Houston, TX
United States
Oct2026
PID100PID Tuning CourseOct 5–6
PID100PID Tuning Course
Hands-on PID tuning training on real-time simulation software - 2 days in the classroom or 15 hours online, finishing with an automatic grading report card and a completion certificate.
PITOPS + SIMCET real-time softwareCompletion certificate & grading report
Overview
Primary Process Control and PID Tuning
The PID100 PID tuning course teaches process engineers and control room personnel to tune industrial PID control loops using hands-on exercises on real-time process control software. Known formally as PiControl's Primary Process Control and PID Tuning course, PID100 runs as 2 days of classroom training or 15 hours online, with practice on the SIMCET and PITOPS software from the first session.
PID100 starts with the basics of process control, explains the PID equation in the time domain, and then trains engineers on real-time PID tuning, simulation, and optimization software. In 2 days, attendees learn to tune PID loops and make process changes on distillation columns, reactors, tanks, compressors, flow controllers, and heat exchangers, and each attendee finishes with an automatic grading report card on their tuning skills.
- PiControl completion certificate, recognized across global industries
- Instructors with 20+ years tuning loops in real plants
- Structured, modular curriculum from fundamentals to advanced tuning
- Live cohorts in Houston & Zagreb, or 15 hours self-paced online
Upcoming sessions
Reserve a Seat — Houston or Zagreb
Live classroom sessions run in Houston and Zagreb. Prefer to learn at your own pace? PID100 is also available as 15 hours of self-paced online training — register for the course here.
Reserve a Seat in Houston
Zagreb, Croatia
Europe
Oct2026
PID100PID Tuning CourseOct 12–13
Curriculum
What You Learn in the PID100 PID Tuning Course
PID100 moves from process control fundamentals to applied PID loop tuning, with hands-on simulator labs throughout. After completing the course, attendees can tune PID controllers in any DCS or PLC, troubleshoot control problems, dampen or eliminate oscillations, and improve controller performance to help maximize production rates. Practice on a real-time PID tuning simulator builds confidence in tuning live loops in operating plants, shortening what often takes years on the job into two days.
The course covers the following topics.
Module 01 · 6 topics
Process control fundamentals
- Introduction to Industrial Process Control
- Process control terminology and definitions
- Manipulated variables, controlled variables, disturbance and feedforward variables
- Process control dynamics and process transfer functions
- Open-loop dynamics
- Process control schematics
Module 02 · 7 topics
The PID equation and tuning theory
- PID equation in the time domain and Laplace domain
- PID examples in the time domain with calculation illustrations
- Positional and velocity forms of the PID equation
- Advanced forms of PID algorithms
- Optimal tuning theory and calculations
- Error criteria for PID tuning and quantifying control quality
- Typical PID tuning parameters for various types of processes
Module 03 · 5 topics
Simulation and hands-on tuning
- PID simulations using PITOPS and SIMCET
- Simulating noise and process disturbances
- Optimal tuning using the PITOPS simulator with disturbances, noise, and setpoint changes
- Hands-on lab sessions using real-time PID simulator software
- Timed tests using the training simulator for grading
Module 04 · 7 topics
Advanced topics and DCS/PLC application
- Filter action and filter time constant, and estimating the correct filter time constant in a DCS or PLC
- Estimating process dynamics from DCS trends and operator knowledge
- Transforming process operating information into controller tuning
- DCS attributes, features, and controller modes, including PV tracking
- Importance of derivative action, when to use it, and estimating the derivative parameter scientifically
- Procedures for conducting step tests in the plant
- Cascade control basics, plus SP/OP tracking and bumpless transfer
Once these topics are complete, engineers choose the delivery format that fits their schedule and plant access.
Who it's for
Who the Course Is For
PID100 is built for the people responsible for PID tuning and control loop performance in the plant: DCS technicians, plant operators, instrumentation engineers, process engineers, and process control engineers. Control room experience as a technician, operator, or engineer is helpful but not required, because the course starts from process control fundamentals before moving into applied tuning.
