October 2019

| FEATURES | www.smartmachinesandfactories.com October 2019 | 15 | models themselves are prone to errors. “That may have been the case early on”, says Zehetleitner, “but today, creating simulation models is considerably easier and faster”. Digital twins accelerate commissioning Today’s simulation tools make it very easy to generate digital twins. Not only does this simplify and accelerate hardware and software development, it also makes it possible to perform virtual commissioning. Simulating the physical behaviour of a machine in real time makes it possible to identify bottlenecks and potential for optimization very early in development. “With seamless interaction between development tools, simulation facilitates a high degree of flexibility and efficient resource management”, says Zehetleitner. “This contributes to optimal utilization of development resources and helps reduce commissioning times by up to 80%”. In the B&R Automation Studio engineering environment, a digital twin gives application developers a decisive advantage – they can start up the virtual model directly on the PC and connect to the machine controller in a software- or hardware-in-the-loop configuration. The application software can be developed, verified and tested in advance, and performance requirements can be tested on the controller. To create a digital twin, the developer imports the CAD data for the machine into a modelling tool, such as MapleSim. They can easily use important characteristics from the CAD design, like mass and density values, and can also provide individual mechanical components with additional properties, like degrees of freedom and an interface to the controller. Modelling without equations With tools like MapleSim and industrialPhysics, even complex models are easy to implement. MapleSim offers a library of modeling elements like masses, joints, springs and dampers that make the process of expanding and fine-tuning a model intuitive and easy. The system generates the equations for the model in the background. A B&R app for example in MapleSim allows the model to be automatically exported to Automation T he only way for machines to achieve their ever-tighter development schedules is with highly efficient processes. Errors must be ruled out from the start rather than corrected after the fact. Even the prototype of a new machine has to be just right the first time.” To meet these lofty targets, simulation is an approach that has proven itself in many different disciplines”, says Kurt Zehetleitner, responsible for simulation and model- based development at B&R. A digital twin makes it possible to evaluate the characteristics of a product before any part of it actually exists. This approach is already common practice for developing the mechatronic systems used in the automotive and aviation industries. Mechanical systems are modelled on the computer and tested in a simulation environment. This development strategy is still gaining a foothold in other areas of manufacturing. This can be largely attributed to the widespread misconception that developing simulation models is a time-consuming task that can only be performed by developers with a strong understanding of advanced mathematics, and that All across the world’s markets and industries, products are moving from conceptual design to market release in a shorter and shorter amount of time. How long it takes to develop a machine’s hardware and program its software can be a decisive factor in its success or failure against the competition. So, naturally the faster, the better. Digital twins can play an important role in rapid development and testing of a machine’s hardware and software. Smart Machines & Factories caught up with Kurt Zehetleitner, head of development - Simulation and Digital Twin, B&R. Digital twins revolutionise time to market