Nowadays many producers and operators already rely on the Digital Twin. The virtual copy of the real machine holds multiple benefits for companies, there is just one problem: up to now the digital twin lived in the cloud. A good solution if there wasn’t the security issue. Machinery data is highly delicate, powerful and only updated with some delay. machineering now offers the perfect solution: machineering’s ‘Digital Twin’! The Digital Twin is directly integrated into your cabinet. For producers, the hardware-based digital twin adds value to the company. Finally, machinery data can be hosted, administrated, processed and used within the company’s building: no more fear of a security gap in the VPN, no more insecurity about the real-time capacity of relevant data. All simulations created by the Digital Twin run with the well-known industrialPhysics interface.

Digital Twin - continuation of the simulation model

The ‘real’ digital twin only becomes active with the commissioning of a real machine. It’s then when the virtual counterpart starts running simultaneously to the true machine – in real time. Nevertheless, the digital twin is created way earlier in form of a simulation model for the virtual commissioning. The idea is to hold the simulation model as a cross-functional platform to verify at every time the state of development and to review realizabilities with other departments. The sectors Mechanics, Electricity and Software simultaneously work, develop and test the same models in their native environment. Like this all three departments can test the up-to-date mechatronic development status in a very early stage of the global development process. A continuous virtual commissioning process reduces the costs considerably and cuts down project times in comparison to classic commissioning. The permanent comparison of the work status makes it possible to check feasibilities, to process data in the Digital Twin and to render a real digital twin at the end of the development process.

Machineering’s Digital Twin equally forms the basis for Remote and Predictive Maintenance. The final customer can rely on fast support on the one hand and the machine producer can resolve failures via remote assistance. Another advantage is a Failure Documentation including instructions for simulated and already documented failure scenarios. With the help of the Digital Twin, various work preparations can be realized in the machine without interrupting the work flow of a real machine. Only if the right solution is found, for example via Look Ahead, the real machine is configurated with the data of the Digital Twin. Considerably shorter downtimes and less failures tell its own story. Machineering’s Digital Twin can provide collision calculations too. A huge advantage for Service and After Sales is the remote maintenance visualizing the newest status. Augmented Reality is yet another option. Machineering offers different VR/AR glasses which can be connected to the industrialPhysics interface.

Machineering’s Field Box 1 offers machine manufacturers a rest bus simulation for Profinet or Ethernet IP. You can either use the Field Box 1 on your desk or as Test Rack connected to a real PLC. Thanks to the simulation software industrialPhysics, the Field Box 1 is connected via Plug and Play to a computer or a PLC and immediately applicable. In comparison to a conventional virtual commissioning, the big benefit is that the field bus simulation doesn’t run on any resources of the simulation computer. The whole field bus simulation is proceeded in the Field Box. Modifications of the PLC which up to now needed to implement the ComTCP-Client are no more necessary.

The Field Box 1 is connected to a real PLC via Profinet or Ethernet/IP for the virtual commissioning and the result – the simulation model – will be displayed in the industrialPhysics design.
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