Course description
This four-day practical course introduces participants to the fundamental concepts, architecture, engineering workflow, and operation of the SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system.
The course follows the engineering sequence presented in the official Siemens PCS 7 “Getting Started” documentation. Participants will begin with the basic structure of a PCS 7 system and progressively create, configure, compile, simulate, and operate a complete sample project.
Instead of learning individual software tools in isolation, attendees will work through a realistic simulated process application inspired by Siemens’ color_gs sample project. The sample plant includes process measurements, valves, motors, setpoints, interlocks, alarms, and an automatic operating sequence.
Starting with an empty PCS 7 project, participants will configure the automation and operator stations, create the plant hierarchy, develop control functions with CFC and APL blocks, implement an automatic sequence using SFC, generate the operator interface, and test the complete application in simulation.
By the end of the course, participants will understand the complete basic PCS 7 engineering workflow—from initial project creation to process operation and troubleshooting.
Learning objectives
After completing the course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the fundamental architecture and components of a PCS 7 system.
- Understand the roles of the Engineering Station, Automation System, Operator Station, plant bus, terminal bus, and distributed I/O.
- Create and organize a new PCS 7 project or multiproject.
- Configure basic AS and OS stations and understand their communication relationships.
- Build a structured plant hierarchy following process-oriented engineering principles.
- Create and configure CFC charts using PCS 7 APL blocks.
- Parameterize and interconnect typical process objects such as motors, valves, measurements, and setpoints.
- Understand symbolic I/O addressing and textual interconnections.
- Create an automatic process sequence using SFC steps, transitions, and actions.
- Compile the AS and OS portions of a project and identify common configuration errors.
- Download and test the control application using a simulated automation system.
- Create process pictures, block icons, and faceplates for operator control and monitoring.
- Test operating modes, interlocks, alarms, commands, and process sequences in runtime.
- Archive and retrieve a PCS 7 project correctly.
Four-day course program
Day 1 – PCS 7 concepts and project creation — 8 hours
- Introduction to distributed control systems
- PCS 7 system architecture and main components
- Engineering Station, Automation System, and Operator Station
- Plant bus, terminal bus, fieldbus, and distributed I/O concepts
- PCS 7 software tools and engineering workflow
- SIMATIC Manager views:Component ViewPlant ViewProcess Object View
- Project and multiproject concepts
- Creating a new PCS 7 project
- Configuring basic AS and OS stations
- Introduction to hardware and network configuration
- Creating the plant hierarchy
- Defining units, equipment, process tags, and naming conventions
- Practical exercise: Creating and structuring the sample plant
Day 2 – CFC engineering and Advanced Process Library — 8 hours
- CFC concepts and the CFC Editor
- Working with charts, sheets, blocks, and chart partitions
- Introduction to PCS 7 libraries and APL
- Creating control functions for:Digital signalsAnalog measurementsMotors and pumpsValvesSetpoints and process commands
- Parameterizing APL blocks
- Connecting block inputs and outputs
- Cross-chart and textual interconnections
- Execution order and runtime groups
- Introduction to the Process Object View
- Creating basic simulation functions
- Compiling CFC charts and interpreting compiler messages
- Online monitoring and chart testing
- Practical exercise: Engineering and simulating the main process equipment
Day 3 – SFC sequences, compilation, and simulation — 8 hours
- Introduction to sequential control in PCS 7
- Structure and operating principles of SFC
- Steps, transitions, actions, and sequencers
- Connecting SFC commands and conditions to CFC blocks
- Developing an automatic process sequence
- Starting, holding, resuming, aborting, and resetting a sequence
- Interlocks and permissive conditions
- Downloading the application to the simulated controller
- Online monitoring of CFC and SFC logic
- Testing normal and abnormal process conditions
- Troubleshooting common engineering and simulation problems
- Practical exercise: Creating and testing the automatic production sequence
Day 4 – Operator Station engineering and integrated project test — 8 hours
- PCS 7 Operator Station fundamentals
- Relationship between the plant hierarchy and OS areas
- Compiling and transferring AS/OS data
- Creating process pictures
- Generating and configuring block icons
- Working with APL faceplates
- Operator commands and operating modes
- Alarm generation, acknowledgement, and status indication
- Basic process value and trend monitoring
- OS compilation and runtime activation
- Integrated test of the complete project
- Testing commands, interlocks, alarms, failures, and automatic sequences
- Basic troubleshooting and diagnostic workflow
- Project archiving and retrieval
- Final practical exercise and course review
Sample project
Throughout the course, participants will develop one integrated simulated process project containing:
- Analog and digital process signals
- Level or temperature measurement
- Manual and automatic operating modes
- Interlocks and permissive conditions
- Process alarms and status indications
- An automatic SFC sequence
- PCS 7 OS process graphics
- APL block icons and faceplates
- Controller and process simulation
