Page 36 - ITAtube Journal 2/2019

Technical Papers
HIL simulation for collision analysis in a drop forging plant.
less than conventional spray heads. This dramatic weight saving allows the spray heads to be retracted and moved out much faster, increasing the overall productivity of the press. In order for this to work without a hitch, it is crucial to simulate before- hand the movements of the articulated support arms to nd out how exactly the support arms should move to achieve the shortest possible cycle times. The thus determined optimal values can be readily implemented into the process control systems of the real plant.
Simulations using virtual reality and
augmented reality
With digitalization being meanwhile omnipresent in industrial plants, digital cloning has become an increasingly important issue. Digital clones of a plant are used, among others, for virtual reality sim- ulation. They may play a key strategic role in deter- mining a company’s future competitive standing and result in a signi cant competitive edge. Virtual reality simulations create a 3D model of the plant which can be viewed via VR goggles, on a monitor or a large screen.
Mark Haverkamp: “The customer uses digital clones to test out plant and process optimizations on a virtual model of the plant without interfering in any way with running production. We have also set up digital clones for training purposes, which the customer uses especially for their maintenance and
operating staff. A digital clone also allows plant operators to train their personnel on a new plant long before it will be started up.“
In addition to experiencing the virtual 3D space of a plant as a passive observer, SMS group enables those watching a plant process via VR goggles to also actively intervene. In the 3D simulation of a plant, it is possible to modify the operating process by pushing the virtual buttons of the automation envi- ronment or of the control pulpit. Marco Koepe, Plant Simulation Developer at SMS group, explains why everything looks so astonishingly real: “For many VR applications, we use high-end gaming engines. This has the advantage that features of the phys- ical world, such as gravity or simulation of move- ments, have already been implemented in this type of software, which is extremely powerful. It relieves us from work and makes our activities more ef - cient. However, wherever physical phenomena play a crucial role, we cannot rely on that software alone. In such cases, we develop our own models which will run in the background and feed their data into the computation in parallel to the runtime.“
A second development, also applied at SMS group, is AR (Augmented Reality). Projections on AR glasses connect the real world with the virtual world. Ani- mated images, 3D models or machine data can be projected onto the lenses, supporting the technician or the maintenance staff with augmented reality
ITAtube Journal No2/May 2019
36