Freelance Remote Plc Programming Jobs in Chicago, IL

Position Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Controls Engineer – Conveyor Systems to design, program, troubleshoot, and support automated conveyor and material-handling systems.

This position is ideal for an engineer or programmer with strong PLC, HMI, VFD, industrial networking, and conveyor controls experience who can take a system from design and programming through startup, commissioning, and ongoing troubleshooting.

The Controls Engineer will work closely with engineering, maintenance, operations, equipment vendors, and field installation teams to ensure conveyor systems operate safely, efficiently, and reliably.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, modify, and troubleshoot PLC programs for conveyor and automated material-handling systems
• Program and configure HMI applications and operator interfaces
• Develop conveyor control sequences including:
• Zone control
• Accumulation
• Merge/divert logic
• Sortation
• Motor sequencing
• Jam detection
• Photoeye tracking
• Line synchronization
• Fault handling and recovery
• Configure and troubleshoot VFDs, motor starters, sensors, photoeyes, encoders, safety devices, and field I/O
• Perform startup and commissioning of new or modified conveyor systems
• Troubleshoot electrical and controls-related equipment failures in the field
• Diagnose PLC logic, communications, I/O, networking, and device-level issues
• Integrate conveyors with production equipment, robotics, scanners, sortation systems, and other automated equipment
• Configure and troubleshoot industrial communication networks such as EtherNet/IP
• Develop and modify electrical controls documentation
• Read and interpret:
• Electrical schematics
• Control panel drawings
• I/O drawings
• Network architecture drawings
• Conveyor layouts
• Support control panel checkout, I/O verification, FAT/SAT, startup, and system validation
• Work with electricians and installation teams during equipment installation and commissioning
• Provide technical support during system startup and production ramp-up
• Identify opportunities to improve conveyor reliability, throughput, fault recovery, and equipment performance
• Maintain backups and documentation for PLC, HMI, drive, and controls programs

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in industrial controls, automation, or PLC programming
• Hands-on experience programming and troubleshooting Allen-Bradley PLCs
• Experience with Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000
• Experience programming or troubleshooting HMIs
• Strong understanding of industrial electrical control systems
• Experience troubleshooting:
• VFDs
• Motors
• Sensors
• Photoeyes
• Encoders
• Relays/contactors
• Safety circuits
• Remote I/O
• Ability to read electrical schematics and troubleshoot systems using PLC logic and electrical drawings
• Experience with industrial Ethernet and controls networks
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Ability to independently diagnose controls problems in a live production or commissioning environment

Preferred Experience

• Previous experience with conveyor, sortation, distribution, packaging, warehouse automation, or material-handling systems
• Allen-Bradley GuardLogix / safety PLC experience
• FactoryTalk View experience
• PowerFlex VFD experience
• Servo or motion-control experience
• Barcode scanner or vision-system integration
• Robotics integration experience
• Experience with high-speed conveyor or automated distribution systems
• Controls system design and electrical panel design experience
• Experience commissioning large-scale automation projects

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field preferred.

Equivalent hands-on PLC programming and conveyor controls experience will also be considered.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is not limited to programming from a desk. This person can open PLC logic, trace an input or output, identify why a conveyor is not running, troubleshoot the electrical system, make the necessary programming changes, and successfully commission the equipment in the field.