Partnership helps customers reduce development risk and costs

Integrating these Digital Twins with Studio 5000 from Rockwell Automation allows customers to predict dynamic loads on machine actuators, helping them to make much better-informed decisions on motor sizing, eliminate undesired dynamic effects, and maximise machine performance. It also helps customers reduce the costly integration problems typically associated with the first prototype of the machine, which reduces associated development costs. Model-driven Digital Twins, less expensive than traditional data-driven Digital Twins, assist in all stages of product design and are essential for virtual commissioning.

The capabilities provided by this partnership are based on MapleSim and associated professional services to ensure a rapid return on investment. MapleSim, the system-level simulation software from Maplesoft, is used across a wide variety of applications and industries. Because Digital Twins in MapleSim do not require test data to predict behaviour, they can be used for conceptual design as well as to validate product performance, design changes, and diagnostics. Designers can test integration in a virtual commissioning phase, correcting issues that typically would not be discovered until after production.

“Too often, the first time machine manufacturers encounter problems with their design is during the hardware integration phases, when it is very costly to address and risks disruption to the schedule,” said Paul Goossens, Vice President of Engineering Solutions at Maplesoft. “Building a digital twin of the machine within the Rockwell Automation platform - complete with mechanisms, motors, gearing and controllers - very early in the process, allows our customers to test the design through multiple duty cycles. This helps them to identify and address integration issues at a fraction of the cost of dealing with them in the later stages.”

“Our customers will benefit tremendously from this partnership,” said Andrew Stump, Software Business Manager at Rockwell Automation. “Integration with the Studio 5000 design environment allows customers to improve the entire design process of their systems and ‘right size’ their components.  These more comprehensive digital twins, combined with model and control system execution, help users to improve the products their own customers are demanding, with features such as smart diagnostics, performance optimisation, and machine-life prediction.”