To troubleshoot production problems.
this is going to come off as sounding negative and discouraging - but I do NOT mean it that way ... it's just the cold hard facts ...
if your company will not give you full access to the material that you're looking for - then your chances of making any significant use of the printouts is going to be MINIMAL - at best ... in simple terms, you're really going to need to get "online" (communicating with the PLC processor in real-time) in order to make much use of the material ...
so ...
if the company WOULD let you get online with their PLCs, then they would also (of a necessity) be forced to provide you with the programming code - and with the RSLogix500 software - and with the proper communications gear (cables, adapters, and such) needed to connect to the PLC for troubleshooting purposes ...
here's an honest straight from the shoulder recommendation ... if your company is already content with your on-the-job performance - and they don't see the need to provide you with access to the PLC processors - then just keep-on keeping-on ... do your job - and get paid for doing it ...
and ...
get yourself a MicroLogix 1100 processor (no other model) and download the free copy of RSLogix500 software (the forum will tell you how) and start learning PLC skills on your own time at home ...
then ...
when you've got some skills in your noggin - then see if your supervisors would be more accommodating to your request to move further along the path ...