
- DOL, star-delta, soft starter, VFD starting methods
- Speed/torque control, energy optimization, motor protection
Phase 8 — Servo & Motion Control (Weeks 17–18)
Module 17 — Servo Systems
- Servo motor, drive, encoder, position feedback
- Position, velocity, acceleration, torque; CNC, packaging, pick-and-place, printing, robotics
Module 18 — Motion Programming
- Point-to-point, homing, positioning, electronic gearing awareness, coordinated motion
- Practical: servo-based pick-and-place mechanism
Phase 9 — Industrial Communication (Weeks 19–20)
Module 19 — Industrial Networking
- Serial, Ethernet, TCP/IP, client/server, industrial protocols
- Modbus RTU/TCP, PROFIBUS/PROFINET awareness, EtherNet/IP, OPC UA, MQTT
Module 20 — Industrial Network Architecture
- Sensor → PLC → HMI → SCADA → edge gateway → cloud
- PLC ↔ HMI ↔ SCADA data exchange; PLC ↔ OPC UA ↔ IIoT introduction
Phase 10 — Industrial Robotics (Weeks 21–22)
Module 21 — Industrial Robot Fundamentals
- 6-axis, SCARA, delta, Cartesian, collaborative robots
- DOF, payload, reach, repeatability, workspace
Module 22 — Robot Programming
- Coordinate systems, TCP, work objects, jogging, waypoints, program structure
- Pick-and-place, welding, palletizing, assembly, machine tending
- Major project: PLC + robot + conveyor automated sorting cell with HMI and SCADA
Phase 11 — Machine Vision (Week 23)
Module 23 — Industrial Machine Vision
- Cameras, lighting, lenses, image acquisition and processing
- Presence/absence, dimension, colour, defect detection, OCR, barcode/QR
- AI vision: object detection, classification, segmentation
- Project: camera → vision algorithm → PASS/FAIL → PLC → reject mechanism
Phase 12 — IIoT & Edge Computing (Weeks 24–25)
Module 24 — IIoT
- Industrial IoT, edge computing, cloud, sensors, gateways, data pipelines
- Machine → PLC → edge gateway → MQTT/OPC UA → cloud → dashboard
Module 25 — Industrial Data Analytics
- Runtime, downtime, production, energy, temperature, vibration analysis
- KPIs: OEE, availability, performance, quality, MTBF, MTTR
Phase 13 — MES & Smart Manufacturing (Week 26)
Module 26 — Manufacturing Execution Systems
- Production planning, work orders, tracking, quality, traceability, maintenance
- ERP → MES → SCADA → PLC → machine architecture
Module 27 — Smart Factory
- Connected machines, real-time monitoring, digital production, traceability
- Predictive maintenance, automated quality
Phase 14 — Digital Twin (Week 27)
Module 28 — Digital Twin
- Physical factory ↔ digital model; process simulation, virtual commissioning, optimization
- Predictive maintenance, operator training
- Project: simulate automated conveyor production line before physical commissioning
Phase 15 — AI in Industrial Automation (Week 28)
Module 29 — AI for Automation
- Predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, quality inspection, demand forecasting
- Process/energy optimization; regression, classification, time series
- Project: vibration/temperature/current → AI → predict failure → maintenance alert
Module 30 — Generative AI for Automation Engineers
- PLC code generation, logic explanation, troubleshooting, alarm analysis
- Technical documentation, test cases, SOPs, maintenance reports
- Validate AI-generated automation logic before deployment — especially for machine safety
Phase 16 — Industrial Safety (Week 29)
Module 31 — Industrial Automation Safety
- E-stop, safety relay, safety PLC, light curtain, safety scanner, interlock, guarding
- Fail-safe, risk reduction, safe state, redundancy
- Practical: machine safety risk assessment
Phase 17 — Industry Capstone (Weeks 30–32)
RASA Smart Factory Challenge — miniature automated production line:
Raw material → conveyor → sensor → PLC → robot → machine vision → sorting → production counter → SCADA → IIoT gateway → cloud dashboard → analytics → AI prediction
Capstone options
- Option 1 — Automated Bottling Plant: detection, filling, capping, inspection, reject, counting, packaging
- Option 2 — Automated Warehouse: conveyor, barcode, PLC, robot, AGV/AMR, warehouse dashboard
- Option 3 — Automated Quality Inspection: camera → AI → pass/fail → robot sorting → SCADA
- Option 4 — Smart Pumping System: sensors → PLC → VFD → pump → SCADA → IIoT → predictive maintenance
- Option 5 — Smart Manufacturing Cell (preferred): PLC + HMI + robot + vision + SCADA + IIoT
Capstone deliverables (24 items)
- Problem statement, PFD, P&ID awareness, electrical drawing, I/O list, PLC architecture/program
- HMI screens, SCADA dashboard, VFD config, robot program, vision system, network/IIoT architecture
- OEE dashboard, safety risk assessment, FAT/SAT, troubleshooting guide, maintenance plan, final report, demo
Industry-specific specializations (post-core)
Sector tracks
- Automotive (body/paint/assembly, welding, AGV/AMR)
- Pharmaceutical (batch, filling, serialization, cleanroom)
- Food & beverage (filling, packaging, CIP)
- Process industry (chemical, oil & gas, water, power)
Advanced sector tracks
- Warehouse automation (AS/RS, sortation, AGV, AMR)
- Solar manufacturing (cell handling, inspection, vision)
- EV manufacturing (battery cell/module/pack, BMS testing, EOL)
Flagship cross-disciplinary project
- Smart EV Battery Factory: cell feeding → robot handling → vision inspection → module/pack assembly → BMS → EOL testing → SCADA → IIoT → OEE → AI predictive maintenance
- Combines EV + robotics + AI + CADD + embedded + industrial automation
Labs, toolkit, portfolio & assessment
Eight dedicated labs
- PLC (Siemens, Rockwell awareness, Schneider, Mitsubishi/Omron awareness)
- HMI & SCADA, Motor & Drive, Sensor, Robotics, Machine Vision, IIoT, Smart Factory (integrated flagship lab)
Software toolkit
- TIA Portal / Studio 5000 awareness, WinCC, Ignition, Factory I/O, AutoCAD Electrical/EPLAN awareness
- OpenCV, Node-RED, OPC UA/MQTT, Structured Text/Python, Power BI, Git
10+ project portfolio
- Beginner: traffic light, motor starter, conveyor, tank level
- Intermediate: bottle filling, VFD conveyor, servo positioning, HMI machine
- Advanced: SCADA, robot sorting, vision inspection, IIoT monitoring
- Flagship: complete smart factory cell
Assessment framework
- Fundamentals (5%), electrical/controls (5%), sensors (5%), PLC (20%), HMI (5%), SCADA (5%), VFD (5%), servo (5%), networking (10%), robotics (10%), vision (5%), IIoT/smart factory (5%), AI (5%), safety (5%), capstone (10%)
Six engineering layers: FIELD (sensors + actuators + motors) → CONTROL (PLC + PID + drives + servo) → SUPERVISION (HMI + SCADA) → AUTOMATION (robotics + machine vision) → CONNECTIVITY (Ethernet + OPC UA + MQTT + IIoT + MES) → INTELLIGENCE (analytics + digital twin + AI + predictive maintenance).
Cross-program links: VLSI & Semiconductor Design · PLC & Embedded Systems · EV Engineering · Drone Engineering · Medical Robotics · Fuel Cell / PEMFC · AI Industry Specializations · CADD
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