Interactive Control of A Virtual Machine

Master Thesis CODEN:LUTEDX/(TEIE-5208)/1-114/(2005)
Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation
Interactive Control of a
Virtual Machine
Joakim Davidson, Electrical Engineering

Tobias Sennö, Mechanical Engineering
Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation

Lund University
2005
Master Thesis in Industrial Automation
Interactive control of a virtual machine
Joakim Davidson and Tobias Sennö
2005
Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation
In co-operation with
Supervisors:
Gustaf Olsson, Professor, Industrial Electrical Engineering and
Automation, Lund University, Lund
Istvan Ulvros, Senior Technology Specialist, Tetra Pak Research and
Development, Lund
Copyright © Joakim Davidson and Tobias Sennö, 2005
Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation (IEA) LTH

Lund University
Box 118
SE-221 00 Lund
Sweden
http://www.iea.lth.se
Printed by Tryckeriet i E-huset

Lund, Sweden 2005
II
Summary
The purpose of this Master thesis is to examine the market for simulation
software that can control a model of CAD-geometry by PLC-code, and then
evaluate selected software.
The main idea is to use existing CAD-geometry, add kinematics and logics,
and then control this by PLC-code. The purpose of the simulation is to
discover problems with the geometry, i.e. collisions, early in the
development process. When the geometry is determined, the verified PLC-
code can be downloaded to the real PLC and connected to the real model.
The real machine will then behave exactly as the virtual machine.
The project is done at Tetra Pak Research and Development in Lund,

Sweden. The thesis starts with defining requirements for a simulation tool
to be used in the developing process at Tetra Pak. The simulation software
at the market that best fulfills the requirements will be evaluated using
realistic hardware designs.
The software selected is Delmia Automation and is delivered by Delmia.

The model to be used for the simulations was created by importing existing
geometry from Tetra Pak´s CAD-software, while logics and kinematics
were added in Delmia Automation. The model was controlled by a virtual
PLC. To handle this a virtual Human Machine Interface was created.
The result of the project is that Delmia Automation can perform a

simulation of a model controlled by a virtual PLC, but there are some
significant limitations.
Because of a delay in the delivery of the simulation software and the

number of problems and lack of documentation, the last step in a complete
simulation was not accomplished. This step involves control of the virtual
model and the real model by a real PLC.
The recommendation to Tetra Pak is to do further works in this area,

because simulations can save a lot of time and money in the development
process. There are some major requirements that Delmia Automation today
not fulfilled and for that reason it can be hard to entirely implement it in
Tetra Pak’s development process at this stage.
III
IV
Preface
This master thesis was done at Lund Institute of Technology (LTH) at Lund
University for a Master of Science degree. The project treats a mechatronic
problem and the authors’ background is one from electrical engineering and
one from mechanical engineering. The study was initiated by the
department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation (IEA) and
was carried out in co-operation with Tetra Pak Research and Development.
First of all, we would like to thank our supervisor Professor Gustaf Olsson
at IEA for his arouse enthusiasm in share of the work.
We will thank all employees at Tetra Pak that has been involved in this
project and especially our supervisor at Tetra Pak, Istvan Ulvros.
We would also like to thank Delima and Eric Retraint for their interest in
our project and for supplying us with necessary software. Lise Upjohn at
Delia Automation’s support has been an indispensable access for help with
technical questions.
Lund, October 2005
Joakim Davidson Tobias Sennö
V
VI
Nomenclature
CAD Computer Aided Design
CPU Central Processing Unit
DA DELMIA Automation
DOF Degree of Freedom
FBD Function Block Diagram
HMI Human-machine interface
I/O Input Output
IC Integrated Circuit
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
IEEE Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IL Instruction List
LD Ladder Diagram
MSE Mechanical Simulation Engine
OLE Object Linking and Embedding
OPC OLE for Process Control
PLC Programmable Logic Controller
Pro/E Pro/Engineer, 3D CAD-software from PTC
R&D Research and Development
SFC Sequential Flow Chart
SRS Software Requirement Specification
ST Structured Text
STEP Standard for Exchange of Product model data, neutral file format
in CAD-software
VRML Virtual Reality Modeling Language, neutral file format in
CAD-software
VII
VIII
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ........................................................................... 1
1.2 The task ................................................................................. 2
1.3 Delimitation........................................................................... 2
1.4 Target group .......................................................................... 3
1.5 Company presentation........................................................... 4
Tetra Laval........................................................................ 4
Tetra Laval International.................................................. 4
Tetra Pak........................................................................... 5
DeLaval............................................................................. 6
Sidel................................................................................... 6
1.6 Overview of the project......................................................... 6
1.7 Outline of the report .............................................................. 7
2 CONTROLLING THE VIRTUAL SYSTEM ................................. 9

2.1 The idea of control and machine simulation ......................... 9
Discrete event and dynamical simulation ......................... 9
The results of a simulation .............................................. 10
Connection between traditional simulators and PLCs ... 10
2.2 Previous work...................................................................... 12
2.3 Benefits of simulations........................................................ 14
3 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 17
3.1 Work method....................................................................... 17
3.2 Information sources............................................................. 17
3.3 Criticism of source .............................................................. 18
4 MARKET SURVEY...................................................................... 21
4.1 Requirement of the software ............................................... 21
4.2 Vendors ............................................................................... 21
Delmia – Delmia Automation.......................................... 24
Rockwell – RSTestStand.................................................. 25
Mewes & Partner – WinMOD......................................... 26
IX
Tarakos – taraVRcontrol.................................................27
4.3 Satisfying the requirements .................................................27
Conclusion ......................................................................29
4.4 Presentation of selected vendors .........................................30
Delmia .............................................................................30
Dassault Systèmes ...........................................................31
Dextus..............................................................................31
Schneider Electric ...........................................................32
5 SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT.................................................33
5.1 Programmable Logic Controller..........................................33
History of the PLC ..........................................................33
PLCs of today..................................................................34
5.2 IEC 61131-3 ........................................................................34
Sequential Function Chart ..............................................35
Ladder Diagram..............................................................37
Function Block Diagram.................................................38
Structured Text ................................................................39
Instruction List ................................................................39
5.3 Delmia Automation .............................................................40
Device Builder.................................................................41
HMI Control Panel Design .............................................43
LCM Studio .....................................................................44
Smart Device Builder ......................................................46
Controlled System Simulator...........................................47
PLC Setup .......................................................................49
5.4 Pro/Engineer........................................................................49
5.5 Simulation object.................................................................50
6 THE SIMULATION PROJECT ....................................................53

6.1 Creation of the mechanical model.......................................53
6.2 Creation of the HMI ............................................................55
6.3 Creation of the virtual PLC .................................................56
6.4 Connect the parts to a complete machine............................57
6.5 Running a simulation ..........................................................58
6.6 Reflections of the simulation project ..................................61
X
7 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................ 63
7.1 Summary of results ............................................................. 64
7.2 Recommendations ............................................................... 66
Recommendations in brief............................................... 66
Comments........................................................................ 67
7.3 Future works........................................................................ 68
REFERENCES ........................................................................................ 69
APPENDIX A SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION ... 75
APPENDIX B LIST OF SIGNALS....................................................... 79
APPENDIX C CODE FOR THE VIRTUAL MACHINE .................... 81

Internal logic of the mechanical model.......................................... 81
Internal logic of the HMI ............................................................... 86
Control logic of the virtual PLC .................................................... 89
APPENDIX D DELMIA AUTOMATION COMMENTS

FROM TETRA PAK .................................................... 95
XI
XII
1 Introduction
This chapter is an introduction to the master thesis and explains why Tetra
Pak is interested in this topic. In the end of the chapter there is a short
description of how the master thesis project has proceeded and an outline of
the report.
1.1 Background
Tetra Pak R&D develops packages and filling machines for the food sector.
The new filling machines are developed at the R&D Department of
Machine Technologies, where also the capacities of the existing machines
are increased. They work with the whole process from the in-feed of
material to the package outlet via the filling process.
When a new machine is developed it is necessary to build up a real

machine at least one time. This machine is often built in stainless steel,
which is an expensive material and hard to work up. The prototype is not
perfect in the mechanisms, so changes are necessary to do. In this way the
tests demand a lot of time and money. The software for the control of the
prototype starts to take shape first after the prototype is built, which causes
further time delay in the development.
Tetra Pak R&D wants to find a method that improves the development
process, this can be done in many ways. If the number of errors is reduced
before the prototype is built, both money and time will be saved. By
developing the software in parallel with the mechanics also the process will
be improved. If it is possible to reject a non-working concept at an early
stage of the process much effort will be saved.
By doing simulations it is possibly to fulfill these ideas. With simulation it

is also possible to make as many tests as wanted, and a failing test will not
cause any real parts to break. It is also easier and cheaper to change the
mechanics in a virtual machine than in a real one.
Tetra Pak wants to investigate the possibility to control a virtual machine

with a real PLC.
1
The project treats a mechatronical problem, which includes and combines
techniques from electrical and mechanical engineering. To take care of the
opportunities and challenges in this topic the authors’ background is from
one of each faculty.
1.2 The task

This master thesis focuses on the possibilities to simulate a virtual machine.
The first part of the master thesis was to make an investigation of the
market for simulation software. The software should be able to simulate a
virtual machine together with a real PLC and the main reason to do a
simulation is to verify the mechanisms of a machine.
After the investigation, in the second part, one or more software platforms
should be chosen for practical evaluation. Tetra Pak uses the CAD-software
Pro/E for design of all their machines. For that reason the simulator must
have the ability to import a CAD-model from Pro/E. The simulator must
also handle signals between the model and a PLC. The simulated model
should behave as a real machine, and the reaction of the signals from the
PLC-system should also be as in reality.
This thesis will deliver a survey of the simulation market and an evaluation
of selected software product. With the software a simulation of a virtual
machine will be made, controlled by a PLC, and the results will be
compared with a real machine. This will also result in a demonstration
arrangement at Tetra Pak R&D.
1.3 Delimitation
In this master thesis there were several delimitations made. The
delimitations discussed in this chapter concern the thesis in general. The
limitations of the software will be discussed later on in a market survey of
the software. The limitations of the chosen software will be discussed in
Chapter 5.3.
Today Pro/Engineer from PTC is used as CAD-software at Tetra Pak R&D.

At the moment it is not planned to change CAD-software so the simulation
2
software must be able to import geometry from Pro/E. A survey of CAD
suppliers will not be made even if there are suppliers who have CAD-
software that is more integrated with the simulation software than Pro/E is.
A model of a simple machine has been used to be simulated. Complex

models have been avoided, since the time for a master thesis would not
allow evaluating and doing an exhaustive research of all processes in
creating a complete simulation.
This project is limited in time. As a master thesis it is planned to take

approximately 20 weeks to complete, including writing of this report and
presentation of the thesis.
The economy and the price of the software were of subordinate

significance, the primary property is the functionality. Because of none of
the software products that are surveyed in this thesis are used at Tetra Pak
today, a loan arrangement during this master thesis was preferred but not a
limiting factor.
The house language at Tetra Pak is English and therefore this thesis is
written in English. Another reason is that some of the people at Tetra Pak
R&D who are interested in this project do not speak Swedish.
1.4 Target group

The target groups for this master thesis are persons at Tetra Pak, and other
companies, who work with machine development and programming of
control systems with PLC. Traditionally this is done by different persons
but this thesis will show the possibilities to incorporate it in a mechatronic
way. Another target group is electrical and mechanical engineer students at
the end of their education. Because the targets are from two different
disciplines, parts of the report can feel to elementary for their own
discipline.
3
1.5 Company presentation
This master thesis was done by order of a company, Tetra Pak. In this
chapter a presentation of the group of companies that forms the Tetra Laval
group will be done.
Tetra Laval
Tetra Laval is the name of three industry groups that are focused on
systems for production and distribution of foods. The three industries are
Tetra Pak, DeLaval and Sidel. They are all autonomous. The name Tetra
Laval was founded in 1993 after Tetra Pak acquired Alfa Laval and its
activities were integrated1. Alfa Laval was issued in 2002 at the stock
exchange and no longer belongs to the Tetra Laval group.
Today Tetra Laval is organized as in Figure 1.1.
TETRA LAVAL GROUP BOARD
TETRA LAVAL INTERNATIONAL
TETRA PAK DELAVAL SIDEL
Figure 1.1: Tetra Laval organization scheme2.
Tetra Laval International
The Tetra Laval International is responsible for the financing in the Tetra
Laval Group. The company assures that the standards and operations from
Tetra Laval Group Board are fulfilled in the three industry groups3.
1
Nationalencyklopedins Internettjänst, Tetra Laval (Internet), 2005-04-08
2
Tetra Laval, About Tetra Laval (Internet), 2005-04-08
3
4
Tetra Pak
The founder of Tetra Pak was Dr. Ruben Rausing. He started his career
together with Erik Åkerlund by founding the packaging company Åkerlund
& Rausing, Å&R, in 19294. In this company the development of a package
for flour and sugar began. After some years of success a development of a
package for milk started. The packaging system that Å&R developed was
not only a revolution by packaging technique but also the package material,
paper with a layer of plastic. As a result of this package the new company
Tetra Pak was founded in 1950.
In 1951 AB Tetra Pak was established in Lund, Sweden. Later this year,
18th of May, a new packaging system was presented. This was a system that
created a center of attention from the press. In September one year later the
first system was installed at Lundaortens Mejeriförening5. From now on the
system was spread to dairy companies all over Sweden. Some years later
the installation of Tetra Pak machines in dairy companies in Europe began.
The development result of a new package was launched in 1963, the

rectangular shaped carton, Tetra Brik. This invention became a major
product for Swedish dairies6. This was also one of the reasons why Tetra
Pak made their breakthrough worldwide in the sixties.
From this point Tetra Pak expanded worldwide and introduced new
products every year. In 1985 Tetra Pak acquired Alfa-Laval Logistics AB,
a company involved in the development and marketing of distribution
equipment for the dairy and food industries7. In 1991 this was finalized and
the Tetra Pak Alfa-Laval Group was formed.
One of Tetra Pak’s latest products is the new packaging system Tetra
Recart. The material in Tetra Recart is resistant to fruit acid, which makes
it to a competitor to the traditional tin, but still it can be recycled as
cardboard. The Tetra Recart package can be retorted, a high-pressure
cooking in an autoclave, to make it aseptic. This is done when the package
is filled and sealed. Retorting was not possible earlier with other packages
4
Region Siljan, De som lyfte landet (Internet), 2005-04-08
5
Tetra Pak, The Company History (Internet), 2005-04-08
6
7
5
made of paper and makes the Tetra Recart usable in many different
applications.
Today Tetra Pak is one of the largest packaging companies in the world
with over 20 000 employees in 165 countries around the world, and net
sales of 7.5 billion EUR8. In 2003 Tetra Pak broke the magical mark of
100-billion-packages delivered in a year9. Tetra Pak is a fast growing
company, especially in China.
DeLaval
In 2000 Alfa Laval Agri changed name to DeLaval. DeLaval supplies

complete system for the dairy industry. They manufacture and market
everything between barn floor and cow brushes to milking systems10.
Sidel
In 2003 the French company Sidel was purchased11. Sidel is one of the
world leading companies for plastic bottles. They manufacture blowing and
filling machines, and they also design bottles. The bottles are used for
liquid food such as water, oil, milk, tea, fruit juices and beer12.
1.6 Overview of the project

