PLC programming 路 Free
Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming
PC-based control with TwinCAT 3 and EtherCAT: installation, tasks, structured text, function blocks and interfaces, I/O, libraries, version control, ADS, test-driven development, visualization and real machine applications.
Inside the course
From the lessons
Beckhoff, TwinCAT and EtherCAT
ControlX Automation
Data Types, Arrays and Variables
Jakob Sagatowski
Instructions and ST Fundamentals
Jakob Sagatowski
LD, CFC, SFC and FBD in TwinCAT
ControlX Automation
Libraries and Version Handling
Jakob Sagatowski
Test-Driven Development
Jakob Sagatowski
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Explain PC-based control and EtherCAT, install TwinCAT 3 and connect to a target, structure tasks and programs, use data types, structures, functions, function blocks and interfaces, write structured text with Tc2_Standard, program in LD, CFC, SFC and FBD, configure EtherCAT I/O, manage libraries and versions, use git, ADS and the automation interface, apply test-driven development, build visualizations and study real integrations.
- Explain why PC-based control and EtherCAT are used and install TwinCAT 3
- Structure a project into tasks, programs, GVLs, DUTs and libraries
- Use functions, function blocks, methods, properties and interfaces
- Write structured text with timers, counters, edges, CASE and string operations
- Program in LD, CFC, SFC and FBD and choose the right language
- Scan and link EtherCAT terminals
- Put projects under git, use ADS and the automation interface, write unit tests
- Build visualizations, record with Measurement, and integrate servos, Festo modules, RS-232 and XTS
For you
Taking Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$28.99. What you get for it
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 20 hours
VMC tool changer and pallet changer on a CX7000: SDS with FB interfaces, EtherCAT I/O list and bench FAT
Specify, program, test and document the auxiliary control of a vertical machining centre on a Beckhoff CX7000 with EL terminals: a 12-pocket umbrella tool changer with shortest-path indexing, a two-pallet changer with a locked load door, the M-code handshake with the CNC, and the E-stop and guard functions through a safety relay. You deliver the TwinCAT 3 project, your own I/O list by terminal, your SDS with the FB interfaces, and your FAT record. The sample pack shows what a machine builder's design office issues to its assembly shop.
Sample document pack, 8 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Control narrativeSequence of Operations: VMC-850 Tool Changer and Pallet Changer
- SDSSoftware Design Specification: VMC-850 CX7000 Program
- SRSSafety Requirements Specification: VMC-850 Auxiliary Stations
- I/O listI/O List: VMC-850 CX7000 and EtherCAT Terminals
- BOMBill of Materials: VMC-850 Auxiliary Control (Cabinet Section 4 and Stations)
- Alarm listAlarm List: VMC-850 Auxiliary Stations
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: VMC-850 Auxiliary Control, Machine 850-004
- O&M manualOperation Manual: VMC-850 Tool Changer and Pallet Changer (Setter's section)
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.
Course content
19 modules 路 56 lessons 路 22h 37m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01Beckhoff, TwinCAT and EtherCAT4 lessons36m
- 02Installation, Basics and Connecting4 lessons1h 9m
- 03Tasks, Programs and Hello World2 lessons1h 5m
- 04Data Types, Arrays and Variables2 lessons54m
- 05Structures and Functions1 lesson35m
- 06Function Blocks and Interfaces2 lessons1h 22m
- 07Instructions and ST Fundamentals3 lessons1h 44m
- 08Tc2_Standard: Timers, Counters, Edges3 lessons1h 16m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Intermediate. Structured text is taught from the start; prior PLC experience helps.
- Software
- TwinCAT 3 XAE (free download, 7-day renewable trial) What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None. The PLC runs on your PC.
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.
Required
- 01Free
TwinCAT 3 Engineering (XAE)
Beckhoff Automation
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11
- Account
- A free myBeckhoff account
The basic version of TwinCAT 3 Engineering is free of charge and can be installed on any number of PCs. Runtime and function licences can be covered by 7-day trial licences created in the engineering tool, which you can renew as often as you need.
Steps
- 1.Register for a free myBeckhoff account on beckhoff.com.
- 2.Download the TwinCAT Package Manager from the Beckhoff download finder.
- 3.Install the Package Manager, sign in with your myBeckhoff account and install TwinCAT 3 Engineering (XAE).
- 4.Create a PLC project and set your own PC as the target.
- 5.When asked, activate a 7-day trial licence and enter the security code shown.
- Trial licences cannot be put on a licence dongle; they bind to the target PC.
- PLC programming works in the free Visual Studio shell; C++ needs a full Visual Studio.
Official download pagebeckhoff.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.
Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming at a glance
Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming 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 19 modules and 22h 37m of video lessons by Jakob Sagatowski, ControlX Automation, Beckhoff Malaysia 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.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation
- Format
- 19 self-paced modules, 22h 37m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Intermediate. Intermediate. Structured text is taught from the start; prior PLC experience helps.
- Brand
- Beckhoff
- Software
- TwinCAT 3 XAE (free download, 7-day renewable trial)
- Hardware
- None. The PLC runs on your PC.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Jakob Sagatowski, ControlX Automation, Beckhoff Malaysia, M B Automation, Electrical Automation Hands-On (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
PLC programming 路 FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne 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.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial SeriesEvery S7-1200 instruction, one short video at a time: bits, edges, timers, counters, comparators, maths, MOVE, conversion, analog scaling, jumps and shift registers.More free courses: Free PLC programming courses
Learning paths with this course
- IEC 61131 and software PLCs 路 3 coursesCODESYS, TwinCAT and Automation Builder: structured text, PC-based control and the IEC languages behind hundreds of PLC brands.
Learner reviews
No reviews yet
Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Is TwinCAT free to learn on?
Yes. TwinCAT 3 XAE downloads free and runs on a 7-day trial licence you renew by typing a captcha. No hardware needed.
Do I need Visual Studio?
No. TwinCAT installs its own XAE shell; a full Visual Studio is optional.
Why so much structured text?
Because TwinCAT projects in industry are mostly ST with object-oriented features. Ladder, CFC, SFC and FBD are covered too.
Is this CODESYS?
TwinCAT 3 shares the CODESYS editor heritage, so the CODESYS course on this site is a good preparation; TwinCAT adds Beckhoff's runtime, EtherCAT, ADS and tooling.
Is the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a Beckhoff qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Beckhoff credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
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 EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). 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.
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.
- Jakob Sagatowskithe 18-part PLC programming using TwinCAT 3 series
- ControlX Automationthe Beckhoff beginner's guide and application videos
- Beckhoff Malaysiathe TwinCAT 3 quick guide, variables and XTS tutorials
- M B Automationthe structured text lessons
- Electrical Automation Hands-Ona lesson in "Applications: Temperature, Motion, Serial, Festo and XTS"
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.