PLC programming · Free online course

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.

9 modules
6h 9m of video
Intermediate
English
₹0, free

TIA Portal: Build a Machine course cover

₹0Free for good

Worth ₹3,999 by length and depth against classroom training. It has always been free; that is not a former price.

No card. Checkout takes a minute and gives you a receipt.

Overview

About TIA Portal: Build a Machine

TIA Portal: Build a Machine is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation. It has 9 modules and 6h 9m of video lessons by Instrumentation Tools, ControlByte Automation, PLC Automation Academy and others, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.

Who it is for: Engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation

This course includes

6h 9m of video lessons
9 modules with written notes and diagrams
One final assessment: 15 questions, pass mark 60%
Ask-an-engineer support from practising engineers
Lifetime access, the course does not expire
Optional verifiable certificate when you finish

Step 1 of 3
Learn the 9 modules
6h 9m of video lessons, written notes and a practice task per module, at your own pace.
Step 2 of 3
Pass the final assessment
15 questions drawn from every module, pass mark 60%, 3 attempts.
Step 3 of 3
Take the certificate, if you want it
Optional, paid once, only if you choose it. The course stays free either way.
See the certificate and its price

A look inside

TIA Portal: Build a Machine: Syllabus at a glance — Syllabus at a glance

TIA Portal: Build a Machine: What you will be able to do — What you will be able to do

TIA Portal: Build a Machine: Tools and credits — Tools and credits

From the lessons

The Machine, the Spec and the I/O List
by Technical Mindshare
Program Skeleton: Blocks, UDTs and a Tag Table That Scales
by Instrumentation Tools
Infeed Conveyor: Start, Stop, Seal-in and Interlocks
by Instrumentation Tools
Fill Station: Timers and a Scaled Tank Level
by Smart Builds
Capping and Counting: Cylinder Sequence, Edges and Counters
by ControlByte Automation
Inspection and Reject: the Sorter Station
by Instrumentation Tools

Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits and are shown from YouTube.

What you learn

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

Syllabus

Course content, module by module

In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.

Modules: 9
Video lessons: 28
Of video: 6h 9m
Final questions: 15

01
The Machine, the Spec and the I/O List
1 lesson · 18m
02
Program Skeleton: Blocks, UDTs and a Tag Table That Scales
3 lessons · 37m
03
Infeed Conveyor: Start, Stop, Seal-in and Interlocks
3 lessons · 1h 8m
04
Fill Station: Timers and a Scaled Tank Level
4 lessons · 56m
05
Capping and Counting: Cylinder Sequence, Edges and Counters
5 lessons · 45m
06
Inspection and Reject: the Sorter Station
2 lessons · 40m
07
The Operator Screen: Buttons, Counts, Alarms and a Trend
4 lessons · 39m
08
Commissioning and Hand-over: Test, Trace, Archive, Protect
5 lessons · 56m
09
Final Assessment
1 lesson · 10m
Final assessment · 15 questions, pass mark 60%

Show all 9 modules

Project

The course project

Optional practice that ends in the kind of job the course prepares you for, with the documents that go with it.

About 14 hours

The bottle line, start to finish: specification, program, test record and hand-over

Submit the machine you built through the course: the functional description and I/O list, the archived TIA Portal project with its station blocks and HMI, the completed test record with the failure cases, the trace of one fill, and the one-page hand-over note. Marked against the rubric below by the reviewer, and the same rubric is what a commissioning lead would use.

Sample document pack, 9 documents, filled in for the scenario

Control narrativeSequence of Operations: Bottle Line BL-1
I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-1, Bottle Line BL-1
BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-1 and Field Devices, Bottle Line BL-1
SRSSafety Requirements Specification: Bottle Line BL-1
Risk registerMachinery Risk Assessment: Bottle Line BL-1 (ISO 12100)
HMI specHMI Screen Specification: KTP700 Basic, Bottle Line BL-1
FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-1 and Bottle Line BL-1 Program
O&M manualOperation and Maintenance Manual: Bottle Line BL-1 (Operation section)
Handover certificateSite Acceptance and Handover Certificate: Bottle Line BL-1

Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.

