Industry Voices: Training Automation and Control TechniciansIndustry Voices: Training Automation and Control Technicians
Developing the skills of industrial technicians is crucial for running automation systems effectively. The training needs to be both hands-on and relevant to the company’s systems.
January 15, 2025

At a Glance
- Automation technicians are in short supply. Many are pulled from the ranks of mechanical technicians and engineers.
- Hands-on activities are essential for learning, especially when focused on PLC field devices.
- Industrial technicians can improve their skills through initiatives such as DigiKey’s PLC trainer and hands-on labs.
In a world where skilled workers are getting harder to come by – in a world where worker training is becoming increasingly specific – many companies are developing their own training programs. This results in workers who are knowledgeable in the exact area the company needs.
Electronic components distributor, DigiKey, has rolled up its sleeves to develop programs to train industrial technicians. To DigiKey, technicians are critical for operating industrial automation effectively. They are involved with the day-to-day operations of automated systems, and they are irreplaceable when the equipment malfunctions.
Industrial equipment is designed for easy repair. This includes the simple pushbutton with modular components that may be replaced in less than a minute. Technicians use associated PLC indicator LEDs to localize the fault. The repair task is easier if the PLC is programmed with the technician in mind. That’s backed up by a robust alarm reporting mechanism.
The methods for training industrial technicians
We turned to DigiKey to learn how technicians are trained in the art of repair. With DigiKey, we explored the trends in developing skilled technicians for automation systems. We looked at how to fill the ranks of technicians from the ranks mechanical to electrical technicians. We saw how hands-on learning fits into the training of industrial technicians.
DigiKey noted that it’s important to expand focus from PLC outward to encompass supporting equipment. We also looked at what needs to be prioritized in training. A final twist for making technicians effective is to design systems for repairability. That minimizes downtime.
We caught up with Aaron Dahlen, LCDR USCG, an applications engineer at DigiKey, to get the details of effective training for those running automation systems.
What is the role of the industrial technician?
Aaron Dahlen: Technicians are the unsung heroes who keep your facility humming. They are careful, attentive creatures with a unique ability to shift focus from small details to a larger system-level understanding. We see this skill when a technician is called to repair what looks like a simple problem.
The best technicians will use their intimate knowledge of machinery and circuitry to identify the root cause of the malfunction. Instead of focusing on the first symptom, they take time to identify all symptoms. With this knowledge, they isolate the malfunction to a particular subsystem and quickly implement repairs.
In addition to their troubleshooting skills, technicians are called upon to train operators and perform preventative maintenance. Highly skilled technicians take on tasks typically associated with engineers, such as equipment modification and even equipment installation plus commissioning. This increasingly includes networked equipment with the necessary cybersecurity.
Explain how you fill the ranks of technicians from mechanical to electrical.
Dahlen: DigiKey provides opportunities to talk to many people about industrial automation. I always ask a simple question, “Where are you finding your technicians and engineers: electrical, mechanical, or computer science?” With few exceptions, most are filling their ranks from the mechanical side of the house. I’ve met many people who express pleasant surprise that their career trajectories turned to automation.
This suggests we should increase focus on the electrical and computer control aspects of automation. We should also consider temperament and the desire for hands-on learning.
How does hands-on learning fit into the training of industrial technicians?
Dahlen: There is an old saying: Tell me and I forget. Show me and I forget. Empower me and I remember. Consider a simple DPDT control relay as shown in Figure 1. All students initially struggle with the circuitry, especially the start-stop latch. Lectures, demonstrations and computer simulations all fall short.
Instead, we learn by doing under the guidance of a knowledgeable person. The relay is best understood by physically connecting the wires. It’s a messy process with many likely mistakes along the way. There are even failures to be celebrated, such as when a normally closed contact is used to power the coil. To the surprise of the student, the relay sings. This delightful failure captures attention and everyone in the room will rush to discover the reasoning.