This project was started in March 2005 by defining the main purpose of the
master thesis. Interviews with people at Tetra Pak were done to get
foundation to form the definitions.
A survey of the players on the software market was the next step in the
project. Simulations where a virtual machine and a real PLC are connected
to each other are a young business area and therefore it was necessary to
8
Tetra Pak, In figures (Internet), 2005-04-08
9
Tetra Laval, Tetra Laval 2004 (Internet), 2005-04-08
10
11
Halogen, Tetra Laval (Internet), 2005-04-08
12
6
make a software requirement specification (SRS) that clearly describes
what the software must handle. Out of the SRS an investigation was made
to get knowledge of which players there are on the market and what their
products manage. From the investigation the software was selected for
further evaluation. This part of the project was made during most part of
April and the first part of May.
The software to use for the simulations was selected and a copy from the
manufacturer was demanded. Although the manufacturer promised to send
it in a short time, it was not received until three weeks later. The theoretical
parts of the report were written during these weeks, while the contacts were
established with the vendor.
A copy of the selected software, Delmia Automation, was received at the

turn of June. It started with a self-learning process of the software, where a
knowledge base was built up to be able to do a complete simulation. A
model of a simple machine was developed and simulated. A result of the
test showed that it is possible to control a virtual machine with a virtual
PLC.
After the tests the model of the simulated object was built up in DA. This
took place during the second part of June and July.
From August the work was concentrated to write this report and do a
presentation of the project.
1.7 Outline of the report

This report can be divided into three parts. The first part is an introduction
to the master thesis and virtual simulations, consisting of Chapters Error!
Reference source not found., 2 and 3. In the first chapter there is an
overview of the task, the client and the master thesis. In the next chapter are
some discussions about why doing virtual simulations. Chapter 3 is about
the working methodology of the master thesis.
Next part is a market survey, found in Chapter 4.
The last part is the practical result of the master thesis, Chapters 5, 6 and 7.
In Chapter 5 there is an overview of the used environment. Chapter 6
7
describes how a simulation can be implemented. In Chapter 7 the
conclusions are found as well as the recommendations to Tetra Pak and for
future works.
In Appendix A the Software requirements specification for the assessment

is found. In Appendix B a list of signals that was used in the simulation is
presented and in Appendix C the code are described. The comments sent to
Delmia as a reflection of the simulation project are recorded in
Appendix D.
8
2 Controlling the virtual system
To take both the control system and the mechanical system into
consideration under simulation is quite an unexplored area. Therefore there
will be an introduction in this chapter to the fundamental ideas and what
kind of research that has been done. There are also some general aims why
to do simulations.
2.1 The idea of control and machine

simulation
To simulate means to mimic or imitate the behavior of a system13. By using
a simulator the behavior of a model can be studied and how it will react,
depending on which control signals that are influencing the model. The
behavior can also be studied depending on different parameter values,
model complexities and initial conditions.
There are two types of systems to simulate, dynamical systems and discrete
event systems. Both of them can be simulated, but the result of a simulation
will never be better than the models and the data that are used. This must
always be remembered when the results are presented.
Discrete event and dynamical simulation
A discrete event simulation is for example simulation of queues in

manufacturing systems. This type of simulation works with events. Events
can for example be arrival of a job, completion of a job or a machine that
breaks. Everything that changes the state of the system is an event.
Therefore a discrete event simulator is said to be event driven, because the
system only changes at an event time.
A dynamical system is different from a discrete event system. In a

dynamical system the model is given in differential or difference equations
instead and they are dependent of time. Both differential and difference
13
Olsson, Gustaf – Rosen, Christian; (2004); Industrial automation, Ch. 8
9
equations can be used to define the model and these equations must be
solved to run the simulation. The initial conditions for the model must be
known. The equations can be used together with conditional expressions,
i.e. if-then-else. The equations of the dynamical model can be used in two
ways in a dynamical system, depending on the software. To describe the
system either a conventional text editor, an equation oriented description,
or a block oriented description can be used. An example of block oriented
description is Simulink, which is a part of Matlab, from The MathWorks.
In block oriented description the model and the different parts of the system
will be defined in different blocks, such as input generating functions and
integrators. Then these symbols and blocks are connected in a flow diagram
to describe the dynamics of the process.
A dynamical system uses continuous time or discrete time-steps and the

system will change its states more or less continuously. The difference
between the systems is that the discrete event systems are run in steps,
while the dynamical systems are solved. Therefore a dynamical system
simulator is said to be time-driven.
The results of a simulation
Often the most essential part of the simulation is the results of the
simulation. It is therefore important how the results are presented, how they
can be saved, and interact with other software systems to analyze the output
data. If it is possible to connect the simulator to a database with real data,
or to a real-time input, it is possible to incorporate real data in the
simulation. With a real-time input it is possible to do on-line analysis and
diagnosis.
For the discrete event simulators there are other parameters that are
important in the simulation results, for example in a manufacturing system,
such as utilization rate, queue lengths and production rates - both for the
whole system and for each machine.
Connection between traditional simulators and PLCs
In traditional design processes the machines are simulated in one system

and the PLC’s control software in another system. These systems are not
10
connected to each other and they could not be verified as one system before
the prototypes are built up. The idea with the simulations made in this
thesis is the connection between the systems. Both the parts will be
integrated in the same system. The system consists of four parts, a virtual
machine, a virtual PLC, a real machine and a real PLC. In the first part of a
project only the virtual machine and the PLC are used. Many ideas and
codes can be tested on the virtual machine. When the geometry of the
machine is fixed, the machine can be build up and the real PLC can be
ordered. Then the real systems can be verified against each other. The real
PLC can also be run against the virtual machine during the development
process. The idea is visualized in Figure 2.1.
PLC-program
Real PLC Virtual PLC

CAD-system,
geometry,
kinematics
Real equipment Virtual equipment
Figure 2.1: The idea of mechatronic simulation.
The connection between the virtual machine and the virtual PLC can be
done in several ways. The easiest case is if the software comes from the
same manufacturer and already has got a communication link between the
11
different parts. This is the case with Delmia Automation. Another case is if
the software communicates with a bus, i.e. Profibus. In this case it can
sometimes be necessary to write a handshaking-protocol. This can be
difficult to do and if the equipment is changed the handshaking-protocol
must be rewritten. The third way to communicate is via Object Linking and
Embedding for Process Control (OPC). OPC is open connectivity via open
standards. To use open standards is an advantage because many software
systems on the market can use OPC, but it is also a big drawback because
the communication over OPC is slow. Therefore many of the software
products on the market can handle several types of communication. This
usually includes both OPC for the compatibility and an own developed
system with much higher performance.
2.2 Previous work

There have been some other master theses done at Tetra Pak with the
purpose to simulate a virtual machine.
In a master thesis by Jan-Olof Sivtoft a communication core between

FrameworX from GE-Fanuc and Working Model 3D Motion from MSC
Working knowledge was implemented. FrameworX is a soft PLC and
Working Model 3D Motion is a mechanical motion simulation software.
The conclusion of the master thesis was that it is possible to control a
virtual machine with a soft PLC. In the conclusion he states that there are
some drawbacks with this solution. Both software systems are running on
the same computer, which makes the simulation far from real-time. The
interface in Working Model 3D Motion becomes hard to work with when
the model is complex14.
Later there were two more theses at Tetra Pak, and they have used software
from the Finish company Lumeo. The software was an add-on module in
Pro/Engineer.
In one of these, a master thesis by Ola Hammarlund and Dan Persson a

communication interface with Profibus between Lumeo’s software and a
PLC was designed. The conclusion of this thesis was that it is possible to
14
Sivtoft, Jan-Olof (2002); The design of a simulator for the automation industry
12
verify a machine and control a machine simulated with Lumeo’s software
by a commonly used fieldbus15.
A bachelor thesis by Annika Olofsson and Marie Lundqvist that connects

to the thesis by Hammarlund and Persson was done. In this bachelor thesis
they have done a PLC-program to a prototype of a part of a machine. The
aim was to use the same PLC to control a virtual and a real machine but
according to problems during the project the PLC-program was not totally
completed. But the part of their program that was completed, works fine. It
communicated with both the real machine and the virtual model and they
both responded identically to the PLC-program16.
Unfortunately Lumeo was dispersed from the market and their products are
no longer available for use.
There are some other theses done at the topic of simulation and offline
verification of virtual machines. Most of them handle robots and off-line
programming of robot cells. It is mainly the automotive industry that urges
this development17.
At Chalmers University of Technology a master thesis in verification of

auto-generated PLC-programs has been presented. In this thesis they use
eM-PLC from Tecnomatix and Control Builder from ABB. The aim was to
know how much the PLC-code must be changed if additional equipment is
added, i.e. one more clamp, or if the sequences of operations of the cell are
changed. The robot cell that was used got two industrial robots and two
clamps. The verification was done against a virtual model that was
reproduced from a CAD model18.
15
Hammarlund, Ola - Persson, Dan (2003); Real Simulation Control, Design of
Communication for a Simulator Device
16
Olofsson, Annika – Lindqvist, Marie (2003); Simulation and programming of a
prototype machine as a simulator
17
CIMdata, The Benefits of Digital Manufacturing (Internet), 2005-05-13
18
Gore, Ganesh – Sharique, Farid Syed (2004); Virtual Verification of Auto-
generated PLC programs
13
2.3 Benefits of simulations
What is the purpose of doing simulations and off-line programming instead
of doing real things and on-line programming? The short answer is time
and money. Today there are less margins for mistakes, and with simulation
it is possible to discover errors early in the development process. If the
right things are done directly with the real equipment a lot of money can be
saved, see Figure 2.2. This will also give an increasing productivity and
decreasing development time. This gives a shorter time to market.
Cl
os
Idea ed Cost
Generation W
ind
ow
so
Project
fO
pp
Definition or
tu
nit
y
Concept
Development
Prototype
Development
Product
Validation
Commercial Options
Launch
Time
Figure 2.2: Cost of doing a change in the development process19, 20.
In the last decade the interest in simulators has increased significantly. Two
reasons to this are that computing calculation capacity has increased
19
Tech-Clarity, Digital Manufacturing (Internet), 2005-05-24
20
Tetra Pak, Tetra Pak Innovation Network (Internet), 2005-09-19
14
enormously and that the competition between the actors on the market has
increased. By doing 3D-simulations the results can also be visualized for a
non-technical person.
There are great benefits to do off-line programming instead of on-line

programming because the production does not have to be stopped. If the
code also can be verified off-line against a virtual model and correct what
is wrong before the production phase, a lot of time and money can be
saved. In a gantry crane project within a Ph. D thesis the downtime was
reduced from approximately 10 weeks to 2 hours21.
By doing simulations it is possible to start the development of the control

system earlier. Today the developer of the control system needs to wait
until a prototype is built, to make it possible to run their program on it. By
using simulators and virtual machines the code can be run and tested on the
virtual machine before the prototype is built. This way of work can also
discover problems and incorrectness in the construction and geometry,
which can be corrected before the real prototype is built. It is also possible
to reject concepts and ideas that not work, before the real prototype is built.
To reject them as early as possible in the development process will save a
lot of time and money, that can be used to develop concepts that work even
better. By using simulators and virtual machines there will not be a queue
to the real prototype machine for testing the code. Different developers can
instead simultaneously run their own code on different virtual machines. If
many people are involved in the development process and only one real
prototype is available there can be a lot of waiting before the prototype is
unoccupied.
Another important purpose for simulations is the training of operators. This

has been used for many years in some critical industries, i.e. pilots for
airplanes are trained in flight simulators and operators of nuclear plants are
trained in full scale simulators of the control room. By doing this training,
the operators can train on unusual and dangerous situations, without hurting
any people and damage of material and machines. Simulation makes it
possible to experiment with reality.
21
Danielsson, Fredrik (2002); Off-line programming, verification and optimisation
of industrial control systems, p93
15
One example of using simulators in the industry is the development and
production of Volvo’s new SUV XC90. This was developed, tested,
corrected and reconstructed in a virtual factory. This gave the opportunity
to start the production in 20 % shorter time that had been possible in a
traditional way. Volvo also trained their operators and assembly workers at
the production line. These digital development processes gave the result
that instead of manufacturing three test runs of cars they only needed to
manufacture one test run. The production started one year earlier and the
cost savings were, conservatively calculated, hundreds of millions of SEK
to develop and adjust the car to the production22.
22
Ny Teknik, Volvo lär Ford att bygga bilar i datorn (Internet), 2005-04-14
16
3 Methodology
How to organize the work is an important part of the master thesis. If there
is a good profile of the work from the beginning it becomes much easier to
finish the project in right time and with a good result. Another important
part is the information, how it is collected and critically inspected.
3.1 Work method