Tools

Software, hardware and lessons

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

Who it is for

Intermediate. You have finished the Siemens TIA Portal course, or can already write ladder logic with timers, counters and a function block in TIA Portal.

Video lessons by

Instrumentation Tools
ControlByte Automation
PLC Automation Academy
Smart Builds
Technical Mindshare
The Automation Craze
Hegamurl
PLCskilltree

Independent creators, credited in full under Credits.

Software you need

What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.

The WinCC HMI simulator comes with the TIA Portal trial. Factory I/O makes the machine visible; every stage can also be proven in PLCSIM alone.

Required

01
SIMATIC STEP 7 Professional and WinCC (TIA Portal) V21 Trial
Siemens
Free trial: 21 days
Runs on
Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit (24H2), Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC, or Windows Server 2022/2025. Windows 11 Home is supported only for the Basic editions.
Account
A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
Size
about 8.1 GB for the main ISO, plus an optional 3.1 GB DVD 2 with hardware support packages
Siemens lets registered users download the V21 trial of STEP 7 (Basic and Professional), STEP 7 Safety and WinCC and test it for 21 days. The same package is used for the full product; after 21 days you need a purchased licence to keep working.
Show the 6 stepsHide the steps
Steps
1. 1.Open the Siemens trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in with your Siemens Industry Online Support account.
2. 2.Download TIA_Portal_STEP7_Safety_WinCC_V21.iso (8.1 GB).
3. 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the same page: PLCSIM is a separate download.
4. 4.Right-click each ISO, choose Mount, and run Start.exe as administrator. Install STEP 7 and WinCC first, then PLCSIM.
5. 5.Follow the setup, accept the licence terms and restart the PC when asked.
6. 6.Open TIA Portal V21 and create a new project to confirm it runs.
- Install from a local drive with plenty of free space; Siemens lists 20 GB free as the minimum and the ISOs alone are over 10 GB.
- You only need DVD 2 if you want extra hardware support packages.
- If you cannot install locally, Siemens also offers a 21-day TIA Portal Cloud trial in the browser (one-hour sessions, not in every country).
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.com
Alternatives
- TIA Portal Cloud trial: 21 days free in a cloud virtual machine, no install. Sessions are limited to one hour and it is not available in every country.
02
S7-PLCSIM V21 (TIA Portal) Trial
Siemens
Free trial: 21 days
Runs on
Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit (24H2), Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC, or Windows Server 2022/2025. Windows 11 Home is supported only for the Basic editions.
Account
A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
Size
about 2.5 GB (ISO)
S7-PLCSIM V21 is offered as a 21-day trial on the same Siemens page as the STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial. It needs STEP 7 V21 installed on the same PC.
Show the 5 stepsHide the steps
Steps
1. 1.Open the Siemens STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in.
2. 2.Install STEP 7 V21 from the main TIA Portal ISO first.
3. 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the section Download S7-PLCSIM Standard V21.
4. 4.Mount the ISO, run Start.exe as administrator and follow the setup.
5. 5.In TIA Portal, select your CPU and click Start simulation to open PLCSIM.
- Siemens notes that the PLCSIM Standard V21 installation also includes S7-PLCSIM Advanced V8.0.
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.com

Optional

Useful, not needed to finish the course.

03
Factory I/O
Real Games
Free trial: 30 days
Runs on
Windows 7 SP1 or newer, with a graphics card from 2006 (NVIDIA, AMD) or 2012 (Intel) onwards
Account
Your name and email on the Factory I/O trial form
The 30-day trial includes the full Ultimate Edition. After that you need a paid edition; the Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Modbus and OPC, MHJ, Automgen and Starter editions each support different PLCs.
Show the 5 stepsHide the steps
Steps
1. 1.Open the Factory I/O start trial page.
2. 2.Enter your name and email and start the trial.
3. 3.Download and install Factory I/O.
4. 4.Open a sample scene and connect it to your PLC or PLC simulator.
5. 5.Before the trial ends, choose the edition that matches your PLC.
- Choose the edition by the PLC you will use: for example the Siemens edition works with S7-PLCSIM.
- The Starter edition has its own built-in PLC simulator if you have no PLC software.
Official download pagefactoryio.com

Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.