Figure 1: Image of a control relay with wire markings corresponding to the wire diagram. Image courtesy of DigiKey.
Students then explore related topics such as the motor starter and associated start-stop-jog circuit, ultimately leading to PLC programming. Like an archer refining their skill by varying distance to the target, the technician benefits from working on a variety of components. This reflects the equipment in your facility. For instance, there are many different relays, contactors and motor starters in your facility with many different circuit connections. Variety is not a challenge as the skilled technician has generalized the concept of relay, sensor and circuit.
How do you expand focus from PLC outward to encompass supporting equipment?
Dahlen: Consider the nature of equipment failures. Would you agree that more than 80% of electrical failures occur outside of the PLC? It has been my experience that loose wires and physical damage to sensors, motors and external relays are responsible for most equipment failures.
On a related note, do your technicians have access to the PLC? Many don’t. The PLC may be locked to preserve proprietary code or as a condition for equipment warranty. The repair technician may not have the necessary training to “poke around” in the PLC. There are also questions of trust in some facilities.
Given these factors, we should question a PLC-centric emphasis in education. Technicians could benefit from a focused exploration of the PLC to field-device interface.
As an example, consider the interposing control relay used to increase the voltage and current capacity of a PLC. A large motor starter may be driven by an interposing relay as opposed to a PLC’s I/O. We are often taught to use conventional surge suppressing diodes across the coil of the interposing relay and the motor starter. Using a conventional diode across the motor starter’s 24- VDC coil is a critical mistake as the contactor opening is slowed down. It is better to use a higher voltage TVS diode or no diode at all so that the coil’s energy is quickly dissipated. The result is a contactor that will snap open quickly, extinguishing the arc across its primary contacts.
This insight about the interposing relay showcases the importance of the nuanced edge-of-PLC circuitry.
If training time is a constraint, what would you prioritize?
Dahlen: DigiKey has partnered with Arduino and Phase Dock to design the relay and PLC trainer as shown in Figure 2. This trainer provides a convenient platform for students to explore relays, motor starters and small PLCs. The 9-inch section of DIN rail provides room for a variety of experiments and the switch plate provides room for four 22 mm switches or panel indicators.
For background purposes, I should mention that my goal at DigiKey is to help engineers and designers select, use and integrate components. The trainer is a natural extension of that work. Originally, it was used to showcase industrial products on DigiKey’s TechForum. It was well-received at Automate, the largest robotics and automation trade show in North America.
Today, we are partnering with Arduino to provide lessons for the Arduino Opta (Finder) PLC, making the PLC more acceptable to everyone. In addition, DigiKey’s TechForum hosts a growing number of labs focused on the hardware and the field device to PLC interface. Naturally, there is a focus on hands-on activities. The trainer provides a right-size, right-cost platform to explore the ideas. With a screwdriver in hand, we can explore circuit operation on this industrial breadboard. With a screwdriver in the instructor’s hand, we can explore troubleshooting.

Figure 2: PLC trainer showcasing the new Arduino Opta PLC and associated components all mounted on a Phase Dock base. Image courtesy of DigiKey.
How are systems designed for repairability to minimize downtime?
Dahlen: Let’s begin by recognizing that system down time is extraordinarily costly. Broken equipment results in an idle workforce, scrap product, the need for overtime and loss of goodwill as scheduled deliveries slip. Consequently, shortcuts to reduce equipment cost that compromise serviceability are misguided. A single equipment casualty with an idle workforce will quickly erode any cost savings. These ideas form the core of industrial controls with hardened construction down to the level pushbuttons. The robust modular design allows a skilled technician to replace a switch in less than a minute.
We also recognize industrial equipment has a long service life. Chances are high that your facility has PLC running code that was first written many decades ago. The original programmers have long since departed. Also, the technician may not have access to the PLC. With these limitations, we should design as if the technician does not have access to the PLC. These principles are also incorporated into the core of industrial equipment. Examples include the indicator LEDs built into field devices such as proximity sensors and the I/O status indicators built into the PLC.
Integration of a robust time-stamped alarm mechanism is also important. A properly designed system will allow the technician to determine cause and effect. For instance, a thermal system may experience an overtemperature fault.
The final consideration is panel layout itself. Clear demarcation points at the panel’s edges allow the technicians to use a half-step troubleshooting technique. This will allow them to definitively determine if a fault is inside or outside the control panel.
Any parting thoughts?
Dahlen: Technicians and engineers have a different way of viewing the world. Most technicians work on commissioned equipment with a long service life. Their primary task is to restore malfunctioning equipment to a previously known good condition. Most of their troubleshooting efforts are dedicated to the field devices and the PLC interface.
Engineers often have additional responsibilities such as writing or modifying PLC code and overseeing the machine commissioning process. Their work is on the front end of the design, problem solving the unknowns and working out the corner case bugs. Engineers convert ideas into working machinery that is then passed on to the technicians.
Your bottom line depends on well-trained technicians and engineers who design with serviceability as a prime consideration.
Bio: Aaron Dahlen has a unique electronics and automation foundation built over a 27-year military career as a technician and engineer, which was further enhanced by 12 years of teaching. With an MSEE degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, Dahlen has taught in an ABET-accredited EE program, served as the program coordinator for an EET program, and taught component-level re
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