The first part of this master thesis was to do a software requirements
specification. This software requirements specification was done in an
iterative method. The more that was learned by the way, the more specified
and correctly were the requirements. To get the information of the different
software different kinds of sources were used.
Parallel with the development of a SRS a literature study was initiated. This
study has its main part in the first period of the project, but it has continued
during the whole project when new questions have come up. A real
advantage with a literature study is the possibility to obtain much
information in a short time with small economical resources23. The
literature study was done to acquire knowledge from earlier investigations
in the topic of our thesis and also knowledge of theories, models and
methodologies24. Together with the information from Tetra Pak R&D this
formed what was essential for the project. It was also in help when the
delimitations of the project were made.
3.2 Information sources

Primary sources used for information was the Internet, University
Libraries, staff at Tetra Pak and the support at Delmia. The main purpose
was to find software able to fulfill the task for our thesis. An important
source to get names of possible software to use was the supervisor at Tetra
Pak, Mr. Istvan Ulvros. On the Internet general search engines, such as
23
Björklund, Maria – Paulsson, Ulf; (2003); Seminarieboken, Ch. 4
24
Patel, Runa – Davidson, Bo; (1994); Forskningsmetodikens grunder, Ch. 3
17
Google, were used and also different forums and portals for automation.
The manufacturers’ home pages were used to get detailed information of
the software features. The vendors were also contacted to get a clearer
answer to some questions. To get an own conception of the software
features and limitations a trial run was done of some of the software
products, where this was possible. Most part of the information comes from
the manufacturers of the software but other sources were searched, for
example where the software was used by independent professionals and
specialists.
In April 11-15, 2005 the Hannover Industry Fair took place and at this fair
the four vendors in the second part of the assessment were represented. One
of the possible vendors introduced their new product on the market at this
fair. The supervisor for this master thesis at Tetra Pak went to Hannover
and this gave the opportunity to meet people from the vendors and discuss
the features and possibilities of their new product.
At Lund University Library (LUB) several searches were made for material
of research methodology and earlier theses of simulations. From the
department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation (IEA)
some theses were borrowed and via the Studiecentrum at Lund Institute of
Technology (LTH) several theses were ordered from Chalmers University
of Technology, and also one Ph. D thesis from De Montfort University in
the UK.
3.3 Criticism of source

This master thesis considers a new work method to verify a machine, both
the mechanics and the PLC-software. Therefore most of the information, to
evaluate the simulation software, came from the vendors. The vendors
often present the software in a bright way, since they have an economic
profit in the product. The vendors try to get the reader to think in a way that
fits exactly their product, and if they are succeeded the customer will
probably buy their product. Projects where the product has been used has
often been done by the company itself or a collaborator to it and therefore
also this information is slanted in a favor for the vendor. Another
experience is that the information from the vendors is not always correct,
some functions in the software are used for sales argument and they will be
implemented in a future version. The survey has been done with these
18
things in mind. A simulation of a product from Tetra Pak has been
accomplished to give an own opinion of the software and to do a correct
evaluation of its advantages and disadvantages. As they work in practice
and not how they are described by vendors.
19
20
4 Market survey
To do good simulations it was necessary to do a market survey to get
knowledge of which actors there are on the market. In this chapter there
will be a discussion of the requirements of the software and how the
vendors meet these requirements.
4.1 Requirement of the software

In the beginning of the project a software requirements specification (SRS)
was made. At first a proposal was made and then this was discussed with
the staff at Tetra Pak. The process was iterative and the proposals were
changed several times to get the final result. The requirements were graded
in three steps depending on how important they were. Totally there were 31
requirements at the list. The full list of SRS is in Appendix A.
One of the most important requirements is that the software can import
geometry from Pro/E, the CAD-software they use at Tetra Pak. It is also
required that the software can handle control signals from a PLC and to get
a visual display of the model during the simulation. Another requirement is
that the software and documentation must be available in English, the
house language at Tetra Pak. There were also requirements that the
software will run on a PC with MS Windows, that internal logics can be
defined and that a review of the simulation will be in real-time. Because of
demanding calculations during the simulation, it is most probably that the
simulation will not be in real-time and therefore it must be an automatic
synchronization of emulated real-time between the PLC and the virtual
machine in the PC.
4.2 Vendors
At the beginning there were proposals of vendors that got software to
handle the type of simulations that will be done. It was only proposals and
several extensive searches on the Internet were made to find even more
vendors. The searches gave some more candidates and they are included in
the list of vendors. The assessment of the vendors was made in two steps.
In the first step the software was appraised with some simpler requirements
21
together with the general impression of the software. In this step ten
vendors were available who had software that possibly could do the
simulations. They are listed in Table 4.1.
Table 4.1: The ten vendors and simulation software in the first assessment.
Vendor Software product
Cimetrix CODE
Cosimir Cosimir PLC
Delmia Delmia Automation
Fiebach-Datentechnik E-control
Mewes & Partner WinMOD
Mitsubishi GX Developer
Rockwell RSTestStand + RSLogix
Tarakos taraVRcontrol
Tecnomatix eM-PLC
Woodhead SST Pics
Because of different reasons six of the possible vendors and their software
did not qualify to the second part of the assessment. Cosimir PLC and
Woodhead SST Pics aimed at training of operators. SST Pics is mostly
aimed for the process industry and Cosimir is developed for the simulation
of robots. In Mitsubishi GX Developer it is possible to test the software but
there is no feedback from the model. In the software CODE from Cimetrix
it was not possible to import geometry from a CAD-system and the
software does not seem to have been developed during the last three years.
Except for this the software had potential to be good software for
simulation purposes. There was not sufficient information about E-Control
from Fiebach-Datentechnik, but it has the possibility to import CAD
geometry and to define sensors. A request for more information was sent to
them and an answer came that they should send it, but despite reminders
they didn’t send the information. The eM-PLC from Tecnomatix has the
direction of auto-generating PLC-code. The sequences will be defined and
then the PLC-code will be auto-generated. This code can then be verified
against a virtual model.
After the first step in the assessment had been completed there were four
vendors left: Delmia, Rockwell, Mewes & Partner and Tarakos.
22
After the survey was done and a vendor was selected a new software,
MSC.visualNastran 4D, was found. Because it was found so late there was
no complete evaluation done. It has some good potential, and can easily be
integrated with the CAD-software and changes can easily be transferred
into MSC.visualNastran 4D. It uses friction and gravity so the simulation
can be realistic. There are different kinds of possible analysis, e.g. collision
and velocity. The system can be controlled by Matlab and Simulink or via
Visual Basic. If Visual Basic is used it can be connected to a PLC. This
type of control, with a second program and a specialized communication
link feels like going backward in the development. Communication by
special written communication links and protocols has been used in earlier
master theses at Tetra Pak and was problematic and caused many problems.
In the second step a more extended assessment was made. A presentation

of the qualified vendors and their products will now follow.
23
Delmia – Delmia Automation
Delmia Automation (DA) is a new software product on the market

delivered by Delmia. The availability was announced at the Hannover Fair
in April 2005. DA enables the users to digitally define, control and monitor
automated systems. PLCs can be programmed and the logics can be
validated against a virtual machine, cell or an entire line. The PLC-code
from DA must pass a special PLC Setup to convert the code to a specific
PLC, like a postprocessor. With DA it is also possible to incorporate the
Human Machine Interface (HMI), real or virtual. In Figure 4.1 a screenshot
of the interface of Delmia Automation is shown.
Figure 4.1: The interface of Delmia Automation25.
25
Screenshot from an example file made by Delmia, Machine14
24
Rockwell – RSTestStand
Rockwell offers the software RSTestStand, which is designed to test

control systems off-line. RSTestStand got a software based PLC emulator
for the PLC logic. RSTestStand is available in three versions, light,
standard and enterprise. The enterprise version was used for the
assessment. This version can integrate with Logix 5000, SolidWorks/Catia
and Simulink for example. Another benefit is the possibility to make
connection diagrams. In Figure 4.2 a screenshot of the interface of
RSTestStand is shown.
Figure 4.2: The interface of RSTestStand26.
26
Rockwell Software, RSTestStand Enterprise, Getting Result Guide (Internet),
2005-05-30
25
Mewes & Partner – WinMOD
The company Mewes & Partner offers the software WinMOD. This
software is for real-time simulation, signal-management and for serving
and observing functions. Devices and component-assemblies will form the
virtual machine that is implemented as WinMOD-macros. WinMOD can be
connected to a real PLC via Profibus or to another PC via Ethernet. With
WinMOD it is possible to incorporate the real HMI in the simulation
system. In Figure 4.3 a screenshot of the interface of WinMOD is shown.
Figure 4.3: The interface of WinMOD27.
27
WinMod, Virtual machine for mechanical engineering (Internet), 2005-05-30
26
Tarakos – taraVRcontrol
Tarakos offers the software taraVRcontrol. This software is designed to

visualize 3D-process scenarios. The taraVRcontrol offers easy-to-handle
collision checks and easy set-up of sensors. There is no PLC emulator in
taraVRcontrol but it can handle process variables from other software
products via OPC. In Figure 4.4 a screenshot of the interface of
taraVRcontrol is shown.
Figure 4.4: The interface of taraVRcontrol28.
4.3 Satisfying the requirements

In the second step, as said earlier, a more extended assessment was made.
To get an answer what the different software products are able to do many
different sources were used. The vendor’s homepages were used to get
information and searches on the Internet were made. Other sources were
reports, papers and articles in different magazines. Representatives of the
vendors were contacted to provide answers on various questions that had
not been clearly answered. Unfortunately some of them did not answer our
28
Tarakos, IEE 11-2004, Fertige Programme für fictive Maschinen (Internet),
2005-05-30
27
questions. Some of them said they would return with answers and some did
not answer at all. The representative from Delmia answered fast and was
very positive and interested in our project. This has influenced the choice
of vendor in the way that there were answers to many of the questions in
the SRS. Also the representative for WinMOD has answered our questions
in a good way, but their answer took a long time to arrive and when their
answer arrived the vendor was already chosen.
Two of the vendors, Rockwell and Tarakos, got evaluation versions of their
software available. From Tarakos it was possible to download it free and
from Rockwell to order a CD with the software. A CD was ordered from
Rockwell, but it was never delivered. Several mail were also sent to
Rockwell with questions of their software RSTestStand, but they did not
answer it. Instead the information of their software came from their
homepage and what other people, not from Rockwell, had written about the
software.
The demo-version of the taraVRcontrol from Tarakos was downloaded and

tested. The software was in English, but the help and tutorial were in
German and this made it harder to understand. A finished model was
included with the software and this has been studied and simulated. This
gave some answers to questions in the SRS. Some articles from magazines
were found on the Internet, where projects using taraVRcontrol were
described. In one project both taraVRcontrol and WinMOD were used29.
The taraVRcontrol was used for the 3D-visualization and WinMOD was
used for the behavior of the model and the real-time simulation.
There was no demo-version available of WinMOD. But at the

manufacturer’s homepage there were some reports that describe some
projects where WinMOD had been used. It was quite hard to find
information about WinMOD and therefore most of the information comes
from their homepage. Mewes & Partner pointed out especially that
WinMOD is a real-time simulator. When a vendor already was selected
WinMOD sent us manuals to some of the functions in the software. They
also gave access to downloadable demonstration videos from their server.
29
Tarakos, IEE 11-2004, Fertige Programme für fictive Maschinen (Internet),
2005-05-13
28
From Delmia there was no demo-version available of DA at the time for
the assessment. The reason was that the software was not on the market at
that time; it was released on April 12. From our supervisor at Tetra Pak,
Mr. Istvan Ulvros, there was access to confidential information about DA.
At Delmia’s homepage there were also some press material, both written
and videos, available. Eric Retraint, Vice-President Sales and Channel
Delmia Automation, gave access to more information and answered the
questions of the software’s possibilities.
All of the four candidates can import geometry from Pro/E. Some of them
use VRML or other standard formats, like STEP. If Delmia’s CAD solution
Catia is used, the geometries in DA can be redefined and the original CAD
file will be changed. All of the software can handle control signals from a
PLC, both external and internal PLC. All software can handle the signals
via OPC except WinMOD that uses Profibus. RSTestStand, Delmia
Automation and WinMOD can be connected to an external HMI, while
taraVRcontrol can be used in combination with WinMOD to get this
possibility. The only software that offers real-time simulation, according to
the vendors’ specification, is WinMOD and for the others it depends on the
complexity of the simulation and on the available calculation capacity.
Real-time simulations are very demanding in computing power. It is always
an adjustment how accurate the simulation will be and how much time the
simulation will take.
All of the software will run on a PC with MS Windows. Delmia

