BUNTOP CONTROLS ACADEMY | INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS & PLANT DATA SIMULATION

Master industrial automation on a simulated connected factory floor.

Bridge theory and plant-floor troubleshooting. Follow machine signals through PLC logic, SCADA, historians and MES. Practice with 71 simulated fault scenarios without connecting to production equipment.

28 learning milestones
12 interactive workspaces
71 simulated fault scenarios
Browser practice, no physical hardware

Start a free 3-day Basic trial →Explore the syllabus & workspaces ↓

Card required. $0 at activation. Recurring billing starts after three days at your selected Basic rate unless canceled. Review the billing period and terms before starting.

The trial includes Basic access only. Interested in Pro labs? Request a guided demo at training@buntopautomation.com.

PRACTICE BEFORE THE LINE IS DOWN

Learn to investigate the imperfect plant.

Writing fresh logic is only one part of controls work. Existing plants bring old code, unclear signal ownership, intermittent networks, stale tags and incomplete records. These exercises ask you to trace the fault, test the explanation and document a recovery plan.

Work through virtual signal paths from sensors and I/O to edge collection, SCADA, historians and MES. Simulation supports learning; live changes still require qualified personnel and site authorization.

THE FOUR LEARNING SPRINTS

28 milestones. A practical path through the stack.

Plan 3–5 hours per milestone, including at least two hours of study and exercises. The four sprints describe the learning sequence, not a required four-week completion deadline. Topic access depends on your plan.

Sprint 1: Machine foundations and PLC logic

Process boundaries, electrical fundamentals, ladder scan tracing, counters, timers, instruments, HMI and a practical examination.

Milestone 1: Production and architecture baseline
Milestone 2: Electrical fundamentals and safe work limits
Milestone 3: Ladder logic and scan tracing
Milestone 4: Counters timers and memory
Milestone 5: Instruments loops drives and HMI
Milestone 6: Batch enterprise and platform boundaries
Milestone 7: Week one practical examination

Sprint 2: Networks, SCADA and secure infrastructure

Addressing, DNS and time, OPC interfaces, SCADA and historian roles, edge hardware, virtualization and risk-based zones and conduits.

Milestone 8: Networking addressing DNS and time
Milestone 9: Protocols read access and contracts
Milestone 10: SCADA historian MES and data memory
Milestone 11: OnLogic server and storage engineering
Milestone 12: Hypervisor and IaaS design
Milestone 13: Zones conduits and least privilege
Milestone 14: Week two architecture examination

Sprint 3: Connected operations and recovery

Inventory and onboarding, workload observation, count and KPI parity, orders and traceability, robots and AGVs, outage and recovery tests.

Milestone 15: KOP inventory and onboarding
Milestone 16: KOP GitOps workloads and observation
Milestone 17: Machine visibility counters and KPI parity
Milestone 18: Orders material logistics and traceability
Milestone 19: Tasks robots AGVs maintenance and utilities
Milestone 20: Outages access and observation tests
Milestone 21: Week three validation examination

Sprint 4: Cross-industry integration and commissioning

Pharma and quality records, automotive and critical facilities, capstone design, fault diagnosis, recovery, handover and final defense.

Milestone 22: Pharma and quality record integration
Milestone 23: Automotive and neutral integration
Milestone 24: Critical facilities broadcast and energy
Milestone 25: Capstone design and requirements
Milestone 26: Capstone commissioning and faults
Milestone 27: Capstone recovery and operational handover
Milestone 28: Final examination and defense

12 WORKSPACES · 71 MAPPED FAULTS

Investigate, explain and verify.

Trace the machine

Practice signal mapping, scan-by-scan logic, timers and counters. Separate commands, feedback, interlocks and local release authority.

Recover the data path

Investigate missing downtime reasons, stale values, gateway resets, buffered replay and historian gaps. Reconcile timestamps, quality and counts.

Build handover evidence

Work through packaging, beverage, pharma and other industry examples. Record expected results, exceptions and the evidence needed before acceptance.

Automated feedback checks the exercise’s defined model and answers. It does not certify compliance with an industry standard or validate a real plant installation.

Browse workspaces and plan access → · PLC UDT & Ignition faceplate lab →

Choose your learning path.

INDIVIDUAL ENGINEERS & TECHNICIANS

Build troubleshooting confidence.

Connect electrical maintenance and PLC knowledge to networks, visualization and trusted manufacturing data. Follow the milestones at your own pace.

Compare individual access →

PLANT & OPERATIONS MANAGERS

Support the team after handover.

A signed Buntop pilot proposal can include five named Academy seats for 12 months at an agreed plan level. Each learner has an individual account, an invitation and a fixed access period.

Seats are managed by Buntop. Team analytics, pooled seats and a customer manager dashboard are not currently included. Dedicated Q&A support is separately scoped.

Discuss a team training package → · Accept an invitation →

INDIVIDUAL ACCESS

Start with the access you need.

Basic

$49/month · $19/week · $490/year

Foundation lessons and introductory practice. Basic does not include the full Academy or advanced labs.

Review Basic →

Standard

$99/month · $39/week · $990/year

Core lessons and selected engineering applications. Advanced lessons and the complete capstone require Pro.

Review Standard →

Pro

$179/month · $69/week · $1,790/year

The complete 28-milestone Academy and advanced applications, subject to the listed app and project permissions.

Review Pro →

Each individual subscription is for one person. The three-day trial has Basic access only. Current checkout prices and recurring-billing terms are shown on the membership page before purchase.

THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE EXERCISES

Built by Adewale Adeniran.

M.S. Intelligent Systems Engineering, Cyber-Physical Systems, Indiana University Bloomington. The teaching approach draws on the founder’s controls, packaging, beverage and regulated manufacturing experience, including roles with KRONES, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling and bioMérieux.

These names describe prior employment experience, not Academy endorsements or Buntop client references.

Read the founder’s experience →

Before you start.

Do I need Studio 5000, TIA Portal, Ignition or AVEVA installed?

The included browser models do not require vendor software or physical hardware. They illustrate engineering behavior; they do not run the vendors’ full PLC or SCADA software. Practicing the supplied configuration examples inside those products requires the appropriate software and licenses.

Is this official vendor certification?

No. The Academy provides practical exercises and learning evidence. It does not award official vendor certification or authorize live plant work.

Does the free trial require a card?

Yes. The Basic trial starts at $0, lasts three days and renews into the selected Basic subscription unless canceled.

Can I try the Pro labs during the Basic trial?

The three-day trial includes Basic access only; it does not unlock Pro labs or the full Academy. To explore the advanced labs before choosing a plan, contact training@buntopautomation.com to request a guided demo.

How do I cancel?

Sign in to the membership page, open the billing portal and complete its cancellation steps. Review the effective cancellation date shown there. Team seats follow the employer agreement and do not create personal recurring charges.

Where is learning progress stored?

Learning tools may save progress and exports in your browser. Keep your evidence exports. Centralized team progress reporting is not currently part of the team-seat package.