Automation and Controls: PLC and HMI

Adesuwa Dawodu's interest in industrial automation has led her to develop practical experience in PLC programming, HMI development, and virtual commissioning through simulation-based projects. While early in her controls career, she has approached these technologies with an emphasis on organization, maintainability, and sound engineering practices.

Using Codesys, Adesuwa has designed and implemented PLC applications using IEC 61131-3 programming concepts. Beyond writing functional logic, she places significant importance on project structure and readability. Her projects are organized using clearly defined folder hierarchies, standardized naming conventions, dedicated I/O Global Variable Lists (GVLs), and modular program organization. This approach reflects an understanding that industrial control systems must be maintainable long after the original programmer has moved on.

Her experience extends to Ignition Vision, where she has developed operator interfaces that prioritize usability and clear communication. Through HMI design, she has gained experience translating process requirements into intuitive visual representations that allow operators to monitor system status and interact effectively with automated equipment.

To validate and refine control strategies, Adesuwa has utilized Factory I/O as a simulation environment for testing PLC logic and HMI functionality. Working with simulated industrial systems has enabled her to gain experience with troubleshooting, sensor integration, sequence development, and implementing communications using protocols such as Modbus TCP and OPC UA within a risk-free development environment.

Although her experience has thus far been limited to simulated environments rather than physical PLC hardware, this work has provided a solid foundation in control system development workflows. It has also reinforced the importance of careful planning, systematic testing, and designing with future scalability and maintainability in mind.

Adesuwa is particularly interested in the intersection of mechanical systems and automation, where effective control strategies can improve efficiency, reliability, and operator experience. As she continues to expand her knowledge through increasingly complex projects, she remains committed to developing solutions that are not only functional, but also well-organized, understandable, and built according to sound engineering principles.