Automation and RSTestStand support IEC 61131-3 but DA today only
supports SFC. WinMOD and taraVRcontrol got their own solutions for the
control of the behavior. DA and taraVRcontrol offer collision analysis and
also the possibility to set sensors at critical positions to only calculate
collisions at these places. This is to save calculations and simulation time.
It is quite easy to set up sensors, and make use of graphical configuration.
WinMOD offers a tool to plot time-sequence results.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the assessment is that Delmia Automation meets the

requirements best and has the most complete solution, for these reasons
Delmia was the selected vendor. An alternative choice could be WinMOD
together with taraVRcontrol. The drawback with this choice is that this
29
solution can give rise to problems. A communication problem can come up
between the software modules, since they are not tested together by the
vendors, and two new software products must be learnt. If trouble appears
the vendors can refer to each other and no one will take responsibility for
the problem. The taraVRcontrol documentation is not completely in
English, since the help functions are written in German.
The drawback with DA is that this solution is new on the market and has
never been tested in real projects. Another drawback is that DA today does
not offer a setup tool for PLCs from B&R or for the GE Fanuc 90-30
family, which Tetra Pak R&D normally uses.
The results of the market survey are very depending of the manufacturer of
the software. Their answers, if any was received, have influenced the
results in a great way. Also other information and presentation material sent
and their treatment and establish of contacts has influenced the results. The
best evaluation method had been to do a short test run of all the software
before the choice was done.
No one of the software fulfill all requirements, not even all requirements of
highest degree. The entire SRS and the result of how all the vendors
fulfilled it are described in Appendix A.
4.4 Presentation of selected vendors

Delmia is a part of the big French group Dassault Systèmes. Delima has a
close cooperation with other companies to develop and sale the software,
namely Dextus and Schneider Electric.
Delmia
Delmia was founded in June 2000 as a high-end brand for digital

manufacturing30. Today Delmia provides solutions to plan, create, validate
30
MCADCafe, Delmia V5R13 – Detailing and Validating Digital Manufacturing
Process (Internet), 2005-04-11
30
and control manufacturing processes31. Examples of products that Delmia
offers are Quest, Igrip, Human and Automation32. Quest is a 3D digital
factory environment for process flow simulation and analysis, accuracy and
profitability. Igrip is a robot simulation solution for modeling and off-line
programming of multi-device robotic work cells. Human is a solution to
create and simulate workers in the digital manufacturing environment and
to introduce human factors into the product lifecycle earlier. DA is a next-
generation collaborative environment for the automation industry. It allows
a control engineer to describe a PLC program in a logic modelling language
and validate this against a 3D model of the cell, machine or an entire line33.
A closer presentation of Delmia Automation will be done in Chapter 5.3.
Delmia has 600 employees worldwide and sales and marketing teams in 12
countries34.
Dassault Systèmes
The company Dassault Systèmes was founded in 1981 and is a global

software developer for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM market35. Dassault
Systèmes is the world leader for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
software solutions using 3D representation. They have six global brands,
Catia, Delmia, Enovia, Smarteam, Spatial and SolidWorks. Dassault
Systèmes has over 4000 employees in 20 countries36.
Dextus
Dextus was founded in June 2004 as a subsidiary of Schneider Electric as

an outgrowth of a partnership with Dassault Systèmes. Dextus was founded
to market and sell Delmia Automation, and Delmia PLM. They will also
promote the development of the digital factory. Dextus themselves says,
“Dextus is dedicated to production engineering and automation design
benefiting from Dassault Systèmes experience in 3D CAD and PLM
31
Delmia, Our History (Internet), 2005-04-11
32
Delmia, Automotive (Internet), 2005-04-11
33
Delmia, Automation (Internet), 2005-04-11
34
Dextus, Delmia (Internet), 2005-04-12
35
Dassault Systèmes, Press release (Internet), 2005-04-13
36
Dextus, Dassault Systèmes (Internet), 2005-04-12
31
solutions, and Schneider Electric's vision of automation and digital
factories introducing a breakthrough in productivity”37.
Schneider Electric
Schneider was founded by two brothers in France 1836. Their main

markets were steel, heavy industry, railroads and shipbuilding. During the
1930s Schneider got problem because of Germany’s renewed power. After
the World War II Schneider began to focus on civilian needs and were a
success during the past 1950s. However, they were in problem again in
1960s and 1970s. Therefore they began in 1981 to rationalize the company
by divesting non-strategic or unprofitable businesses. During the last part
of the 1980s and during the 1990s Schneider acquired companies to refocus
on electricity. In May 1999, Schneider changed name to Schneider Electric
and they are today a world class manufacturer of equipment for electrical
distribution, automation and control38. Today Schneider Electric got over
80 000 employees and is present in 130 countries39.
37
Dextus, Dextus (Internet), 2005-04-12
38
Scheider Electric, The year in review (Internet), 2005-04-12
39
Schneider Electric, Local operation (Internet), 2005-04-12
32
5 Simulation environment
To perform simulations different kinds of equipment and systems are
required, in this master thesis they can be split into three categories. The
first one includes standards to program a PLC defined in IEC 61131-3. The
second one is software, and in this master thesis Delmia Automation and
Pro/Engineer were used. The last category is physical equipment, where a
part of a filling machine and a PLC were used. There will be a closer
description of these categories in this chapter.
The computer used in this project was equipped with a Pentium III
processor at 850 MHz and 256 MB internal memory. In the end of the
project a more powerful computer was provided. This could run the
simulations faster and with a higher accuracy. This computer was equipped
with a Pentium 4 processor at 1.7 GHz and 1 GB internal memory.
5.1 Programmable Logic Controller

Programmable Logic Controller, also known as PLC, is a microcomputer
for logical calculations. In this section the PLC will be described, the
history and how it works.
History of the PLC
The first PLCs were introduced in the late sixties to reduce the high cost of
the controllers being in use. When the production changed, the controller
needed to be change too. The controllers then consisted of lots of relays.
The relay was expensive to change and they were also mechanical so the
lifetime was limited and they needed maintenance. There were also other
drawbacks with the relay, and when a complex controller was built it was
hard to get an overview of it. Modular Digital Controller (MODICON) was
introduced by Bedford Associates to General Motors in 1968, and it could
solve lots of these problems. The modular system was soon abandoned
because Bedford thought an open architecture was not good40. But still it
was the MODICON that brought the PLC into a commercial market. With
40
R. Morley Inc., The History of PLC (Internet), 2005-05-26
33
this system it was possible to do changes in the program without changing
the hardware.
PLCs of today
To be used in industrial automation systems a PLC must operate in real-

time. This can be done by two different techniques, polling or with
interrupt signals. The central processing unit (CPU) in a computer checks
for incoming data over and over, and when it finds data it processes it. This
method is called polling since the processor polls the input devices
continuously to see if they have any input data to report41. The other way is
that the input devices send a signal to the CPU when new data has to be
processed. This signal is called an interrupt signal and is more effective to
use since the processor only has to work when there are data to process.
Polling is easier to program and cheaper but if the PLC is not sufficiently
fast it can miss some external event. To use interrupt signals is more
difficult to program, and more expensive, but the risk of missing an
external event is much smaller. Therefore polling is used in simpler
systems and interrupts in more complex systems.
The programming of a PLC can be done in several different languages, but

the IEC has managed to merge the languages in one international standard.
The latest standard is IEC 61131-3, more about this in Section 5.2. The
PLC-code is, in contrast to many other programs, executed in an infinite
loop. The read-execute-write cycle is called a scan cycle and in a small
PLC every full scan may take about 15-30 ms42.
5.2 IEC 61131-3

The worldwide standard defined by the International Electrotechnical
Commission, IEC, for industrial control programming is IEC 61131. The
standard was formerly known as 1131. In 1993 it changed name to 61131
41
Internet FAQ Archives, Asynchronous Events: Polling Loops and Interrupts
(Internet), 2005-09-09
42
Olsson, Gustaf – Rosen, Christian (2004); Industrial Automation, Ch. 14
34
when IEC standardized the names of the standards43. The standard consist
of five parts and part three describes the language itself. It is this part that is
used and it is named 61131-3. By implementing this standard into different
environments for development, it is easy to change vendor with minimum
effort.
The standard consists of five language definitions. The languages are

Sequential Function Chart (SFC), Function Block Diagram (FBD), Ladder
Diagram (LD), Structured text (ST) and Instruction List (IL). FBD and LD
are two graphical languages while ST and IL are two textual languages.
SFC has been defined to structure the PLC program and function blocks44.
Sequential Function Chart
Sequential Function Chart, SFC, is a graphical language and is a good

method to organize a program, sense it uses top-down approach. SFC
consists of the main components; step, action and transition. Each
component consists of a function that is described in one of the other
languages.
To a step there are none or more actions connected. A step can either be
active or inactive. In any given moment every active step is executed, and
its actions will be accomplished. If there is no action connected, the step
will act like a wait function.
An action can be represented in many different ways and can be written in

any of the languages described below. An action is where the individual
task is performed.
There is a transition between every step. To a transition there is a condition

connected. The condition is a logical expression and when it is fulfilled the
program proceeds to the next step, the new step becomes active and the
previous becomes inactive.
43
PLCopen, 1131 or 61131: status of the Standard (Internet), 2005-04-14
44
Olsson, Gustaf – Rosen, Christian (2004), Industrial Automation
35
There are several ways to execute the code. The first and simplest way is a
simple sequence, where there is only one way to execute, see Figure 5.1.
Figure 5.1: A simple sequence in SFC.
The next is alternative branch, showed in Figure 5.2.
Figure 5.2: An alternative branch in SFC.
36
After a step in an alternative branch there are two or more transitions and a
branch connected to each transition. Here only one of the transitions can be
fulfilled, and the program proceeds into that branch.
The last way is simultaneous branch, showed in Figure 5.3.
Figure 5.3: A simultaneous branch in SFC.
Here the entry transition will be fulfilled and all branches below will be
executed simultaneously. Not until all branches are finished the program
will proceed.
Ladder Diagram
Ladder diagram, LD, is the first graphical language in IEC 61131-3. Ladder
diagram was the traditional way to program a PLC. The language has a lot
of similarities with the relay ladder logic that was used formerly to control
industrial systems, but the IEC 61131-3 ladder diagram has been further
developed and can use predefined function blocks45. The great advantage
with ladder is for logical expressions. It is also possible to use it for
sequential programs. A simple sequence in ladder can be seen in
45
EC&M, What to know about PLC ladder diagram programming (Internet),
2005-04-19
37
Figure 5.4, where hold circuits are used for the current step and stop
conditions for the other steps.
Figure 5.4: A simple sequence in ladder diagram.
Function Block Diagram
Function block diagram, FBD, is the other graphical language in IEC

61131-3. FBD resembles of an integrated circuit, IC, and it has a specific
function. The block has a well-defined interface with inputs and outputs,
and the logic and algorithms are hidden inside, see Figure 5.5. The FBD
can be written in any of the IEC 61131-3 languages but in most cases it is
written in C46. It is helpful when a complex algorithm will be used over and
over again in the same project or even in another project. In this way a FBD
can be written by someone else, e.g. vendor, and used by the programmer.
Figure 5.5: A function block diagram.
46
PLCopen, IEC 61131-3: a standard programming resource (Internet),
2005-04-19
38
Structured Text
Structured text, ST, is a high-level language; it has its origin in languages

like ADA, Pascal and C. It supports most of the standard functions and
operations, e.g. if-else, for-loop, while-loop, see Figure 5.6. This permits an
easy modeling of nestled loops and complex algorithms, which is useful
when creating a FBD. ST is often used for the description of the actions
connected to a step in a SFC.
WHILE condition1 THEN
action1
END_WHILE
IF condition2 THEN
action2
ELSE
action3
END_IF
Figure 5.6: Structured text with a while-loop and if-else.
Instruction List
Instruction list, IL, is a low-level textural language; it has a similarity with

assembler. The language is close to the machine instruction code, and
therefore it is the most efficient language in IEC 61131-3. A simple
sequence with the same function as in Figure 5.4 can be seen in Figure 5.7.
Every IEC 61131-3 language can be converted into IL.
39
ld condition1
ani condition(step2)
out step1
ld condition2
and( condition(step1)
or( condition(step2)
)
)
out step2
ld condition3
and( condition(step2)
or( condition(step3)
)
)
out step3
Figure 5.7: A simple sequence in IL.
5.3 Delmia Automation

Delmia Automation is a tool for the development process in industrial
automation. It gives ability to do everything from implementing a PLC-
code to simulating the mechanics and verify the PLC-code against the
virtual machine. Delmia Automation is a software solution that consists of
many different modules and it is scalable so that each module can be used
independently. In DA it is possible to implement the PLC-code and do
simulations on the virtual machine before the real machine is built up. In
this way it is possible to verify that both the code and the mechanics behave
in a desirable way47. The module that was used in this project was Device
Builder, HMI Control Panel Design, LCM Studio, Smart Device Builder
and Controlled System Simulator. The version used in this project was
Delmia Automation V5R15 and during the project service pack 1, 2, and 3
was received.
47
Dassault Systèmes, Delmia V5 Automation: Fact Sheet R15 (Internet),
2005-05-11
40
Device Builder
Device Builder is the module where the functional mechanical objects are
built and configured. Properties configured are i.e. the geometry,
kinematics and behavior. It is possible to import a model from a 3D CAD
system. To use geometry from a CAD-system a neutral file format, i.e.
STEP and VRML, can be used. The model can be turned into actuators and
sensors so it can be controlled by a PLC. The kinematics can be reused
from the CAD-model but it can also be added afterwards. The possibility to
import the kinematics from the CAD-model is today only available if the
CAD-model is done in Dassault’s CAD-software Catia.
It is in Device Builder that mechanisms are created and every mechanism

can consist of many different joints. A joint is a type of motion that a part
can perform. Example of types of joints are revolute, prismatic, cylindrical,
planar and rigid. Dependent to the type of joint it has different degrees of
freedom (DOF) which can be translational and/or rotational. A rigid joint
has no DOF and lock a part to another part. To move a part with a
mechanism predefined home positions are used. Several motions can be
defined in tasklists, and the time for the motion can be defined. It is also
possible to define travel limits for the different joints. Figure 5.8 shows the
dialog box to define home positions. The pulled-out icons from the toolbar
in this figure show different types of joints that can be created in the model.
Above these icons is the tool to create frames of interest. This is references
used in models imported in neutral file format, i.e STEP and VRML. These
references must be used to create mechanisms in files that not are in Catia
format.
41
Figure 5.8: The dialog box to define home positions. The pulled-out
icons from the toolbar show different types of joints.
Sensors
Sensors, a specific class of object in the model, are created in Device
Builder and the sensor’s geometry can be loaded as a CAD-file. The
behavior is defined as a continuous signal, a rising edge or a falling edge.
The difference between them is illustrated in Figure 5.9.
42
Figure 5.9: The behavior of the sensor is of three different modes48.
HMI Control Panel Design
HMI Control Panel Design is a product to create virtual human-machine

