An improved development process of production plants using digital twins with extended dynamic behaviour in virtual commissioning and control : Simulation@Operations

Abstract

The challenges in automation system development are driven by short development cycles and individualization along with resource‐constraints. State of the art solutions do not provide the necessary digital tools to apply model‐based methods in automation engineering to achieve higher performing systems. To overcome these issues this paper presents a novel approach to address some of the current challenges in automation systems development using digital twins with extended dynamic behaviour. The study underscores how dynamic models can be imported through standardised interfaces into virtual commissioning (VC) tools, improving the development process by effectively utilising domain‐specific expertise. The paper highlights how these digital twins enhance not only the VC process but can also be applied to model‐based control methods. Initial experiments showcase the utility of digital twins in calculating dynamic acceleration limits during trajectory planning of CNC control and enhancing feed‐forward control. Further, the importance of parameter identification in achieving accurate system models is stressed. The initial results are promising, and future work aims to combine these methods in an industrial application involving a newly developed, individual lightweight robot, demonstrating the potential for enhanced design, accelerated development, and resource efficiency in automation systems.