01
New control room personnel
Gain a structured foundation across many process types and different DCS and PLC controllers, which shortens the usual learn-on-the-job path.
02
Experienced engineers
Engineers who already tune loops by hand gain scientific, repeatable tuning methods and simulator practice that improve consistency, accuracy, and documentation.
03
Operators & technicians
Use PID100 as a step toward a control or automation engineering role, since it builds both the theory and the hands-on confidence those roles require.
Bring your whole team
PID100 also suits full teams from a single plant. Group participation works well when a team is responsible for process reliability or a control upgrade, and companies use the course for technical onboarding, DCS and PLC upskilling, and control room readiness programs. Onsite corporate training is available on request so a team trains together on its own loops.
Hands-on labs
Hands-On With SIMCET and PITOPS
Hands-on practice separates a working PID tuning course from a lecture. A large share of industrial PID loops run poorly tuned, so engineers learn most when they tune loops that respond like real plant equipment rather than idealized examples. PID100 uses the SIMCET real-time simulator for this practice, which gives the feel of tuning loops on a live DCS and includes an automatic testing and grading module that produces a report card on each attendee's PID tuning skills.
The course also trains engineers on closed-loop PID tuning software, the PITOPS software PiControl uses to extract process models from normal operating data and calculate optimal PID controller settings without open-loop step tests. Engineers who tune production loops at scale continue with the same software after the course. For the theory behind every exercise, PID100 draws on the PID Tuning Complete Guide.
Certification & materials
Certification and Course Materials
PID100 attendees receive a PiControl PID100 Completion Certificate, which supports professional development records and can be added to a resume or LinkedIn profile. Tuning skill is measured objectively: the simulator's automatic grading module generates a performance report card for each attendee rather than relying on a written exam alone. Engineers who want the broader credential continue from PID100 to PID tuning certification.
Attendees also receive digital training materials, temporary software access, and follow-up guidance after the course. PiControl offers follow-on courses such as APC200 for engineers who want to continue into advanced process control.
- Completion certificate
- Automatic grading report card
- Digital training materials
- Temporary software access
- Follow-up guidance
- APC200 follow-on pathway
PiControl Solutions
Certificate of CompletionPID100
Primary Process Control & PID Tuning
Instructor
Date
Testimonials
What PID100 Graduates Say
FAQ
PID100 Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions engineers ask most before enrolling in the PID100 PID tuning course.
PID100 runs as 2 days of classroom training or 15 hours online. The classroom format is instructor-led, and the online format is self-paced so engineers can complete it around plant duties.
PID100 is designed for DCS technicians, plant operators, instrumentation engineers, process engineers, and process control engineers. Anyone responsible for PID tuning or control loop performance in the plant benefits from the course.
No. Control room experience as a technician, operator, or engineer is helpful but not required. PID100 starts from process control fundamentals before moving into applied PID tuning.
PID100 uses PITOPS and SIMCET, plus training slides. Engineers tune loops and run simulations on the real-time software rather than working only from theory.
The simulator includes an automatic grading module that generates a report card on each attendee's PID tuning skills. Evaluation is based on measured tuning performance, not attendance alone.
Attendees receive a PiControl PID100 Completion Certificate. It documents completion of the course and can be used for professional development records or added to a resume or LinkedIn profile.
Yes. PID100 is not tied to any single DCS or PLC brand and applies across controllers from different manufacturers, because the tuning methods are based on process dynamics rather than a specific vendor's hardware.
Attendees receive digital training materials, temporary software access, and follow-up guidance. PiControl also offers follow-on courses such as APC200 for engineers continuing into advanced process control.
Yes. Group participation works well for teams responsible for process reliability or control upgrades, and onsite corporate training is available on request so a team trains together on its own loops.
Enroll now
Register for PID100
Register for PID100 to give your engineering team a practical, simulator-based PID tuning course with a completion certificate. Online, 2-day classroom, and onsite formats are available, so teams in any location or time zone can start.
Supporting resources: Download the course syllabus. Questions: info@PiControlSolutions.com, Tel: (832) 495 6436.