Opinion Virtual Modelling
Virtual virtues
“There are
many similarities between aircraft simulation and engineering simulation
”
In this month’s article from the Automated Material Handling Systems Association (AMHSA), Nick Reidy, business development director of The Automated Technology Group, explains the benefi ts of virtual modelling technology.
For the majority of commercial airline pilots, most training
is conducted in highly sophisticated fl ight simulators. In comparison to training in an actual aircraft, simulation-based training allows for manoeuvres or situations that may be impractical or even dangerous to perform in a real aircraft such as instrument failures, hydraulic system faults and even fl ight control problems. Flight simulation allows a much higher concentration of training tasks within a given period of time than is usually possible in an aircraft and also provides an economic advantage – once fuel, maintenance and insurance costs are taken into account, the purchase and operating costs of an advanced fl ight simulator are substantially lower than those of a real aircraft. There are many similarities between aircraft simulation and engineering simulation. The sophistication of virtual manufacturing and commissioning software today enables the creation of a virtual factory or distribution centre and testing of all its automated functions, allowing the concept to be fully proven prior to the main investment. Virtual engineering technologies facilitate manufacturing
64 September 2014
feasibility analysis, assembly sequencing, process simulation, dynamic clearance calculation, process timing, work-cell functionality testing and virtual commissioning. Such techniques are particularly useful in the planning and programming of robotic cells – which perform repetitive manufacturing tasks such as riveting, welding, laser cutting and paint spraying – but can also be applied to more conventional tasks such as the handling of sub-assemblies, palletising of loads and high- speed conveying, including baggage-handling systems. Even multi-device robotic processes can be developed, simulated, optimised, validated and programmed before being installed on the shop fl oor. This includes fi ne-tuning of the control system design, optimisation of robot paths and PLC code and testing of all the switches and motors before even stepping foot on site.
REDUCING RISK With systems effectively pre- commissioned at the earliest stage, there are far fewer issues to deal with once on site. This not only saves considerable cost but also boosts client confi dence. Development time is shorter, quality is improved and costly design errors are eradicated. By shortening commissioning
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and ramp-up periods, virtual manufacturing accelerates the return on investment for an automated project. What is more, with virtual techniques allowing the recreation of production and maintenance scenarios that would otherwise be impossible or dangerous, the risk of machinery damage – and other related safety issues – is also minimised. For certain clients – in
particular, the leading automotive manufacturers – telescoping the development time is absolutely critical in minimising the time- to-market for new products. For example, The Automated Technology Group has completed comprehensive virtual commissioning – using the third generation of our own software suite – for Jaguar Land Rover recently. This has enabled the off- site testing of all of the PLC, robot and safety software that controls the robotic manufacturing cells for the company’s automated body construction facility for the brand-new XE sports saloon at its Solihull plant. This new production area is the most heavily automated facility ever undertaken by Jaguar Land Rover and the virtual manufacturing expertise has minimised cost and risk, while keeping to the client’s non-negotiable product launch milestones. ■
www.amhsa.co.uk
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