Virtual commissioning has great potential. The advantages, such as the early validation of machine behavior or the reduction of errors on the real machine, are obvious. Some managers are still reluctant to implement this topic in their company. They see a problem above all in the commitment of personnel resources and investment costs due to software and hardware. Yet these costs are a fraction of what every manufacturing company can gain as potential.
As part of a case study, machineering worked with a manufacturer of modular machines to determine the potential that can be exploited through the sensible use of virtual commissioning. Certain key figures were determined and compared before and after the implementation of iPhysics.
The result was that the consistent use of industrialPhysics in all relevant areas of the company significantly increased employee productivity, particularly in the areas of research and development, commissioning and service. In this specific case, this resulted in annual savings of EUR 1.63 million. In addition, more projects could be realized in the same period with the same number of employees.
Where exactly is the potential?
For research and development, virtual commissioning offers the great advantage that machine concepts and machine behaviour can be validated at a very early stage of development, thus minimizing the risk for man and machine. The coordination effort is also reduced to a minimum thanks to improved communication with the digital twin as a common basis. The early findings and the associated reduction in errors in the planned machine reduce the time and effort required for troubleshooting. The optimum program is determined by running through different variants on the digital twin. The time that employees spend in meetings is also reduced by using virtual commissioning, as the digital twin enables faster and more efficient change management to be implemented. As a result, companies achieve a significant improvement in employee satisfaction as they can concentrate more on their actual tasks.
During commissioning, there are many advantages that would not be possible without virtual commissioning. The early visibility of collision risks on the digital twin results in significantly fewer errors on the real machine. By bringing commissioning forward, only the finishing touches are required later in the process. The virtual safeguarding of the later machine reduces cost-intensive reworking on the real machine to a minimum. In addition, significantly fewer consumables and less space are required for tests.
Even during the development phase, subsequent operators also benefit from virtual commissioning, as initial training on the virtual machine can take place under real conditions at a very early stage. Conversion to new products can also be implemented with the digital twin parallel to ongoing operation. The machine manufacturer’s customers notice a significantly lower complaint rate and fewer service calls. In particular, the increased safety for the machine operator thanks to the recording and evaluation of real machine data with the digital twin.
