SIMULATION & PROGRAMMING OF ELECTRONIC AUTOMATED ROBOTICS
Documentation
The SPEAR team had to create both Technical and Project Management reports in line with the Project Contract. A description and link to the complete reports can be found below.
Technical Reports
Based on the Objectives of the project, the SPEAR team have produced four reports under the overall project heading of Virtual Preparation and Commissioning:
ABSTRACT -
Significant developments in the field of Virtual Commissioning have been made in the past ten years due to the increased availability of engineering simulation tools. Virtual Commissioning is primarily used to allow the validation of manufacturing systems and their associated control programs via a Computer Aided Manufacturing interface prior to the realisation of the physical systems. It is now a widely utilised procedure in the automotive industry and is becoming more and more feasible as a useful tool for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. This advancement in engineering process management has many benefits to the user of Virtual Commissioning, ranging from decreased time-to-market (and thus increased market share) to an improvement in product exibility and innovation. There are, however, many documented dificulties in adopting a digital approach to the commissioning of production systems, namely the initial effort required to set up such digital simulations. This literature study, therefore, has identified those issues which need to be overcome in order to increase the uptake of digital simulation tools within industry.
For full report, click icon on the left.
1. Literature Review -
A comprehensive literature review was conducted in the early stages of the project to gain an in depth knowledge of Virtual Commissioning.
ABSTRACT -
With the aim of reducing both the time and complications in physical factory construction, Virtual Commissioning is a method used in large manufacturing companies such as Volvo. Despite this notable use, there is a distinct hesitance in uptake of Virtual Commissioning within Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises. This may be due to several factors such as a lack of capital investment, resources or relevant knowledge. The intention of this paper is to tackle the latter of these factors by providing a guide which highlights the necessary features required in any virtual factory for valid evaluation. A suitable check-list has been developed against which an organisation may assess the feasibility of VC as a useful resource. In addition, this document describes several evaluative procedures specific to the Siemens Tecnomatix software packages, Process Designer and Process Simulate, providing a basic overview of how a Virtual Factory may be analysed.
For full report, click icon on the left.
2. The Level of Detail required for the Evaluation of a Virtual Factory -
This document describes the level of detail required in the construction of a Virtual Factory for effective Virtual Commissioning.
3. Enabling Reliable Virtual Commissioning -
This document provides the information required to enable reliable Virtual Commissioning. In addition, it contains a tutorial for new users of the Siemens Process Designer and Process Simulate software packages.
ABSTRACT -
The extent to which Virtual Commissioning is used within industry is generally limited by the difficulties encountered when introducing this digital approach into an organisation. Whilst there are extensive documented benefits of using Virtual Commissioning, predominantely it is only used by large automotive manufacturing organisations such as Volvo Cars. With the aim of increasing the commercialisation of Virtual Commissioning techniques, this document provides advice on how to perform reliable Virtual Commissioning. Provided with this paper is a worked example of how to develop a virtual work cell using simulation software packages Siemens Process Designer and Process Simulate. On completion of the worked example, organisations will have a better understanding of the requirements of Virtual Commissioning and the level of commitment required for its uptake. Additionally, it is hoped that academic research projects will also utilise this worked example to minimise the training time required for the software packages, increasing the likelihood of future research developments and further promoting the use of Virtual Commissioning.
For full report, click icon on the left.
4. The Application of Siemens Process Designer and Process Simulate -
This document summarises the work completed by the team over the course of the project. Provided within the paper are two specific case study examples, one for a full virtual factory and the other concentrating on the use of smart components provided by Volvo.
ABSTRACT -
The traditional approach to Virtual Commissioning is a complex process that requires use of many software packages. In order to increase the usability of Virtual Commissioning techniques, there is a need for an `all-in-one' simulation software package which, in a single user environment, can enable the creation of both a simulation and associated control program as well as the ability for physical implementation of the control program. Within this report the extent to which Siemens Process Designer and Process Simulate could fulfil this need was investigated. Upon completion of two case studies, the results demonstrated many benefits of the software packages including a user-friendly graphical interface and a real-time evaluation environment. On the contrary, it was concluded that the software could not fully provide physical implementation of the control program as a solution. Despite this drawback however, it was found that Siemens Process Designer and Process Simulate provided a foundation for system evaluation, resulting in a reduction in Programmable Logic Controller debugging time and hence reducing the total development time of a production facility through its Cyclic Event Evaluator function.
For full report, click icon on the left.
Project Management Reports
Based on the University of Strathclyde's requirements for the group project, the SPEAR team have produced three reports:
1. Statement of Purpose -
This document contains the objectives set by the client, Petter Falkman of Chalmers University of Technology, and the deliverables that the SPEAR team will produce.
AIM OF THE PROJECT -
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the value of using Virtual Commissioning and validation to those in industry who have not yet adopted this framework. By creating a Virtual Factory and demonstrating the possible applications, it is hoped that the uptake of Virtual Commissioning in industry will be increased.
For full report, click icon on the left.
2. Interim Report -
The Interim Report documents the progress of the SPEAR team during the first half of the project between the dates of 01/09/2014 and 30/10/2014.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY -
Virtual Commissioning is the process of developing virtual simulations of production facilities for the design and validation of control software. The primary aim of this project is to validate use of the Siemens Tecnomatix software suite as an all-in-one package to perform Virtual Commissioning. This will investigate the capabilities of the design and validation of control logic in the same environment as the simulation design. To date, three of the seven objectives set at the project outset have been completed including a comprehensive literature review and virtual preparation of a production facility. The driving force of the managerial framework in place has ensured steady advancement of technical progress in addition to providing a foundation for strong team dynamics. It is hoped that the outcome of the project will be an increase in the commercialisation and uptake of Virtual Commissioning techniques, as well as provision of a training groundwork for new users to the Siemens Tecnomatix suite.
For full report, click icon on the left.
3. Project Management Annexe Report -
This report details the management strategy that SPEAR followed during the course of the project and reflects upon the experience as a whole.
INTRODUCTION -
In fulfilment of the ‘ME524 Group Project Abroad’ class, a project was assigned at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden based in the Department of Signals & Systems. The project named ‘Virtual Preparation and Commissioning of Production Systems’ was run in collaboration with Volvo Cars Corporation and entailed the group investigating use of an industry-standard software package, Siemens Process Simulate. The group were required to model an assortment of production facilities within a virtual environment and subsequently design and debug the corresponding control programs. In doing so, preferred use of the software was noted in efforts to increase both the reliability and efficiency of the Virtual Commissioning (VC) process. The desired outcome of the project was that Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, currently reluctant to make the step change towards VC, would hence be encouraged to uptake VC based on the evidence presented.
A number of objectives and corresponding deliverables were established as set out in the ‘Statement of Purpose’. In order to fulfil these criteria and manage the project successfully, the group modelled themselves as a company working to core office hours (Monday to Friday, 9AM – 5PM) with overtime where required. This also involved the formation of a company name and logo as well as a fully functioning website from the offset. The company name created was SPEAR (Simulation and Programming of Electronic Automated Robotics) which reflected the nature of the project.
For full report, click icon on the left.