interfaces. Control panels can be used in Controlled System Simulator for
interactive use in debugging, validation and simulation. There are several
predefined controllers, such as buttons, switches, lights and gauges. But
there are no tools to create lines or simple figures, as a rectangle. The tools
to design the HMI are showed in Figure 5.10.
Figure 5.10: The tools those are available to design the virtual HMI.
After designing the HMI the signals will be set. A proposal of signals is
auto-generated and it is easy to change them, i.e. the type of signal from
48
Delfoi Finland, Delmia Automation (Internet), 2005-07-20
43
Boolean to integer. An overview of the signal management of an HMI is
displayed in Figure 5.11.
Figure 5.11: The internal signal management tool in the HMI module,
where the type of signals and initial value is defined.
LCM Studio
LCM Studio is an environment for implementation of PLC programs. It

uses the languages defined in the standard IEC 61131-3, described in
Chapter 5.2. In DA V5R15 the only available language is SFC, while the
rest of the IEC 61131-3 languages will be added in the following releases
of DA49. LCM Studio has the possibilities to debug the PLC-code without
being connected to an environment, as a real machine. In the debugger the
code can be run continuously or cycle by cycle. All the signals are set
manually, which makes it possible to test code blocks in many different
ways. All the I/O that are set can be saved in a text file to be used for
example to understand and correct bugs. In this text file all I/O are saved
every cycle of the PLC execution. In the upcoming version, R16, the
debugger will work with the 3D-simulation. Then movements of
49
Phone conference with Eric Retraint, vice president sales and channels Delmia
Automation, 2005-05-09
44
mechanisms can also be analyzed in the debugger. Today these signals are
set manually, see also case 47 in Appendix D. In the Smart Device Builder
it is possible to create test logic to verify the code together with the virtual
machine. See more about this in the section below.
The PLC programs can be built up in a hierarchical model, and then macros
will be used. A macro is connected to a step and consists of a SFC that will
be executed when the step is active.
There are some differences between IEC 61131-3’s SFC and LCM Studio’s
SFC. The biggest difference is in creation of a simultaneous branch. To
create a simultaneous branch macros will be used and a special type of
transition, join transition. Join transition works in a way so all macro must
be in their last step before the transition can be fired. A screenshot from
LCM studio with macros and join transitions is displayed in Figure 5.12.
Figure 5.12: A screenshot from LCM Studio. Note that

join-transitions are used after S1 and S2.
45
Smart Device Builder
Smart Device Builder is the module where the behavior for a mechanism is
defined. The behavior is built up by using any languages supported by
LCM Studio. The behavior uses the predefined tasks done by Device
Builder to do the motion for the internal logic.
To make a device controllable it needs to be connected to the environment.

This will be done in Smart Device Builder by creating an interface of
electrical I/O-signals. The I/O-signals are called ports in DA and a port will
be mapped to a signal, which are used in the internal logic. This is
Figure 5.13: Ports are defined in Smart Device Builder, to use them in
the internal code they must be mapped to a signal.
In Smart Device Builder it is possible to simulate the internal behavior, to

see if the behavior is as expected before it is connected to the external
equipment. Without a connection to the environment, the external signals
need to be set manually. A screenshot from Smart Device Builder is
46
Figure 5.14: A screenshot from Smart Device Builder.
In the Smart Device Builder it is possible to create test logic for a testing
scenario. This is useful to automate the simulation of a device and the
signals, i.e. from an HMI, can be set in the code. The test logic is created in
SFC and the 3D-simulation is connected, but the code is not shown during
the simulation. See also case 37 in Appendix D for limitations in the
function to create test scenarios.
Controlled System Simulator
Controlled System Simulator acts like a link between the LCM Studio and
the Smart Device Builder. The simulations are taking place in this module.
It has the opportunity to debug PLC-code and validate the PLC-code
against the virtual machine. It is not necessary to only use the virtual PLC,
but it is also possible to use a real PLC. If a real PLC is used the PLC Setup
module must be used to map the signals.
47
Controlled System Simulator can do collision analysis to detect if parts in
the machine will crash into each other. Some other types of analyses that
can be done are distance analysis and sweep of 3D geometry. Sweep is
done to create a volume from all positions a machine can have during a run
and can be used to determine a working space for a machine.
The module is not only suitable for doing simulations to validate the PLC-
code but is also available to connect an HMI. With a full HMI it will be a
good machine operator-training simulator, see Figure 5.15 for the working
environment during a simulation.
Figure 5.15: A screenshot from Controlled System Simulator. The signals

used and their value are seen in the upper right corner and
the HMI in the lower right corner.
48
PLC Setup
To compile the PLC-code to the PLC native code and transfer it to the real
PLC the module PLC Setup is used. See example in Figure 5.16 to choose
target PLC. The PLC Setup module must be compatible with the PLC
provider/type and today the PLC Setup is only available with PLCs from
Schneider Electric, Omron and Siemens. This module was not used in this
project.
Figure 5.16: A Screenshot from PLC Setup.
5.4 Pro/Engineer
Pro/Engineer is a software for 3D-Computer Aided Design (CAD), and it
was made by the company Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). The
company was founded in 1985 and the first version of Pro/E was launched
in 1988. Pro/E consists of several modules for different types of tasks and
the modules exist in different standards dependent of how advanced
possibilities that are needed. There are modules to buy to make NC-code to
manufacture the parts that have been designed, and also modules to analyze
the parts with the Finite Element Method. These modules enable to get the
full CAD/CAM/CAE function. CAM is an abbreviation for Computer
Aided Manufacturing and CAE is an abbreviation for Computer Aided
Engineering. Today PTC also offers a solution for Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM).
With Pro/E new parts and machines can be designed and developed. Each
part will be designed separately and then put together in an assembly. Then
49
the kinematics can be added to the model to make the model moving, in
3D. The results can also be saved as a movie or rendered pictures. The
properties and dimensions of a part can easily be changed and
automatically updated in all other modules in Pro/E that use this part, i.e.
assemblies and drawings. This is because Pro/E is fully associative. Several
different analyses can be done in Pro/E, for example if the parts intersect
when they move and the forces in different cases of load. A great
disadvantage is that the associative property is only valid in PTC’s
products. If the model is used in software from another manufacturer it is
necessary to go back to Pro/E in order to change some dimensions and then
manually import or update the model again in the software. 50, 51
The original geometry used in this project was created in

Pro/Engineer 2001, but some changes were needed to do and then
Pro/Engineer Wildfire 2 was used.
5.5 Simulation object

The object that has been simulated in this thesis is a part of a new filling
machine developed at Tetra Pak. This part demonstrates an idea of how to
warm the package before it will be sterilized in a later step in the machine.
This idea is realized in a real prototype machine. This machine has sliders
that can move the package, and also a heating mechanism to heat the
package. With this real machine the simulation can be evaluated and
compared to. The object is shown Figure 5.17.
The idea of this machine is that the package is positioned upside down in a
holder and this holder moves along a slider. When the package is in the
proper position a pipe will be moved down into the package and heat the
inside of the package using hot air. The pipe will then go up and the
package will move out. The model is completed with sensors that indicate
when the package is in position for the pipe to go down.
The CAD model replicates the real object to highest possible extent, which
is a necessary requirement if the result of the simulation will be applied to
50
PTC, The Product Development Company (Internet), 2005-05-04
51
PTC, Pro/Engineer Wildfire (Internet), 2005-05-04
50
the real machine. The idea to simulate the machine in Delmia Automation
is that the verified PLC-code can be used in the real PLC. Furthermore
virtual sensors can be used in the simulations to do an even more realistic
simulation.
1. Heater
2. Sensor (not visible)
3. Package
1 4. Package holder
5. Slider
Figure 5.17: The simulation object in this master thesis.
51
52
6 The simulation project
In this chapter the simulation project is described in detail. How the
different parts of the virtual machine were created is described and also
how they are connected to each other to a complete model. The complete
virtual machine consists of three parts, a mechanical model, an HMI and a
virtual PLC.
6.1 Creation of the mechanical model

The mechanical model was created in Device Builder and Smart Device
Builder. The geometry was already made at Tetra Pak and it was created in
Pro/Engineer. There were only minor adjustments in the assembly that
were required to do. The first step was to import the geometry to DA. From
Pro/E the geometry was exported in a neutral file format that DA was able
to import. Eventually, depending on problems with DA, a bug, add-on
modules and license problems the geometry could not be imported. The
support at Delmia in France therefore converted our model to Catia-format
that was no problem to import in DA. Later in the project the import
problem was solved, see more in case 3.1, 3.2 and 40 in Appendix D. Then
the mechanisms were added to the model. The mechanisms were defined as
for the real machine, with travel limits and time for the motions. The model
consists of two mechanisms, one for moving the package and one for
moving the heater. They were then used, together with the mechanisms’
home positions, to create task lists for the different moves that the machine
can do.
In Device Builder a sensor was added to the model. The sensor will detect
if there is a package or not in the package holder. If there is not a package
present the heater will not go down and the package holder will return to its
initial position. The finished model of the machine is depicted in Figure
6.1.
The next step was to create the internal behavior of the model. The internal
behavior is how the model will react to different signals that are sent to it.
Example of signals can be MovePackage=true or EmergencyStop=true. It is
in the internal behavior the mechanisms are activated, thru TaskLists. This
was described in Section 5.3. The internal behavior of the sensor must also
53
be defined. In this project a continuous signal was requested and the sensor
was defined in that way. The internal behavior of the machine and the
sensor was defined in SFC in the LCM Studio. The signals that the internal
logic receives and sends was created and they are listed in Appendix B.
The internal logic is in the normal behavior able to receive signals from the
control logic and dependent of the signals, the machine will react on it. The
logic will react on the signal MovePackage and MoveHeater. Depending on
if they are true or false the package and heater will go in or out and up or
down. When a movement is finished the internal logic will set a signal to
tell the PLC. If the signal EmergencyStop is set, all movements are aborted
immediately and the machine cannot be operated until the emergency
signal is released. The complete code of the virtual machines’ internal logic
is in Appendix C.
1 1. Heater
2. Sensor
3. Package
4. Package holder
5. Slider
3
2
Figure 6.1: The mechanical model of the virtual machine.
54
6.2 Creation of the HMI
A virtual HMI was created to operate the virtual machine. The HMI was
done in two modules, HMI Control Panel Design and Smart Device
Builder. At first the design was made. The machine has to be controlled in
three different modes so the HMI was designed to handle these three
modes. They are Continuous mode, Cycle mode and Step by step mode. To
indicate the buttons that belong to the different modes, a darker background
was made to group the buttons. Two lights were created to give feedback to
the operator, one indicating if the machine is busy and the other indicating
if the package is in position for heating. Finally an emergency stop was
placed at the panel. This due to the security, it will stop the machine
immediately. This is different from the stop button at the continuous mode,
which will let the whole cycle run before the machine is stopped. The
design of the HMI is in Figure 6.2.
Figure 6.2: The virtual HMI to operate the virtual machine. Note that the light
Busy and the button for Continuous mode are activated.
The HMI has an internal logic and this was created in the Smart Device
Builder. The internal logic of the HMI controls which of the buttons that
will be lighted and set the actual mode. If the emergency button is
55
activated, all the lights will be switched off. The complete code of the
HMI’s internal logic is in Appendix C. Some signals are only used
internally in the HMI. They are used to light the mode buttons to indicate in
which mode the machine is operating. The signals that the HMI uses and
can be used by other modules are listed in Appendix B.
6.3 Creation of the virtual PLC

A virtual PLC was created to handle the HMI operation signals and to
control the virtual machine. The virtual PLC was done in the LCM Studio
and written in SFC.
The program was built hierarchically to get a good supervision of the

function’s urgency. The first layer takes care of an emergency stop and
stops the machine immediately. Next layer is a reset layer. This runs an
initialization loop for the machine and arranges the heater in an upper
position and the package holder at the end of the cylinder, see the first step
in Figure 6.6 for the start position. Every time the mode is changed the
reset is executed.
The last layer is the main layer, which controls the machine in normal
operation. The main macro has three alternative branches, one for each
mode, see Figure 6.3. Most parts of the behavior for the Continuous and
Cycle modes are similar and therefore parts of the code are reused for both
modes. When one of these modes is selected the PLC will wait for the
signal Start or Cycle, depending of selected mode, see Appendix B for the
complete list of signals. After the signal is emitted the cycle starts,
beginning with moving the package holder, see part 4 in Figure 6.1, to a
position under the heater, see part 1 in Figure 6.1. Then the sensor, see part
2 in Figure 6.1, will detect if there is a package, see part 3 in Figure 6.1, in
the package holder. If a package is detected the heater starts moving down
and at the same time starts heating. When it has reached the lower position
it will move back to its upper position immediately and in the upper
position the heating stops. After this the package holder will move back to
its original position and a cycle is finished. Here is one difference between
the two modes. In the Cycle mode it returns to the beginning of the cycle
and waits for the signal Cycle to be emitted. In Continuous mode a new
cycle will start immediately, and after the Stop signal is emitted the current
56
cycle will be completed. The program returns to start and waits for the Start
signal.
Figure 6.3: The start sequence for the main layer in the virtual PLC.
In Step-by-step mode the signal NextStep needs to be emitted to start the

cycle. In the first step the package holder is moving to a position under the
heater. NextStep needs to be set again to start moving the heater and start
heating if the sensor detects a package, else the package holder moves back
to the starting point. When the heater is in the lower position the heating is
stopped. This is done to not harm the package while waiting for next
movement. Following time NextStep is emitted, the heating will start again
and the heater moves to the upper position. NextStep needs to be set a last
time to complete the cycle and the package holder is moved to its origin.
Now the program is ready to start a new cycle.
6.4 Connect the parts to a complete machine