What you walk away with

Your certificate for TIA Portal: Build a Machine

Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.

Sample Wartens Certificate of Completion for TIA Portal: Build a Machine, issued through the EDWartens training portal — Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a unique certificate ID and its own QR code.

Verifiable by anyone
A unique certificate number and a public verification page. A recruiter checks it in ten seconds.
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
Issuer, credential ID and URL prefilled, with 5 matching skills to pin to your profile.
QR code on the certificate
Scans straight to the verification page, so a printed copy proves itself.
Names what you can do
Lists the topics covered, from functional description, i/o list and operating modes for a bottle filling line to a wincc operator screen with alarms, and commissioning, fault-finding and archiving for hand-over.
A permanent link
Put it on a CV, a portfolio or an application. The URL never changes.
Earned, not attended
Issued only after every module and a final assessment at 60%, with 3 attempts. That is why it stands up.

Learning is free. The certificate is optional.

Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$28.99, with a receipt.

Issued by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales, company no. 15262249) through the EDWartens training portal, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold in India by Wartens Automation Private Limited. It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.

FAQ

Common questions

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 TIA Portal: Build a Machine 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.

Is the TIA Portal: Build a Machine course free in India, and what does the certificate cost?

Yes. Learning costs ₹0 in India: every module, the written notes, the practice tasks and the final assessment, with no card and no trial period. The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, ₹599 including GST for this intermediate course, paid in rupees through Razorpay, and only if you want it after passing the final assessment.

Is there classroom PLC training in India as well?

Yes. EDWartens India runs the Automation Engineer Program (AEP), a classroom programme at its Electronic City centre in Bangalore. The Automation Engineer Program (AEP) teaches Siemens PLC programming in TIA Portal in person at our Electronic City centre, alongside the other PLC brands it covers. This free course is separate and fully online; it is a good way to try the subject before deciding on classroom training. Details are at edwartens.co.in/siemens-tia-portal-training-bangalore, and the programme itself at edwartens.co.in/courses/aep.

All course facts

Price: ₹0, free for good. No trial, no card. Comparable classroom training of this length costs about ₹3,999.
Who it is for: Engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation
Format: 9 self-paced modules, 6h 9m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. You have finished the Siemens TIA Portal course, or can already write ladder logic with timers, counters and a function block in TIA Portal.
Brand: Siemens
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
Certificate: Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, ₹599 inclusive of GST for learners in India, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
Video lessons by: Instrumentation Tools, ControlByte Automation, PLC Automation Academy, Smart Builds, Technical Mindshare, The Automation Craze, Hegamurl, PLCskilltree (independent creators, credited below)
Language: English
Last updated: 27 September 2026

PLC programming · FreeSiemens TIA Portal

Siemens TIA Portal in Three Hours free course cover

PLC programming · FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three Hours

Siemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series free course cover

PLC programming · FreeSiemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series

Siemens TIA Portal HMI: KTP and Comfort Panels with WinCC free course cover

HMI · FreeSiemens TIA Portal HMI: KTP and Comfort Panels with WinCC

More free courses: Free Siemens PLC courses · Free PLC programming courses

Classroom course, Bangalore

Siemens PLC and TIA Portal training in Bangalore

The Automation Engineer Program (AEP) teaches Siemens PLC programming in TIA Portal in person at our Electronic City centre, alongside the other PLC brands it covers.

Credits

Who made the video lessons

The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.

Instrumentation Toolsinterlocks, scaling, edges, counters, the in-range check, function blocks, the separating station and the tank-level scene
ControlByte Automationsignals and variables, the output latch, the pneumatic cylinder sequence and the first HMI screen
PLC Automation Academythe conveyor sequence and the sorter project in Factory I/O
Smart Buildsthe filling tank with timers and the queue with counters
Technical Mindsharegetting started with Factory I/O and connecting it to TIA Portal
The Automation CrazeHMI alarms and the trend view
Hegamurlcross-references, traces, archiving and password protection
PLCskilltreeUDTs for I/O structures and downloading to S7-PLCSIM

If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.