Emulate3D Controls Testing

Emulate3D Controls Testing
Reduce Commissioning Time and Costs, Minimise AMHS Power Consumption
Emulate3D Controls Testing is uniquely designed for cost-effective offline controls testing in the pre-commissioning phase of
your AMHS project - build layouts fast from standard equipment catalogs, connect to your control system I/O, and run.
Take Controls Testing Off The Critical Path
The First Step to Parallel Testing - Automation projects of all types share
the common problem of balancing the need for extensive logical controls
testing before handover with the end user’s need to start production and
generate a return on investment. In most cases the controls testing phase
cannot begin until the system is physically complete and installed. The result
is that testing is set back by every preceding delay on the critical path, which
places it just before the handover deadline. When testing can begin, it is
often under the difficult conditions created by those delays, with
considerable pressure to complete the work and hand the system to the end
user. Hardly textbook conditions for the production of fully tested, robust
controls systems, and yet until now there was no real alternative.
Emulate3D Reduces Investment Risk
More Testing, Better Testing -
Taking logical controls testing off
the project’s critical path reduces
the number of unknowns that
Production lines or individual machines can be tested before construction with Emulate3D
contribute to the risk of the AMHS
investment - risks for the integrator, and risks for the user. The project may not be ready on time, the
ramp to full production may not be as smooth as required, and the user might not consider the project a
success. Future investments in automation may be compromised, and the user might look to other
companies to provide automation solutions.
AMHS controls testing is essentially an office job requiring concentration and problem-solving skills,
and yet is invariably carried out under pressure in a warehouse or a factory environment.
Emulate3D Controls Testing is the means by which these risks can be reduced or eliminated.
Validate The System Before it Exists
Physics-Based Emulate3D Models React Just Like The Real Thing - From an I/O standpoint,
Emulate3D equipment models are identical to the real systems they represent, so they provide a valid
test bed for the control system. Emulate3D equipment is built to be easily connected to I/O and
controlled in exactly the same way as the real thing – which means that controls engineers find the
system intuitive, and can create and connect layouts rapidly. Once built, system elements can be
easily modified, sensors moved, and speeds and cycle times changed. Products moving through the
system may be interactively pulled from a line, moved
elsewhere, or manually put through the same photo eye
repeatedly. The control system response can be observed
and validated, operators can be trained on the HMI, and all
team members can become familiar with the system and its
operation before it exists.
Emulate3D Controls Testing Key Points:
• The Emulate3D build environment allows models to be built fast and
efficiently using reusable elements from user-defined catalogs
• Emulate3D models are dimensionally and operationally accurate, and all
movement can be physics-based for absolute realism
• Emulate3D models allow real-time user interaction for a completely
immersive test environment
Test Real-Time Systems Faster Than Real Time
Complex or larger systems can be validated on several computers in parallel,
therefore reducing the time necessary for the task in a way that is impossible on the
real system. Replacing real hardware with Emulate3D equipment helps users to
identify and focus on issues with the control system. In this way, real hardware
problems cannot be confused with control system operation. As offline controls
testing can be carried out early in the project cycle, Emulate3D even provides the
possibility of making layout or operational changes to improve the system.
And all in your office environment, off the project’s critical path.
Emulate3D Ltd, Reading Enterprise Hub, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AU, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 118 935 7388 Fax: +44 118 935 7330 www.demo3d.com
Emulate3D Americas, 615 Arapeen Drive, Suite 102, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 USA Telephone: +1 801 831 5105 - Contact Matt Hobson-Rohrer

Emulate3D Controls Testing
Emulate3D Makes Commissioning Part of Your Competitive Advantage
Prove It Works With Emulate3D
Validate Logic, Train Users Safely - Emulate3D provides
you with a flexible means of reliably testing and validating
control systems, as well as being highly effective as a
credible and safe operator training platform. End users
appreciate the ability to see their system being run by the
actual control system before the handover deadline, and
can be reassured that the throughputs they specified are
being generated. By using the power consumption meters,
you can even minimise your system’s carbon footprint.
Reduce the On-site Testing Load - Once the hardware
system is installed on site, the controls testing phase is
reduced to a minimum checklist to ensure the correct
connection of all sensors and outputs, as the logical
verification of the system will have been completed off-site.
Connecting I/O to model elements is straightforward.
To connect I/O, select the Emulate3D object, click the corresponding browser cell, and hit Return. Job done.
Automated Model Generation
Emulate3D As Your 3D Front End - Emulate3D is
designed to be used either as a stand-alone
product, or as embedded technology. Emulate3D
models can be generated from data in flat files or
databases, automating the creation process and
eliminating build errors at a stroke.
Leverage Your Existing CAD Libraries - Many
companies have CAD or other software set up to
create proposals automatically, and this data can
often be used by Emulate3D, efficiently creating
models in the time it takes to press a key.
The Emulate3D Process
Emulate3D Controls Testing models are simple to
construct, connect, and run. For a manually
constructed model the steps are as follows:
• Create the layout from catalog elements
• Add control elements
• Add product arrivals
• Connect control tags and equipment via
the OPC browser
• Run, validate, modify, improve
Simply Access a Wide Variety of Data
Emulate3D is constructed on the Microsoft .NET
Framework, and as such can be integrated with a
wide variety of data. Emulate3D models have been
connected via OPC, TCP/IP, UDP, a SOAP server,
and the list just keeps on growing.
Emulate3D and Ongoing Improvements
Following Handover, Continue Testing - The controls testing
model remains of considerable value to the end user – few systems
remain unchanged during their lifecycle, so any proposed
modifications to the hardware or the control software should again
be evaluated offline first, prior
to implementation. Proposed
control system changes to
existing systems can be
reliably tested while the
system continues to produce
in its current configuration.
Prototyping ladder logic can be
conveniently carried out by using
the Emulate3D SoftPLC.
Emulate3D Controls Testing Reduces Commissioning Time and Costs Because:
• Control systems can be exhaustively tested, off-site
• System verification can be carried out prior to the hardware build
• Significant reductions in the amount of logic testing required on site are possible
• Operators can be trained off-line in a realistic environment
• Faster ramp can be achieved due to reduced ramp issues
To know more about Emulate3D technology and how it can improve your business, please contact your local
distributor or contact us directly at www.demo3d.com.
Emulate3D Ltd, Reading Enterprise Hub, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AU, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 118 935 7388 Fax: +44 118 935 7330 www.demo3d.com
Emulate3D Americas, 615 Arapeen Drive, Suite 102, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 USA Telephone: +1 801 831 5105 - Contact Matt Hobson-Rohrer