Virtual Prototyping and Commissioning of Manufacturing Cycles in Robotic Cells

In the context of Industry 4.0, industrial robots are experiencing wider application fields due to improved capability of executing flexible and diversified manufacturing cycles. The implementation of mechatronic automation systems remains a critical task, since it must cope with many heterogeneous domains, from layout definition to design of mechanical, actuating, and sensing devices, control logic coding, testing and optimization of the whole system. This paper leverages a Python-based connection between a simulation software for robotic cells, i.e. RoboDK, and a PLC system, i.e. Beckhoff TwinCAT, to realize a holistic virtual prototyping environment able to support the design and virtual commissioning of automation systems. The proposed approach is demonstrated with a case study comprising a robotic deburring cell. The resulting application shows the ability to effectively debug logic code, optimize the sequence of manufacturing tasks, and monitor the primary kinematic quantities.