LadderSimLab vs PLC Simulator & Automation Lab

PLC Ladder Logic, made visual. LadderSimLab is a complete, hands-on learning environment for understanding PLC programming and industrial automation. Build ladder circuits, run them through a live PLC scan engine, interact with virtual inputs and watch every output respond in real time. Whether you are learning from zero, studying automation, preparing for technical work or refreshing your PLC knowledge, LadderSimLab turns abstract logic into something you can see, control and understand. LEARN BY BUILDING Your first launch begins with a guided project. The app highlights the correct control at every step and helps you build a working ladder circuit without getting lost. Continue learning with: • 12 focused PLC lessons • 15 automated programming challenges • A 10-part illustrated visual guide • Editable example circuits • Clear explanations of contacts, coils, timers, counters, memory and safety logic BUILD AND SIMULATE Create your own PLC projects using a visual Ladder Logic editor. • Add and arrange ladder rungs • Use normally open and normally closed contacts • Add output, set and reset coils • Work with TON timers and CTU counters • Build parallel branches • Use comparisons, edge detection and memory instructions • Run, pause, reset or advance the PLC one scan at a time • Monitor scan count and execution time • Control virtual inputs and observe outputs instantly • Save and reopen your projects LIVE MACHINE LABS Go beyond individual circuits and see how PLC logic controls complete physical processes. Explore six interactive machine labs: • Conveyor Cell • Water Tank • Bottle Filling • Traffic Intersection • Industrial Motor • Two-Floor Elevator Sensors automatically feed the PLC while outputs drive animated actuators. Watch packages move, tanks fill, bottles process, traffic lights change, motors run and elevators travel between floors. PRACTICE WITH REAL CHALLENGES Open a challenge, build your solution and let the app test it automatically. Progress from direct outputs and contact logic to motor seal-in circuits, emergency-stop systems, timers, counters and interlocks. Challenges provide a safe place to experiment, identify mistakes and improve your logic without requiring physical PLC hardware. DESIGNED FOR CLARITY LadderSimLab uses a modern visual interface with live power-flow highlighting, clear hardware mapping and readable PLC symbols. Active circuits glow as the scan engine evaluates them, making it easier to understand why an output is ON or OFF. IDEAL FOR • Industrial automation students • Electrical and electronics students • PLC beginners • Technicians and engineers • Instructors and training environments • Makers and automation enthusiasts FULLY OFFLINE Lessons, guides, challenges, projects, examples and machine simulations work offline. The complete learning experience is included with no subscriptions or locked modules. Learn the logic. Build the circuit. Watch the machine respond. LadderSimLab is an independent educational simulator. It is not affiliated with any PLC manufacturer and is not intended to replace certified industrial engineering tools or safety systems.

Build real industrial automation circuits — on your iPhone or iPad. PLCForge is a complete automation lab: drag components, wire them up, run the simulation and watch motors spin, contactors latch and lamps light up. Tap the PLC and program it in ladder logic, just like the real thing. REALISTIC SIMULATION • 35+ industrial components: buttons, contactors, relays, timers, counters, three-phase motors, VFD, servo drives, conveyor, pneumatic cylinder, tank, stack light, industrial oven and more • Realistic power chain: motors need all three phases, contactor coils need A1+A2, DC polarity matters, and a short circuit trips the fuse, breaker or thermal relay • Fault injection: create shorts and open circuits on purpose and learn to diagnose like a professional LADDER PROGRAMMING • Full ladder editor inside the PLC: NO/NC contacts, coils, SET/RESET, TON/TOF timers, CTU/CTD counters, comparison, MOV and more • Real I/O: wire buttons and sensors to the inputs, drive contactors and motors from the outputs LEARN FROM SCRATCH • Training Center with 16 interactive lessons — from your first control circuit to servo motion control • Guided 24-step course: from the seal-in circuit all the way to ladder logic • 16 challenges of rising difficulty + 14 real-world problems • Built-in reference guide for every component, with every terminal explained SHARE YOUR WORK • Export and import projects (.plcforge) and share them with classmates • Export your panel as PNG or PDF Perfect for electrical and automation students, technicians, electricians and hobbyists. No hardware needed — learn PLC hands-on, anywhere. Works fully offline. The core components and lessons are free; a single one-time purchase unlocks everything.