Python for Automation Engineers: Getting Started

Python has emerged as the programming language of choice for automation engineers who want to add data analysis and AI capabilities to their toolkit. While PLC programming languages like Ladder Diagram and Structured Text remain essential for real-time control, Python excels at higher-level tasks that complement automation work.

For automation engineers, Python's most valuable applications include SCADA data analysis and visualisation (using libraries like Pandas, NumPy and Matplotlib), OPC-UA communication with industrial systems (using the opcua library), machine learning for predictive maintenance and quality inspection, automated report generation, and PLC programme analysis and documentation tools.

Getting started with Python as an automation engineer is easier than you might think. Your logical thinking skills from PLC programming transfer directly. The concept of reading inputs, processing logic and driving outputs is universal. And Python's extensive library ecosystem means you rarely need to write complex code from scratch.

At EDWartens, Python training is integrated into both our Automation Engineer Program and Artificial Intelligence Program. We teach Python specifically in the context of industrial applications, so you learn to solve real factory problems rather than generic coding exercises. This application-focused approach makes our Python training far more relevant than general-purpose coding bootcamps.