Mechatronic Support and Virtual Production


Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) will be presenting its advanced service offerings for machine manufacturers and their customers at the EMO 2003 in Milan from 21 to 28 October. Value-adding services such as Mechatronic Support and Virtual Production assist both tool machine manufacturers in developing new and innovative machines as well as users in operating the machines.

Siemens has customized its "Mechatronic Support" service to meet the needs of machine manufacturers. The service is two-pronged - including optimization of existing machines and development of new machines. With both solutions, the customer's machine construction engineers cooperate closely with Siemens mechatronic specialists. New machines are developed from simulated machine models right from the start. The unique aspect of this approach is the machine design with simultaneous inclusion of electric drives and control structures. The simulation results are discussed with the customer and integrated into the next simulation phase. That speeds up the development process in every phase - from the concept work to the finished machine. In addition, virtual prototypes are tested to ensure the success of development.

A&D's "Virtual Production" service was designed specifically for users and operators of machine tools. It offers optimization potential in production with regard to quality and processing time. Based on a software tool developed by Siemens, the process chain is subjected to a simulative analysis from the CAD/CAM system to the workpiece surface. Instead of repeated test processing on the actual machine, the programs can be optimized on the computer, with the exception of the NC program which is simulated on a real machine. Virtual test processing results in considerably faster improvements in programs and configurations, which in turn has a positive effect on production quality and processing times.

Reference number: A&D MC 200309547e; Nuremberg/Erlangen , 11.09.2003