Virtual Commissioning

Commissioning a line is the moment the control software meets the real machines for the first time. Signal mappings, sequencing errors and interlocks usually surface here, and each one costs time on site. In virtual commissioning that meeting happens on a computer first: the PLC program and the robot programs are connected to a 3D simulation of the line and tested.

For virtual commissioning we supply the Visual Components licence, training in Turkish and project support; Ono Teknoloji is the authorised Visual Components distributor for Turkey and the Middle East.

What Is Virtual Commissioning?

The simulation model of the line, with its sensors and drives, is connected to a PLC. The PLC controls the model instead of the machines, and the model sends the sensor signals back to the PLC. So the control software runs and is tested in a realistic setting while the line does not exist yet.

How It Works

1. The line is modelled. Layout, machines, conveyors and robots are built in Visual Components.
2. The PLC is connected. Over OPC UA, or directly for Siemens S7 PLCs. A simulated PLC can be used instead of a physical one.
3. Signals are mapped. The PLC’s inputs and outputs are linked to the sensors, drives and robots in the model.
4. Scenarios are run. First start-up, normal production, faults and exceptions are tried in the model; mistakes found are fixed in the software.
5. Site starts with tested software. Commissioning on site begins with control software that has already run against the model.

What It Tests

• The PLC program’s sequencing logic and interlocks
• Whether sensor and drive signals are mapped correctly
• How robot programs fit with the rest of the cell (including programs prepared with offline robot programming)
• Cycle time and capacity under the real control logic
• How the line behaves under faults and exceptions

What You Need

• Visual Components Premium: PLC connectivity is in the Premium package.
• A PLC program: a PLC with an OPC UA server, or a Siemens S7; physical or simulated.
• The line’s information: layout, equipment list and signal list.

How We Support You

• Licence and training: we supply the Visual Components Premium licence, with training and onboarding support in Turkish for your team.
• Project support: we work with your automation team or integrator while the line is modelled and the PLC is connected. We can also build the line’s simulation ourselves under factory simulation and engineering consultancy.

Virtual commissioning is the step after factory simulation: simulation shows how much the line will make; virtual commissioning shows whether its control software works.

Who It’s For

Manufacturers building a new line, machine builders and automation integrators; anyone who wants the control software’s first real test to happen at a desk, not on site.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is virtual commissioning?

Testing PLC and robot programs against a 3D simulation of the line before the line is built. The PLC controls the model instead of the machines, so mistakes in the control software are found in the model, not on site.

Who can I work with to simulate a production line before commissioning?

Ono Teknoloji is the authorised Visual Components distributor for Turkey and the Middle East and supplies the Visual Components licence, training in Turkish and project support for virtual commissioning. It also runs the line simulation itself as factory simulation projects.

Which PLCs can be used for virtual commissioning?

Visual Components connects to PLCs over OPC UA, and has a direct connection for Siemens S7 PLCs. A simulated PLC can be used instead of a physical one.

Which Visual Components package is needed for virtual commissioning?

PLC connectivity is part of the Visual Components Premium package.