The last step in creating a complete model is to connect the created parts to
each other. In this project there were three different parts created, a
mechanical model, a virtual HMI and a virtual PLC. The virtual PLC will
control the other parts. To create the complete virtual machine starts with
inserting the created parts in a new product, in this project the machine and
the HMI. The internal logic is already defined in each product and with a
wizard the internal logic is copied from each product to the new product.
57
Then the control logic will be added to the model, the virtual PLC. After
this the internal logic and the control logic will be connected to each other.
This is displayed in Figure 6.4. The ports in the control block are the ports
of the PLC and the ports in the simulation block are all the ports of the
different products in the model, in this project the mechanical model and
the HMI. Giving the ports in the products and the PLC good names will
make it easier to connect correct signals to each other.
Figure 6.4: The connection between the internal logic and

the control logic in a complete machine.
6.5 Running a simulation

When the complete machine is finished and all signals are connected in a
correct way it is time to run a simulation. During the simulation all the
signals between the PLC and the simulation object can be watched, and
they can also be forced to a value to test how the simulation will react on it.
During the simulation the step size of the simulation is set, it can be set
manually or the simulation can be in real-time. In real time mode the step
58
size will be configured automatically so the calculations for the simulation
are caught. Often the graphical update will slow down a simulation. To
speed up the simulation the graphical update can be set to not update the
graphic each simulation cycle. See example in Figure 6.5.
Figure 6.5: Visualization Options for a simulation. In this example, with the step
size set to 0.3 seconds, is the graphic updated every second step.
When running a simulation a clash control can be done. If this option is

activated the parts that clash to each other are highlighted during the
simulation. Another choice is to let the simulation stop when a clash is
indicated.
The complete virtual machine in this master thesis is controlled by the

virtual PLC via the virtual HMI. In Figure 6.6 one cycle of a run is
displayed.
59
1 2
3 4
5 1. Start position
2. Package in position
3. Heater down
4. Heater up
5. End position
Figure 6.6: One cycle of the machine. The different

steps are numbered from one to five.
60
6.6 Reflections of the simulation project
Delmia Automation is a new software on the market, and during the
creation of the virtual machine many more or less serious bugs and
problems have appeared. There are also some usable functions that are not
yet implemented. During the project a log has been created with our
problems and observations, and also the answer from the support at Delmia
Automation. This log is in Appendix D.
A great disadvantage is the compatibility with import of models from

Pro/E. Only geometry can be imported, no kinematics. The mechanisms
must be added in a special way that includes making special references. As
described in an earlier section DA is from the same company group that
manufactures Catia. If a model is created in Catia there is full compatibility
with DA, including kinematics and updates of the geometry.
In the start of the project the system requirements were not distinctly
defined. This gave the results that the computers used during the project
were not so powerful. In the end of the project a specified system
requirements list were available and then a more powerful computer was
provided. This lead to a greatly improved performance and some strange
errors in the software did not appear, i.e. graphical disturbances and
exception errors.
The delay in the beginning of the project, when waiting for software from
the selected manufacturer, caused a delay in the project that lead to that all
steps in creating a simulation were not evaluated. The steps not evaluated
were controlling a virtual machine with a real PLC and controlling a real
machine with a real PLC, with the same code used in simulations with
virtual machine and virtual PLC. Another contributory factor to that all
steps were not evaluated was the lack of documentation of the software and
all problems with the current version of the software. See more details in
the log in Appendix D.
61
62
7 Conclusions
In this section the conclusions from the master thesis are presented. First is
a summary of the results and then is a recommendation to pass on, based on
our experience. Finally some proposals for future work are presented.
The main conclusion is that simulation of machines behavior together with

the PLC code of its control system is very promising. This can save a lot of
time and a lot of money and be a carrier of better design methodology.
A concern is that this type of simulations is very demanding on the

computer’s capacity.
The concept Delmia Automation is correct in principles and in ease of use

for the programmer. The user use different modules for different tasks and
the interface are common, or similar, in the different modules. It is the
same suite used for the whole simulation project, from importing CAD-
geometry to test the code on the virtual machine.
However the current version of Delmia Automation, V5R15, did not

include some fundamental requirements in programming of the virtual
machine, e.g. motion profiles see cases 26 and 27 in Appendix D. But
maybe they will be implemented in the upcoming versions.
In the current version of DA there is no support for PLCs from

manufacturers commonly used at Tetra Pak R&D, B&R and GE Fanuc.
A progress has been noticed to the development of the simulation-tools as

well as an increasing interest for this kind of simulation during the six
months of this master thesis. It has started postgraduate studies within this
area at University of Trollhättan/Uddevalla52 in co-operation with the
KK-stiftelsen53. They have been interested in this master thesis to see the
development potential and use it as inspiration for further works54.
52
University of Trollhättan/Uddevalla (Internet), 2005-09-09
53
Stiftelsen för Kunskap och Kompetensutveckling (Internet), 2005-09-09
54
Meeting with Henrik Carlsson, Fredrik Danielsson, Bo Svensson from HTU,
2005-09-28
63
7.1 Summary of results
A virtual machine has been controlled by a virtual PLC. A conclusion is
that it is possible to control a virtual machine with PLC code. It will react
as the real machine would have done with the code written in the
simulation program.
In the market survey several different software products are included but
many of them are focusing on one part in a simulation. Delmia Automation
was the software that offered the most from the different parts to simulate
and control a virtual machine. Including CAD-import, use of PLC-language
defined in IEC 61131-3 and export of the finished, verified, code. Many of
the other software products use their own developed programming
language, have poor support for import of CAD-files or were directed for a
specified type of industry. Delmia Automation was, at the moment for the
market survey, the most all-round software that fulfilled the most of the
requirements of the software included in the survey.
Even after the vendor was selected and more information from the vendors
was received and more understanding of principles for simulation was
experienced, the choice of Delmia Automation as the best alternative for
further evaluation was correct.
During the project to create the virtual machine many problems, bugs and
limitations in the software DA were discovered. To handle these a log was
created, Appendix D. This log was sent to the manufacturer of the software
several times during the project to inform them of the project. Delmia have
taken the comments into consideration and have reacted to them. Their
answers and comments were also recorded in the log.
A great disadvantage was the limited support for importing CAD-geometry

from other CAD-systems than Catia. The geometry can be imported in a
neutral file-format but no kinematics will be imported. It is impossible to
update the geometry, it must be re-imported and all kinematics and logics
must be added once again.
Hiding and showing parts in a simulation is not possible to control from the
code. This feature is very useful to visualize a simulation, and also in
debugging of the code and logic. There is no support for changing color of
64
parts of a machine from the code. This can be used in the same way of
hiding/showing parts.
There are no included help-files in the DA. This has lead to many contacts
with the support team at the manufacturer, and much time has been spent
on this instead of creating and developing the virtual model.
There are no tools to do sequence diagrams of signals and motions. There is

a tool to record every I/O in every cycle at the PLC, and this is saved into a
text-file.
It is not possible to create a motion profile for a mechanism’s motion.

When a mechanism is set to move, it will go to a predefined position in a
predefined time with the speed needed. The speed is like a square pulse
with abrupt start and stop.
To run a simulation is very demanding on the computer hardware,

especially on the internal memory. Based on tests on different computers
1 gigabyte, or more, is preferred to run the virtual machine created.
It is possible to use geometry from a CAD-system, not only manufactured

inside the Dassault group, and during a simulation the user will get visual
feedback of the simulation. A very useful function is to create videos of a
simulation. They can be used to visualize and present the results for a non-
technician or users of alternative systems.
It is very positive that DA uses a standard programming language and not

an own developed language. This gives a shorter learning time for the user.
But Delmia had done some minor changes in their implementation of SFC.
For example it is not possible to have parallel branches. Instead several
macros in one step must be used.
It is possible to create virtual HMIs and control a simulation by it. Even if

the editor to create the HMI is very simple and quite limited it is usable in
example demonstration purposes. If a more complex machine is created, a
simulation with a virtual HMI can be used to train the operators of the real
machine.
The step-size of the virtual PLC can be set automatically to get a simulation
in real-time. It can also be set manually to get a more or less detailed
65
simulation. A great disadvantage with great step-size is if sensors are used
in the model. They can be hard to check and debug if a part passes a sensor
position during a step in the PLC, due to the sensor will not set a signal.
During a simulation it is possible to turn the collision check on or off. If a

collision between some parts in the model is detected the parts intersecting
each other are highlighted, or the simulation is stopped.
Delmia and Dassault Systèmes are large companies with great resources.
They can invest much money to the software and have a low risk to be
liquidated. Therefore it is most probably that this program will not
disappear from the market in the near future, instead there will be
continued development of it.
The virtual machine has been compared to a real machine by comparing a

video sequence from both machines. The machines had separately control
systems and were not connected to each other dependent to incompatibly.
These systems had different support for motion control and therefore the
real machine used more complex motion profiles. The result shows that
both machines have the same behavior, except for the differences in motion
profiles.
7.2 Recommendations
As a result of this master thesis there are some recommendations for Tetra
Pak. This project is a part of a pre-study if it is interesting for Tetra Pak to
implement a simulation-tool to the development process and how to
proceed further in the subject.
Recommendations in brief
• Continue the monitoring of development of the Delmia Automation.

• In a doable time make a new pre-study to check the maturity and
functionality of the commercial products versus Tetra Pak´s
requirements. Recommendations for further decisions.
66
Comments
There are some major requirements that Delmia Automation today not
fulfilled and for that reason it can be hard to entirely implement it in Tetra
Pak’s development process at this stage. One of the most important
requirements was to have the availability to import CAD-geometry from
Pro/E and update the geometry in an easy way. Today it is possible to
import the CAD-geometry, but still it needs lots of work to make the
geometry usable in DA. There is no easy way to update the geometry
without the need to redefine the kinematics. There is one possibility to have
a good CAD import and it is to use Dassault’s own CAD-system Catia, but
Tetra Pak uses Pro/Engineer and has no plan to change and therefore this is
not an option.
Tetra Pak uses many different ways to control a motion, for one example
see Figure 7.1. In the current release of DA it is only possible to control a
motion by moving between predefined positions and changing the time it
takes. This is not sufficiently good to fulfill Tetra Pak’s requirements of
controlling a motion.
Figure 7.1: A function block diagram Tetra Pak

use to control a motion by velocity55.
In the current release of DA there are support for Schneider Electric,

Omron and Siemens’ PLC-systems’ and Tetra Pak R&D uses B&R’s PLC-
system, but there are other companies within the Tetra Pak group using
Siemens’ system. Therefore there are limited resources to use DA
completely in a development process. Another common PLC-system used
55
Documentation to the mc_lib for B&Rs programming tool for their PLCs.
67
at Tetra Pak is from GE-Fanuc, and today there are no supports for these
systems in DA.
Next recommendation is to do further works in this area, read more about

the particular details in Chapter 7.3, because this will probably be one of
the fastest and cheapest methods to work with.
7.3 Future works

There are several subjects concerning controlling virtual machines by a
PLC that are not dealt with. Therefore a recommendation is to do future
works within the area in a couple of years. Some interesting aspects on
future works are listed below.
A complete evaluation of DA where the last step in a complete simulation,

control of the virtual and real model with a real PLC, should be done.
There have been software products with great potential that have not been
investigated. WinMOD and MSC.visualNastran 4D should be explored
further. It is also interesting to check if PTC is introducing some simulation
software for PLC-code, and in that case integrate them in Pro/E. When
Delmia has corrected problems discovered during this project and added
demanded features it is recommended to make a new evaluation of DA.
The SRS is for a basic simulation tool or a little more complex tool. For
further works it is recommended to develop the SRS. A couple of new
requirements that can be added, based on the experience from this project,
are listed below.
• Better CAD-support where it is possible to update the geometry
from Tetra Pak’s CAD-system.
• Support for Tetra Pak’s PLC-systems.
• More developed and advanced control of motion, where it is
possible to control velocity, acceleration and use motion profile.
Another interest aspect that is not connected to the technical subject is a

working methodology subject. Investigate how a simulation tool, such as
Delmia Automation, can be implemented in the development process at
Tetra Pak.
68
References
Text books
Björklund, Maria – Paulsson, Ulf; (2003); Seminarieboken, Chapter 4,
Studentlitteratur, Lund
Olsson, Gustaf – Rosen, Christian (2004), Industrial Automation,

Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation, Lund
Patel, Runa – Davidson, Bo; (1994); Forskningsmetodikens grunder,

