The steadily growing proportion of software in machines and systems is driving continuous changes in engineering. Today, it is not just the components, but especially control programs, safety functions, robotics, material flow, and communication that significantly determine a machine’s performance.
This also leads to increasing complexity in the commissioning process. Errors rarely occur in individual components but usually arise from the interaction of various disciplines. This is where virtual commissioning comes into play.
What does “virtual commissioning” mean?
Virtual commissioning refers to the systematic validation of a machine or system in a virtual environment prior to actual commissioning.
However, the focus is not on visualizing the machine, but rather on verifying its functional behavior. To this end, mechanical models, control software, sensors, actuators, and communication interfaces are integrated into a comprehensive virtual system.
The virtual machine responds to the same signals as the future physical system. In addition, the control system already uses the same programs and logic at this stage that will later be used during operation.
Virtual commissioning is not a substitute for actual commissioning; rather, it shifts a large portion of the integration and testing tasks to an early phase of the development process.
The Three Building Blocks of Virtual Commissioning
For virtual validation to deliver reliable results, three technical levels must work together.
The digital machine model describes the geometry, kinematics, motion sequences, and logical structure of the system. The second level is physical simulation. Here, the virtual machine behaves in accordance with real-world physical laws, and collisions, inertia, friction, and material movements are modeled as realistically as possible.
The third level is automation. It is only through integration with a real or virtual PLC that a simulation becomes a virtual commissioning process. Control programs, safety logic, and communication interfaces can thus be tested under real-world conditions.
It is the combination of these three levels that makes commissioning simulation an engineering tool.
Why Virtual Commissioning Is Strategically Important Today
In traditional projects, mechanical, electrical, and software components often do not fully come together until the actual commissioning phase. As a result, errors are frequently not detected until the machine has already been assembled and project deadlines are imminent.
The consequences are well known: rework, downtime, additional travel expenses, and high costs.
Virtual commissioning shifts this critical integration phase to the development stage. Control programs can be tested in advance, even though the machine has not yet been built. Design and automation proceed in parallel rather than sequentially. This makes it possible to detect errors at a stage where correcting them requires significantly less effort and costs.
For decision-makers, this means, above all, greater planning certainty. Projects can be completed on time, risks are reduced, and the available development time is used much more efficiently.
Virtual Commissioning Is Not a Digital Twin
Virtual commissioning and digital twin are often used interchangeably. That’s not entirely accurate. The digital twin is the virtual counterpart of a real-world system throughout its entire lifecycle. Virtual commissioning, on the other hand, is a specific use case.
The digital twin provides the models, data, and relationships. Simulation-based commissioning uses this information to validate the machine’s behavior before physical commissioning.
A Digital Twin is the foundation for Virtual Commissioning. Conversely, however, Virtual Commissioning is only one of many possible applications of a Digital Twin. To better understand the broader concept of digital twins, the Digital Twin Consortium’s definition of a Digital Twin offers a widely accepted industry reference.
From a Tool to an Engineering Platform
Precisely because systems are becoming increasingly complex, it is no longer enough today to simply link individual simulation programs together. What is needed are complex platforms that bring together different engineering disciplines into a common database.
It is precisely with this goal in mind that we at machineering have been developing our simulation software for many years. iPhysics provides a platform where physical simulation, digital twins, control integration, and virtual commissioning work together in a consistent engineering environment.
This creates an end-to-end development platform where models can be reused throughout a machine’s entire lifecycle—from design and virtual commissioning to optimization, training, and services.
Find Errors Early and Reap the Benefits
Virtual commissioning refers to the virtual validation of a machine using real or virtual control software. The goal is to identify integration errors early on and thereby shift a significant portion of the commissioning process to the development phase.
For companies, virtual commissioning is therefore not merely an isolated simulation tool, but a strategic component of modern product development. What matters most here is not so much the visualization of a machine as the consistent interaction between mechanics, physics, automation, and data.
As a technology provider, we at machineering are developing a platform based on this approach, where Virtual Commissioning is not viewed as a standalone solution but as an integral part of end-to-end digital engineering.
