Siemens Simatic TIA Portal V18

Siemens Industry Automation Division introduced the Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V18. The software engineering framework enables users to develop and commission automation systems quickly and intuitively, which eliminates the traditional time consuming and costly integration of separate software packages.

New features in V18:

Higher engineering efficiency thanks to more functionalities for team collaboration. Siemens TIA Portal allows engineering efficiency and offers optimized functionalities for multi-user engineering. This means that users can now work in teams and in parallel on projects and build and manage shared libraries. Access rights can be assigned either individually or group-specifically, which makes collaboration more flexible. 
IT/OT integration thanks to extension with the IT-oriented approach of Simatic Automation Xpansion (Simatic AX). This provides IT professionals with a familiar development environment like a Visual Studio-compliant interface or project management via GitHub. The functionalities programmed in this way are created in structured text and can therefore be seamlessly integrated into the TIA Portal as libraries. The engineering platform – which was previously a standard tool used with operational technology (OT) – can now also be used by IT users without first re-skilling them. License will be required for AX extension. Currently will be only available for S7-1500 controllers.



Advanced engineering of kinematics (5D/6D). Motion control functions up to six interpolating axes. Complex kinematics like robots can now be easily integrated into industrial processes in the TIA Portal. This allows companies to easily expand, convert, or modify their production facilities without interfering with running systems maximum availability in through R1 redundancy. The Simatic S7-1500 and the Simatic ET 200SP now provide a higher computing and communication performance and support R1 redundancy. This ensures the maximum availability of applications and helps solve future automation challenges. The R1 redundancy can be easily and flexibly integrated into existing networks with no programming effort.

WinCC Unified V18
We heard from Siemens some news about new version of WinCC Unified. V18 will bring some new improvements and integration features.

- Faceplates now can be nested. That is one of the main improvements we were waiting for.
- Zoom options are improved, with 3rd party API you can use camera to detect how far person is standing from HMI and change zoom dynamically.
- You can use ready library to improve diagnostic, for example use live code viewer.



- Support for GraphQL – 3rd application can pass parameters to and from runtime. GraphQL is a query and manipulation language for APIs. GraphQL provides a flexible and intuitive syntax to describe data requirements and interactions. It makes it possible to access many sources in a single request, reducing the number of network calls and bandwidth requirements, therefore saving battery life and CPU cycles consumed by applications. 



TIA Portal is a software and tools package developed by Siemens, which aims to integrate multiple development tools for automation devices from the unification and remodelling of preexisting software such as Simatic Step 7, Simatic WinCC, and Sinamics Starter. The environments are responsible for programming, developing, and configuring Siemens PLCs, HMIs, and frequency inverters. The user's programming logic in TIA Portal follows a structure of blocks, a facilitating agent for the development, maintenance, and diagnostics of machines and industrial processes when developed in a structured and organized way.

Step7 is used to program PLCs of the S7-1200, S7-1500, S7-300, and S7-400 families. WinAC and the latest S7-1500 Software Controller are alternative controllers for industrial computers. The available programming languages ​​are ladder, FBD (Function Block Diagram), SCL (Structured Control Language), STL (Statements List), and S7 GRAPH. The Development of HMI screens in WinCC is applied to supervisory systems on computers, isolated or SCADA, and Basic, Comfort, and Mobile operational panels. Profibus, PROFINET, and AS-I (Actuator Sensor Interface) communication protocols. For communication with PLCs, it is worth mentioning the existence of CMs (Communication Modules) with functions to establish communications in different industrial protocols, such as Modbus and CANOpen. The Figure below gathers the main features for SIMATIC STEP 7 and SIMATIC WinCC.


The monitoring of plant status and control of its actuator elements is done by devices connected to the controller's hardware. An operating system acts as an interpreter agent for the algorithms to run. PLC operating systems are responsible for translating logical instructions to the hardware according to the user program and hardware configuration of the PLC.

The controller programming is based on an architecture segmented into the blocks OBs (Organization Blocks), FCs (Functions), FBs (Function Blocks), and DBs (Data Blocks).

Siemens TIA Portal Training Course


A division of Siemens Industry, Inc., the Industry Automation Division is a global leader in the fields of automation systems, low-voltage switchgear and industrial software. Industry Automation’s portfolio ranges from standard products for the manufacturing and process industries to enterprise-wide automation solutions for automobile production facilities and chemical plants. As a leading software supplier, Industry Automation optimizes the entire value chain of manufacturers – from product design and development to production, sales, as well as a wide range of maintenance services.

Product: Siemens Simatic TIA Portal
Version: V18 *
Supported Architectures: x64
Website Home Page : https://support.industry.siemens.com/
Languages Supported: english
System Requirements: Windows **
Size: 31.4 Gb