The tool can be fully integrated into Siemens NX. Designers, programmers and project planners can test the full version of the simulation software free of charge for six months. Licenses for the Mechatronics Concept Designer can now also be purchased from Schunk independently of the starter package.

"In future, nobody will have to spend days calculating cycle times or weeks commissioning handling solutions," says Managing Partner and CEO Henrik A. Schunk. "As part of our digitalization initiative, we have set ourselves the goal of making it as easy as possible for plant manufacturers and integrators to enter the highly efficient world of simultaneous engineering and virtual commissioning." Essentially, the aim is to simulate complete assembly systems in three-dimensional space and to digitally map the entire engineering process from concept to mechanics, electrics and software through to virtual commissioning in a single system. "Even experienced designers are amazed at the advantages of engineering with the Mechatronics Concept Designer and the efficiency effects that are possible," reports Henrik A. Schunk.

Simultaneous engineering
"In our opinion, no other simulation software is able to cover the plant development process as comprehensively as the Mechatronics Concept Designer," emphasizes Schunk. From design in the CAD program and simulation to virtual commissioning and the real connection to the control system, the system covers all phases with only minimal media breaks. Whereas in conventional engineering, mechanical, electrical and software programming are carried out sequentially one after the other and commissioning only begins at the end on the assembled system, the Mechatronics Concept Designer combines all three disciplines in one interface and thus makes it possible to parallelize all activities. Simultaneous engineering accelerates the entire system development process, minimizes complexity, increases flexibility and saves a great deal of costs at the end of the day. Changes can be adopted and checked for feasibility within a very short time. Comparable follow-up projects can thus be realized much faster than was previously possible.

From a single source
As the simulation software, the component library, the real components and the support come from a single source, it is said that a particularly time and cost-efficient introduction to the simulation software is possible. To this end, Schunk has created its 24V mechatronics program for high-performance assembly as digital twins, so that simple assembly systems can be simulated even without extensive software knowledge. In the first step, the component library contains the Schunk EGP parallel grippers, the Schunk ELP linear modules, the EGS gripper swivel modules and the ERS rotary modules. In the medium term, all gripping system and clamping technology components from Schunk will be available as digital twins. The digital twins contain the CAD solid model with all geometric data for modeling in Siemens NX, CAE data (EPLAN), a kinematic behavior model and a physical model in which the stroke, the extension and retraction speed, the acceleration, the jerk, the nominal force and the mass are stored. There are also PLC function blocks for virtual commissioning to simplify the software and hardware in the loop (SiL/HiL) scenarios.

Interface to the real control system
In addition to a process sequence, the software provides a Gantt diagram in which all phases and dependencies are displayed. Even during the planning phase, it is possible to identify where sequential movements are necessary or parallel movements are possible. The behavior of the virtual model can be tested on real controllers, such as Siemens Simatic S7 or Beckhoff, via automation interfaces so that plug & work-capable handling solutions can be implemented. To ensure maximum design freedom, component libraries from other manufacturers can already be integrated during the free test phase. If you want to delve deeper into the software, you can use the library support from Schunk in addition to training courses from Siemens. kp