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Robotics & Automation vocabulary · PLCs and Industrial Control

Structured text

Meaning in robotics & automation, with examples

/ˈstrʌktʃərd tekst/nounAdvanced term

In robotics & automation, structured text means: A text-based PLC programming language defined in IEC 61131-3 that looks similar to Pascal, with IF, CASE and FOR statements. It suits calculations, data handling and complex logic.

In Turkish: yapılandırılmış metin, ST, SCL

How it is used

Shortened to ST; Siemens calls its version SCL. It is popular with engineers who have a software background and in large modern projects. Teams often combine languages: ladder for simple I/O logic, structured text for algorithms.

Example sentences

  1. The recipe calculations are written in structured text because they'd be messy in ladder.

  2. If you know C or Python, structured text will feel familiar.

Common collocations

  • write in structured text
  • ST code
  • SCL block
  • IEC 61131-3 languages
  • ladder logicA graphical PLC programming language that looks like an electrical relay diagram, with contacts and coils placed on horizontal lines called rungs between two vertical rails.
  • function blockA reusable piece of PLC code with its own inputs, outputs and memory, used to control one type of device, such as a motor, valve or conveyor, many times in a program.
  • PLCShort for programmable logic controller: a rugged industrial computer that reads inputs from sensors and switches, runs a control program and drives outputs such as motors, valves and lamps.

More terms: PLCs and Industrial Control

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