Simulation of automatic control systems in the Factory I/O platform

Abstract

The digital transformation of industry, referred to as Industry 4.0, is increasing the importance of virtualizing industrial processes. As technology advances, industrial production is becoming more complex and requires more efficient management tools. Industrial process virtualization is one such tool that allows industrial processes to be accurately simulated in order to better understand and optimise them. This undoubtedly has an impact on the approach to the design and subsequent implementation of production automation investments. This paper presents an analysis of the possibility of using, in the process of simulating industrial automation systems, platforms such as Factory I/O and PLCSIM software, which is a component of TIA Portal. For this purpose, a control and visualisation system for a product sorting line was implemented in the aforementioned environments. The research carried out confirmed the very high suitability of the Factory I/O platform for the creation of 3D simulations and virtualisation of industrial processes, as well as the possibility of integrating this platform with the TIA Portal software for PLC programming.