Chapter 3, Studentlitteratur, Lund
Theses
Danielsson, Fredrik (2002); Off-line programming, verification and
optimisation of industrial control systems, page 93, Doctoral Dissertation,
Högskolan Trollhättan/Uddevalla, Trollhättan
Gore, Ganesh – Sharique, Farid Syed (2004); Virtual Verification of Auto-

generated PLC program, Master Thesis, Department of Signals and
Systems, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg
Hammarlund, Ola - Persson, Dan (2003); Real Simulation Control, Design

of Communication for a Simulator Device, Master Thesis, Department of
Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation, Lund University, Lund
Olofsson, Annika – Lindqvist, Marie (2003); Simulation and programming

of a prototype machine as a simulator, Bachelor Thesis, LTH School of
Engineering at Campus Helsingborg, Lund
Sivtoft, Jan-Olof (2002); The design of a simulator for the automation

industry, Master Thesis, Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering
and Automation, Lund University, Lund
69
Internet
CIMdata, The Benefits of Digital Manufacturing;
http://www.delmia.com/gallery/pdf/CIMdata_ROI_Study.pdf, 2005-05-13
Dassault Systèmes , Delmia V5 Automation:Fact Sheet R15;

http://www.3ds.com/fileadmin/newsevents/automation/Automtn_FactSheet
.pdf, 2005-05-11
Dassault Systèmes , Press release;

http://www.3ds.com/news-events/press-room/release/836/1/, 2005-04-13
Delfoi Finland, Delmia Automation;

http://www.delfoi.com/web/news/fi_FI/Seminaari_16_6/_files/7335799807
9083371/default/DELMIA%20Automation%20-
%20DELFOI%20Workshop.ppt_light.ppt, 2005-07-20
Delmia, Our History;

http://www.delmia.com/discover/html/our-history.htm, 2005-04-11
Delmia, Automation;
http://www.delmia.com/solutions/html/automation.htm, 2005-04-11
Delmia, Automotive;
http://www.delmia.com/solutions/html/automotive.htm, 2005-04-11
Dextus, Dassault Systèmes;

http://www.dextus.net/fo/pages/php/dassaultsystems/dassaultsystems.php,
2005-04-12
Dextus, Delmia;
http://www.dextus.net/fo/pages/php/delmia/delmia.php, 2005-04-12
Dextus, Dextus;
http://www.dextus.net/fo/pages/php/dextus/dextus.php, 2005-04-12
EC&M, What to know about PLC ladder diagram programming;

http://www.ecmweb.com/mag/electric_know_plc_ladder/, 2005-04-19
Halogen, Tetra Laval;

http://www.halogen.se/customer.asp?navid=50&item=15, 2005-04-08
70
Internet FAQ Archives, Asynchronous Events: Polling Loops and
Interrupts;
http://www.faqs.org/docs/javap/c1/s2.html, 2005-09-09
MCADCafe, Delmia V5 R13 – Detailing and Validation Digital

Manufacturing Process;
http://www.mcadcafe.com/magazine/index.php?run_date=22-Mar-
2004&newsletter=1&no_bottom=1, 2005-04-11
Nationalencyklopedins Internettjänst; Tetra Laval

http://www.ne.se/jsp/search/article.jsp?i_art_id=326368&i_word=tetra%20
laval, 2005-04-08
Ny Teknik, Volvo lär Ford att bygga bilar i datorn;

http://www.nyteknik.se/pub/ipsart.asp?art_id=39891, 2005-04-14
PLCopen, 1131 or 61131 : status of the Standard;

http://www.plcopen.org/TC1/1131_or_61131.htm, 2005-04-14
PLCopen, IEC 61131-3: a standard programming resource;

http://www.plcopen.org/TC1/INTRO_IEC_July02.htm, 2005-04-19
PTC, The Product Development Company;

http://www.ptc.com/WCMS/files/26504en_file1.PDF, 2005-05-04
PTC, Pro/Engineer Wildfire;

http://www.ptc.com/WCMS/files/26539en_file1.PDF, 2005-05-04
R. Morley Inc., The History of PLC;

http://www.barn.org/FILES/historyofplc.html/, 2005-05-26
Region Siljan, De lyfte landet;

http://www.regionsiljan.se/_webdoc/Data/6/Files/27/De_lyfte_landet.pdf,
2005-04-08
Rockwell Software, RSTestStand Enterprise, Getting Results Guide;

http://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/gr
/tstent-gr001_-en-p.pdf, 2005-05-30
71
Schneider Electric, The year in review (2003);
http://wib-prod.schneider-
electric.com/publicprogram/corp/corp_elibrary.nsf/0/84280984FE88F4648
5256EC500552CA2/$file/Essentiel_2004_en.pdf, 2005-04-12
Schneider Electric, Local operations;

http://www.schneider-
electric.com/wps/myportal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/7_0_A/.s/7_0_PJ/_s.7_0_A/7_
0_PJ, 2005-04-12
Stiftelsen för Kunskap- och Kompetensutveckling

http://www.kks.se/, 2005-09-09
Tarakos, IEE 11-2004, Fertige Programme für fiktive Maschinen;

http://www.tarakos.de/presse_artikel/iee-tarakos.pdf, 2005-05-13
Tech-Clarity, Digital Manufacturing;

http://www.delmia.se/pdf/techclarity.pdf, 2005-05-24
Tetra Laval, About Tetra Laval;

http://www.tetralaval.com/content/page.asp?navid=2
Tetra Laval, Tetra Laval 2004;

http://www.tetrapak.com/docs/TL040426.pdf, 2005-04-08
Tetra Pak, In figures;

http://www.tetrapak.com/index.asp?navid=6, 2005-04-08
Tetra Pak, Tetra Pak Innovation Network

http://innovation.tetrapak.com/
Tetra Pak, The Company History;

http://www.tetrapak.com/index.asp?navid=7, 2005-04-08
University of Trollhättan/Uddevalla
http://www.htu.se, 2005-09-09
72
WinMOD, Virtual machine for mechanical engineering;
http://www.winmod.de/eng/reports/winmod_report_04.18_en.pdf,
2005-05-30
Other
Documentation to the mc_lib for B&Rs programming tool for their PLCs.
Meeting with Henrik Carlsson, Fredrik Danielsson and Bo Svensson, HTU,

2005-09-28
Phone conference with Eric Retraint, vice president sales and channels
Delmia Automation, 2005-05-09
Screenshot from an example file made by Delmia, Machine14.
73
74
Appendix A
Software requirements specification
Program: DA=Delmia Automation
RST=RSTestStand + RSLogix
WM=WinMod
TC=taraVRcontrol
Requirements: R=Required
O=Optional
D=Desired
Table A.1: The requirements used for assessment of the four software
products in the second part of the assessment.
Requirement DA RST WM TC
• The software can import geometry, in X X X X R
Pro/E or neutral format like VRML
o The software can import - X O
kinematics from Pro/E
o Can make changes of dimensions P* P* O
of the geometry
• The software can handle control X X X X R
signals from PLC
o Use OPC for communication X X - X O
o Can handle external control signals X X X X O
Use OPC for external control X X - X D
signals
Use Profibus for external control X D
signals
Emulated PLC in the software X X X D
Import existing PLC-code X - D
Export of PLC-code to existing X X - D
environment
Make changes in the PLC-code X X - D
Connect to external HMI X X X D
75
Requirement DA RST WM TC
• Visual display of the model during X X X X R
the simulation
• Automatic synchronization of X X R
emulated real-time between the PLC
and the virtual machine
• A review of the simulation should be - - R
in real-time
The simulation should be in real- X X D
time
• Internal logics can be defined X X R
o Standard libraries for internal X X O
logics can be defined
o Internal logics are defined in IEC X - O
61131-3 or in C
Possibility to resize standard X D
libraries
• The software and documentation are X X X R
available in an English version
• The software will run on a PC with X X X X R
MS Windows
o The PLC-code support X X - O
IEC 61131-3
o Collision analyze X X X O
Set sensors for collision analyze X X X D
only at critical places
o Plot of time-space results for one - X O
signal
Plot of time-space results for - X D
many signals
o Plot of time-sequence results for - X O
one signal
Plot of time-sequence results for - X D
many signals
o Easy handle of sensors, i.e. X X X O
graphical configuration
76
Table A.2: Summary of how many requirements in the software requirements
specification the four different software fulfill.
Summary:
Software ΣR ΣO ΣD Σ total
(max 8) (max 11) (max 12) (max 31)
Delmia Automation 7 7 7 21
RSTestStand + RSLogix 5 3 6 14
WinMod 7 7 8 22
TaraVRcontrol 4 4 2 10
* It is partly fulfilled and means it is possible to change the dimensions of

the model in the simulation software, dependent to what CAD-software
that is used.
X means that the requirement is fulfilled.
- means that the requirement is not fulfilled
An empty box means the answer was not found
Some of the vendors say their product will fulfill some of the requirements
in the future. In this case it has been marked as the requirement not is
fulfilled in the table because they do not have the function today.
77
78
Appendix B
List of signals
Here follows a list of signals that are used as interface between the
equipment and the virtual PLC.
Three types of signals have been used, Boolean can only take the value of
true or false, integer can be any integer between –2147483648 to
2147483647, pure is a signal that gives a pulse when it is emitted.
Table B.1: List of signals used in the simulation.
Machine
Input
Name Type Value Comment
false Move package to origin
MovePackage Boolean true Move package to position for
heating
false Move heater to origin
MoveHeater Boolean
true Move heater to position for heating
EmergencyStop Boolean true No operation is possible at all
Heating Boolean true Set the heater to “On”
Homing Pure Starting the homing of the machine
Output
PackageEnd Pure Acknowledge signal for movement
of the package is finished
HeaterEnd Pure Acknowledge signal for movement
of the heater is finished
Sensor
Output
SensorDetection Boolean true A package is in position for
heating
79
HMI
Input
Busy Boolean true Light the “Busy”-light
InPosition Boolean true Light the “Package in position”-
light
Output
Start Pure Signal for start continuous
operation
false Continuous operation is possible
Stop Boolean true Continuous operation is not
possible
Signal for start operation of one
Cycle Pure
cycle
Signal for move one step forward
NextStep Pure
in the program
1 Set mode into “Continuous”
Mode Integer 2 Set mode into ”Cycle”
3 Set mode into ”Step by step”
EmergencyStop Boolean true No operation is possible at all
80
Appendix C
Code for the virtual machine
In this section the internal logic of the mechanical model and the HMI are
displayed, and also the control logic of the virtual PLC. The internal logic
is the behavior of the different parts and the control logic describes how the
virtual PLC will react on different input signals and what it outputs.
To clarify where in the structure the different code is, a figure of the code
structure is placed above every block of code.
Internal logic of the mechanical model

The internal logic of the mechanical model is divided in one root block and
five macros, at three levels.
Root
This is the root of the internal logic for the mechanical model, an overview
is showed in Figure C.1 and the code in Figure C.2. This will start up the
other activities.
ROOT
MainAndEmergencyStop
Main Homing
MovePackage MoveHeater
Figure C.1: Overview of the code structure for the machine.
Figure C.2: The code for the root.
81
Macro: MainAndEmergencyStop
The MainAndEmergencyStop macro is the next layer under Root, see
Figure C.3, and takes care of the signals EmergencyStop and Homing, see
Figure C.4. If the EmergencyStop becomes true it will stop any active
movement of the machine. The macro Homing will be activated when the
signal Homing is emitted.
ROOT
Main Homing
Figure C.4: The code for the macro MainAndEmergencyStop.
82
Macro: Homing
At layer three the Homing will be found, see Figure C.5. Because of some
limits in the possibilities to control a movement a real homing could not be
done. Therefore a simulated homing has been written, see Figure C.6, to
imitate the real process.
ROOT
Main Homing
Figure C.6: The code for the Homing macro.
83
Macro: Main
The Main macro will start one of the macros MovePackage or MoveHeater
depending of which of the signals are emitted, see Figure C.8. See Figure
C.7 for the overview of the layers.
ROOT
Main Homing
Figure C.8: The code for the Main macro.
Macro: MovePackage
The MovePackage macro is at the lowest layer, see Figure C.9. This macro
will move the package holder to its origin or to a position under the heater,
see Figure C.10.
ROOT
Main Homing
84
Figure C.10: The code for the MovePackage macro.
Macro: MoveHeater
The macro MoveHeater is at the same layer as MovePackage, see Figure
C.11. This macro will move the heater to the origin position or move it to
the lower position, see Figure C.12.
ROOT
Main Homing
85
Figure C.12: The code for the MoveHeater macro.
Internal logic of the HMI

The internal logic of the HMI is divided into one root block and three
macros, at two levels, see Figure C.13.
Root
The root will start up the main program and TestriggsHMI_TestPanel, see
Figure C.14. The TestriggsHMI_TestPanel is an auto-generated program
done by DA during the creation of the HMI. For example the program
emits signals when a button is pushed.
ROOT
Main TestriggsHMI_TestPanel
Mode Emergency
Figure C.13: Overview of the code structure for the HMI.
86
Figure C.14: The code for the root for the HMI.
Macro: Main
The Main macro is at the layer below the root, see Figure C.15. This macro
will activate the Mode macro immediately. If the emergency stop button is
pushed the Emergency macro will be activated, see Figure C.16.
ROOT
Mode Emergency
Macro: Mode
The Mode macro is at the lowest layer, see Figure C.17. There was no
possibility to have buttons that affect each other, therefore it was needed to
write this function. The mode macro lights and switches off the buttons
depending on which mode is activated. A signal is also set depending on
which mode is activated. This signal is an integer that is used by the PLC,
see Figure C.18 for the code.
87
ROOT
Mode Emergency
Figure C.18: The code for the macro Mode in the HMI.
Macro: Emergency
The Emergency is in the same layer as the Mode macro, see Figure C.19.
The Emergency macro will switch off all lights when the emergency stop
button is pushed, see Figure C.20.
ROOT
Mode Emergency
Figure C.20: The code for the Emergency macro.
88
Control logic of the virtual PLC
The internal logic of the virtual PLC is divided in one root block and three
macros, at two levels, see Figure C.21.
Root
The root is the basis for the control logic. It starts with emitting the homing
for the machine. When the homing is finished it will activate the macro
MainAndReset. This macro will be running until the PLC receives an
emergency stop signal, and then stops the machine and switches off the
lights at the HMI, see Figure C.22.
ROOT
MainAndReset
Main Reset
Figure C.21: Overview of the code structure for the PLC.
89
Figure C.22: The code for the root for the PLC.
Macro: MainAndReset
The MainAndReset layer has two macros below, see Figure C.23. The first
macro is the Main macro that will be activated until the mode is changed
and then activate the Reset macro. When the Reset macro is done the Main
macro will be reactivated, see Figure C.24.
ROOT
MainAndReset
Main Reset
Figure C.23: Overview of the code for the PLC.
90
Figure C.24: The code for the macro MainAndReset.
Macro: Main
This macro is where all control logic is placed. In Figure C.25 an overview
of the code structure can be seen. The Main macro has three alternative
branches, one for each mode, see Figure C.26. In each branch all steps will
be executed so a complete cycle is done and then start over again.
ROOT
MainAndReset
Main Reset
91
Macro: Reset
The reset macro will be run each time the mode is changed and is at the
lowest layer in the PLC, see Figure C.27. It first stops the machine and then
moves the heater back to the upper position and then moves the package
92
holder back to its origin, see Figure C.28. By moving the heater and the
package holder in this order there will be no chance to harm the package.
ROOT
MainAndReset
Main Reset
Figure C.28: The code for the Reset macro in the PLC.
93
94
Appendix D
Delmia Automation comments from Tetra Pak
Case# Date of Sent to Received Problem Description By Customer Module Corr. Reason / Correction Planned Version
discover Delmia answer solved Planned
1 2005-06-01 2005-06-01 2005-06-01 No There are no documentation included and no All We did not include the documentation in V5R15
help-files available in the software. our Standard Dassault Systèmes format in
R15.
2 2005-06-07 2005-06-09 2005-06-09 Yes Tools to create sensors are not visible. DB Incorrect installation, you must enter two V5R15SP1
environment variables manually.
DLM_ENABLE_SENSORS value:1 and
DLM_WSU_PRODUCT value:1 (enable
display of sensor tools and creating robot
tasks)
3.1 2005-06-07 2005-06-09 2005-06-10 Yes, Problems with importing STEP-files. All Problems with importing STEP-files is due V5R15SP1
2005-07-11 to our license and that the MULTICAx is
needed. See also case #40.
3.2 2005-06-07 2005-06-09 2005-06-10 No Problems with importing VRML-files. All Problems with importing VRML-files is a V5R15SP1
95
bug (confirmed by Lise Upjohn). But even

