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PLC programming

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming

Learn PC-based control with Beckhoff TwinCAT 3: structured text, function blocks, EtherCAT I/O and a visualization.

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation. It has 19 modules and takes about 30.9 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$28.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.

  • Free
  • Intermediate
  • 30.9 hours
  • Self-paced
  • Certificate optional
  • Lab practice in your browser
See what you learn

No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.

Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation
Jobs
Roles that use this skill: PLC programmer, controls engineer, automation technician and commissioning engineer. No course guarantees a job.
Tools
TwinCAT 3 XAE (free download, 7-day renewable trial). Hardware: none. The PLC runs on your PC.
Updated
Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course cover
Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Install TwinCAT 3 and connect to a target
  • Structure tasks and programs with data types and function blocks
  • Write structured text and program in LD, CFC, SFC and FBD
  • Configure EtherCAT I/O
  • Manage libraries and build a visualization

Who it is for, and what you need first

Who it is for

Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation.

Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. Structured text is taught from the start; prior PLC experience helps.

What you need

Software: TwinCAT 3 XAE (free download, 7-day renewable trial).

Hardware: None. The PLC runs on your PC.. What to download, and how.

How this course works

  1. Watch the lessons

    Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.

  2. Read the notes

    Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.

  3. Practise in the 3D labOptional

    Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.

  4. Check yourself

    Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.

  5. Final assessment

    Pass the final once you have been through the modules.

  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptional

    Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.

What you learn

19 modules in order, at your own pace. 30.9 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1Beckhoff, TwinCAT and EtherCAT36m
  2. 2Installation, Basics and Connecting1h 9m
  3. 3Tasks, Programs and Hello World1h 5m
  4. 4Data Types, Arrays and Variables54m
  5. 5Structures and Functions35m
  6. 6Function Blocks and Interfaces1h 22m
  7. 7Instructions and ST Fundamentals, with lab practice: 1h 44m
  8. 8Tc2_Standard: Timers, Counters, Edges, with lab practice: 1h 16m
Show the other 11 modules
  1. 9ST Control Flow and Operations, with lab practice: 54m
  2. 10LD, CFC, SFC and FBD in TwinCAT, with lab practice: 1h 13m
  3. 11TwinCAT Utilities and Functions1h 35m
  4. 12I/O and EtherCAT Terminals1h 10m
  5. 13Libraries and Version Handling49m
  6. 14Version Control59m
  7. 15ADS and the Automation Interface1h 37m
  8. 16Test-Driven Development1h 45m
  9. 17Visualization, Measurement and Recipes, with lab practice: 1h 2m
  10. 18Applications: Temperature, Motion, Serial, Festo and XTS, with lab practice: 2h 53m
  11. 19Final Assessment

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.

Show what to download (1 tool)

Required

  1. 01

    TwinCAT 3 Engineering (XAE)

    Beckhoff Automation

    Free
    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.

    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.

Practise in the 3D lab

Write the same structured text, timers, counters and state machines you learn in TwinCAT 3 on working machines in the PLC lab and pass each test.

Build a ladder rungWatch

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Course project, about 14 hours

VMC tool changer and pallet changer on a Beckhoff CX: SDS with FB interfaces, EtherCAT I/O list and bench FAT

Specify, program, test and document the auxiliary control of a machining centre on a Beckhoff CX: a tool changer, a pallet changer and the CNC handshake. You deliver the TwinCAT 3 project, your I/O list, your SDS and your FAT record.

This project at a glance
  1. 8documents in the pack
  2. 8steps to follow
  3. 6things to hand in
  4. 14 hof work, at your pace
  • Control narrativeSequence of Operations: VMC-850 Tool Changer and Pallet Changer
  • SDSSoftware Design Specification: VMC-850 CX Program
  • SRSSafety Requirements Specification: VMC-850 Auxiliary Stations
  • I/O listI/O List: VMC-850 CX and EtherCAT Terminals
  • BOMBill of Materials: VMC-850 Auxiliary Control (Cabinet Section 4 and Stations)
  • Alarm listAlarm List: VMC-850 Auxiliary Stations

The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.

After the course, your next step

Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming

Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a certificate ID and a QR code that opens its verification page.

Optional

A certificate you can verify

Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$28.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.

Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.

An engineer in a hard hat checking neat, labelled wiring on I/O racks inside an open control cabinet.
Free · 4 weeks · free certificate

PLC Programming

Eight short weeks of PLC ladder logic on free simulators: notes, diagrams, a few videos and auto-tested tasks. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.

See the internship

Part of a learning path

Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.

More free courses

Roles that use this skill

  • PLC programmer
  • Controls engineer
  • Automation technician
  • Commissioning engineer

These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.

Plain notes

  • Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
  • Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
  • No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
  • Lessons by: Jakob Sagatowski, ControlX Automation, Beckhoff Malaysia, M B Automation, Electrical Automation Hands-On. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

Jakob Sagatowski · ControlX Automation · Beckhoff Malaysia · M B Automation · Electrical Automation Hands-On. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.

Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

See the 3D lab
  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Why learn with EDWartens

What you get with this course, and what comes after it.

  • Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
  • Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
  • Video lessons with written notes and a project.
  • An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
  • Free internships to keep practising afterwards.

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.

Do I have to use the lab?

No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.

Is the lab free?

Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.

What topics does the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course cover, module by module?

The Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course has 19 modules. It opens with "Beckhoff, TwinCAT and EtherCAT", goes through "Installation, Basics and Connecting", "Instructions and ST Fundamentals", "Libraries and Version Handling" and "Applications: Temperature, Motion, Serial, Festo and XTS" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

What can I do after the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course?

After the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course: 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. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.

What software and hardware do I need for the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course, and does it cost anything?

For the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course, software: TwinCAT 3 XAE (free download, 7-day renewable trial). Hardware: none. The PLC runs on your PC. The course itself is free.

Is the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course suitable for me, and what level is it?

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming is rated intermediate. Intermediate. Structured text is taught from the start; prior PLC experience helps. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation, and takes about 30.9 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course?

Skills from the Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming course (for example: explain why PC-based control and EtherCAT are used and install TwinCAT 3) are used in roles such as PLC programmer, controls engineer, automation technician and commissioning engineer, and in automation engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.

Start free today

Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.