This textbook, now in its sixth edition, continues to be straightforward and easy-to-read, presenting the principles of PLCs while not tying itself to one manufacturer or another. Extensive examples and chapter ending problems utilize several popular PLCs, highlighting understanding of fundamentals that can be used regardless of manufacturer. This book will help you to understand the main design characteristics, internal architecture, and operating principles of PLCs, as well as Identify safety issues and methods for fault diagnosis, testing, and debugging. New to This edition: A new chapter 1 with a comparison of relay-controlled systems, microprocessor-controlled systems, and the programmable logic controller, a discussion of PLC hardware and architecture, examples from various PLC manufacturers, and coverage of security, the IEC programming standard, programming devices and manufacturer’s software More detail of programming using Sequential Function Charts Extended coverage of the sequencer More Information on fault finding, including testing inputs and outputs with an illustration of how it is done with the PLC manufacturer’s software New case studies

"... an excellent introductory text for students studying PLCs that is also a useful programming guide for engineers who need to program them...supported by numerous worked examples and a specific focus on the safety aspects necessary in PLC system design." --Computing Reviews

Former Lecturer at Buckingham Chilterns University College, High Wycombe, UK, and now retired, William Bolton has worked in industry and academia as a senior lecturer in a college of technology, a member of the Nuffield Advanced Physics team, an adviser to a British government aid project in Brazil on technical education, as a UNESCO consultant in Argentina and Thailand, and as Head of Research and Development at the Business and Technician Education Council. He has written many engineering textbooks, including Mechatronics, 4th ed., Engineering Science, 5th ed., Higher Engineering Science, 2nd ed., Mechanical Science, 3rd ed., and Instrumentation and Control Systems.