after correction of the bug assemblies in
VRML will not be supported.
4 2005-06-20 When TestScenario created, ports are not SDB V5R15SP1
added to Ports but are in Instances -> Ports.
Must be mapped manually to get the
TestScenario to work.
5 2005-06-20 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 No When Build block, the Options "-debug" is SDB, The debug option is used to add debug V5R15SP1
added each time so after three times Build, LCM information in the binary code. the "-
three "-debug" are added after each other. debug" option added at each build is a
bug. But there is no impact, the option is
taken into account only once.
6 2005-06-21 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 Yes Creating reports is not possible, this error PSA To be I have identified the bug. This bug occurs V5R15SP1
message is shown. <script xlink:href = corrected in when there is a space in the path of the
"C:\Program Files\Dassault R17 customized report (field "XSL
Systemes\B15\intel_a\startup\Reporting\Tool StyleSheet/VBA" field). The workaround is
Tip.js"></script> to move the "reporting" directory to have
------------------------------------------------------------ no sapce in the path. For the present
---------------------------------------^ moment, you have a space in the
directories "Program files" and "Dassault
Systems". The correction is forecasted for
the next release.
7 2005-06-21 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 No There are no PLCs in the list to download the CSS A 'PLC setup' program has to be installed V5R15SP1
logic to a real PLC. on your PC and the path of this program
has to be added to the installation path of
Delmia automation.
For the R15 version, the list of the 'PLC
setup' is the following one:
- OMRON
- SIEMENS
- SCHNEIDER
The ‘PLC setup’ translates the LCM
application to an application compatible
with a specific PLC. Schneider and Omron
developp their PLC setup. We developp
the Siemens PLC setup. So, the
installation depends of the PLC you use.
8 2005-06-23 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 Partly Pictures in HMI, both background and Create HMI In the menu "Tool" -> "Options", directory V5R15SP1
96
Picture must be in Temp-directory, otherwise "Logic Control Modelling", "HMI Control

an error message is displayed. When create Panel Design", you have to set the
own pictures to buttons, that not are in directory of the images. (nb: Be carrefull
…/resource/graphics you get the error when you export your project to another
message AUTHmiNoGoodDir. PC, the same directory has to be set)
9 2005-06-27 2005-06-29 2005-06-29 Yes All steps and actions are completely black SDB, Change printer options, Print V5R15SP1
when printing SFC-code, only conditions are LCM ->Options, uncheck "Print White Vectors
readable. as Black".
10 2005-06-27 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 Yes When a simulation is run all colors disappear, SDB, Change color to the right one and save the V5R15SP1
the model appears in gray and will not get its RTD, initial states, in Robot Task Definition
original colors back when the simulation is CSS choose Set Initial State.
done.
11 2005-06-29 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 No Own defined pictures of buttons with different HMI To be This bug should be corrected in the next V5R15SP1
size in Icon on and Icon off resizes the corrected in version (R17)
picture to smaller and smaller every time you R17
activate them. After a few pressure its not
possible to see the button. This problem
occurs when the Icon on is smaller than icon
off. Example Icon off
AUTHmiPushButtonOff.bmp and Icon on
3DExpertLogoP2NT.bmp.
12 2005-06-29 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 No In Time Table Editor for Mechanisms, DB I have forwarded this as bug to the V5R15SP1
decimal must be entered as a dot but is development team. Unfortunately, I have
showed as a comma. If you only change the no workaround to propose to you. The
integer part you get an error message. objective date for the correction of the bug
is the next release, so there is no solution
available before few months.
13 2005-06-29 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 No Mechanisms are dependent of in which order DB I have forwarded this as bug to the V5R15SP1
you click on Angle driven and Length driven. development team. Unfortunately, I have
We use cylindrical joint and if we change no workaround to propose to you. The
order to click on angle and length driven the objective date for the correction of the bug
joint began to rotate instead of translate. is the next release, so there is no solution
available before few months.
14 2005-06-29 2005-06-29 2005-06-29 Partly Motions with mechanisms do not follow the DB Time for a mechanism to move is defined V5R15SP1
times defined in the Time Table Editor. in Tasklists -> MoveHomeActivity, RMB ->
Properties, Specified Cycle Time.
97
15 2005-06-29 2005-07-04 2005-09-22 No When trying to check which home-position DB There is no definition for an activity, this is V5R15SP1
that is in a MoveHomeActivity in a TaskList, why you have an error message. Once a
via Definition, we get the message "This task is created, you are not able to find
action is not supported". which home position was initially
selected.The recommendation is to create
the task with the name of the home
position.
16 2005-05-09 2005-05-09, Partly Asked Eric Retraint at Delmia about All Received some User's Guide and Training V5R15
see documentation for DA. Also asked Lise Manuals. We also get some Powerpoint
comments for Upjohn at Delmia Automation Support for presentations.
more dates. documentation continuously. 25/5 Sensor function (DELMIA Automation
- Sensor1.ppt)
1/6 LCM Editor User's Guide
1/6 Smart Device Builder User's Guide
1/6 Controlled System Simulator User's
Guide
16/6 Controlled System Simulator Training
Manual (Complete_Simulation.ppt)
16/6 LCM Editor Training Manual
(LCM.ppt)
17/6 Smart Device Builder Training
Manual (Smart_Device.ppt)
23/6 Device Builder User's Guide
23/6 Robot Task Definition User's Guide
13/7 Resource Sensor (Sensors.ppt)
17 2005-06-08 2005-06-09 2005-06-13 Yes Problems to create mechanisms with DB First create Frames of Interest and then V5R15SP1
imported CAD-files from Pro/E. use Joint from Axis to create mechanisms.
98
18 2005-06-29 2005-06-29 2005-06-28 No Debugging HMI with No Fixed buttons and SDB, Forwarded to the development team at V5R15SP1
using Next Cycle is not possible. LCM Delmia by Lise Upjohn.
19 2005-06-29 2005-06-29 2005-06-29 Yes Parallel branches cannot be made in SFC. SDB, Use many actions in a block, i.e. macros. V5R15SP1
LCM According to Delmia this is a quite flexible
solution. With Join at the transition it will
wait until all actions at the previous step
are finished
20 2005-06-30 2005-09-19 2005-09-22 No Simulation with sensors only works first time. SDB To be The "Jump to start" command resets the V5R15SP1
After Pause and Jump to Start the sensor corrected in graphic and resets the SFC cod (that
signal is true even if the object not is on R17 means the code goes back to the first
position. step) but the port and signal values are not
reset, they keep their last value. I agree
with you , this behavior is not very
coherent. In the next release, it is planned
to reset all the ports and signals values.
The "Jump to start" will be in fact a
complete reset.
21 2005-06-30 When changing times in a MoveHomeActivity SDB, V5R15SP1
and then run the simulation, the simulation CSS
will stop after a while and will not continue.
After escape from the simulation and then go
in to the simulation again and run it, it will
work.
22 2005-07-01 In Device Task, Task Operations, it's not DB V5R15SP1
possible to redefine or delete operation.
23 2005-07-04 In an HMI, when grouping two groups of HMI V5R15SP1
object they move and is placed over each
other.
24 2005-07-04 You can only move a label in an HMI when HMI V5R15SP1
you are over a sign, you can not mark the
label only over the background of the label.
25 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 Partly You can only have one delay on a DB, SDB The delay for a mechanism is only V5R15SP1
mechanism in a tasklist. If there is a delay on considered the first time a tasklist is
the second mechanism it will not be running, and the delay starts from the
considered. Deleting the delay in the first beginning of the tasklist and not from when
mechanism lead to the delay in the second the mechanisms move-activity starts. Add
mechanism will be considered. a Delay in the tasklist instead of specify it
in the mechanisms properties.
26 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 No It's not possible to control the time of a LCM This functionality is not available for the V5R15SP1
motion for a mechanism in the SFC-code. present moment and is not planned for the
99
next release (R16) in September 2005.

27 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 No It's not possible to control the speed of a LCM This functionality is not available for the V5R15SP1
motion for a mechanism in the SFC-code. present moment and is not planned for the
next release (R16) in September 2005.
28 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 No A simulation cannot be made in full-screen. SDB It is not possible to have a full screen V5R15SP1
simulation.
29 2005-07-05 2005-07-12 2005-07-13 No Opening an HMI, choosing Edit Panels, close HMI They have tried do recreate the error at V5R15SP1
the window and then again choose Edit Panel the support but it did not appear at their
an error message will occur. Header: A check computers.
on data will be launched. Message:
Command interrupted. After that you cannot
change module, the message appear several
times after each other. After some times you
get a Runtime exception with the message
Click OK to terminate. There is only an OK-
button and clicking on that will close the
program. Sometimes it's possible to close the
document but when trying to open it it will
message that the document already is open,
even if there is none open documents.
30 2005-07-05 Moving several objects at the same time in HMI V5R15SP1
an HMI will move the objects in a different
way. Some moves very much and some just
a little bit.
31 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 2005-07-04 No It's not possible to change the color of a part SDB, This is not possible.
from the SFC-code. LCM
32 2005-07-06 2005-07-06 2005-07-07 No Moving an action with a macro to another SDB, To be This is a bug in the current version. It has V5R15SP1
step will cause the code in the macro to lay LCM corrected in been corrected for the R16 release.
over each other in a mishmash. R16.
33 2005-07-06 2005-07-06 2005-07-07 No Importing a product in another product will DB, SDB Correction This behavior is a bug in the R15 version, V5R15SP1
add an .1 to the items in a tasklist. This will forecasted to confirmed by Lise Upjohn 2005-07-07. The
cause that the code not will work. I. e out R16. current workaround is to change the
becomes out.1. taskNames to its original names or add a
.1 to the names in the SFC-code.
34 2005-07-07 The performance of DA will increase All V5R15SP1
considerably if two processes for Roxio Easy
CD creator will be closed. In Task Manager,
end the process Directcd.exe and
CreateCD50.exe.
100
35 2005-07-06 2005-07-06 2005-07-07 No Deleting a sensor will demand a restart of the DB To be There is a bug in in the refresh of the V5R15SP1
DA to let the sensor disappear at the model. corrected in screen after deleting a sensor, confirmed
R16. by Lise Upjohn 2005-07-07. The sensor is
however deleted, its not displayed in the
specification tree.
36 2005-07-06 2005-07-06 2005-07-07 No In the SFC-code it's not possible to switch SDB, This functionality is not available and is not V5R15SP1
between hiding and showing a part in the LCM forecasted for the next release.
model.
37 2005-07-06 2005-06-06 2005-07-07 No You can only create one testscenario. SDB There is only one Testing Scenario by V5R15SP1
Internal Logic level. A workaround is to got
two steps with a False transition between
and then create several macros with
different testscenarios. Drag the
testscenario you will test to the initial step
to be executed.
38 2005-07-08 2005-07-12 2005-07-13 No The autogenerated Program1 in a sensor SDB The user has to rewrite it, the default V5R15SP1
resource must be completed to work behavior is not very useful.
properly. Between the step
SensorLogicStep0 and the transition
'SensorLoopTrans' an action with the
condition Sensor.Initiate=false and a step
with the same action as to SensorLogicStep0
is inserted.
39 2005-07-08 2005-07-15 2005-08-01 No After mapping signals, at an expanded port, CSS, When you map signals of structured ports, V5R15SP1
between ports in CSS and shrink the port the SDB, all the signals are mapped element by
mapping disappear. Expansion of the port LCM element. If then you use shrink ports, this
again will not map the signals, it must be means that you break the mapping
redone. element by element. The mapping has to
be done at the top of the structure.
40 2005-07-11 2005-07-12 2005-07-12 Yes Still problem with importing STEP-files All New licenses New licenses were sent. Then it will work. V5R15SP2
though MultiCax and a license is installed. sent.
41 2005-07-12 2005-07-15 A port with the name EmergencyStop is LCM See case #42. V5R15SP2
mapped to a signal EmergencyStop.
Connection between them and a virtual PLC
will not work, but if the port's name is
changed to Estop it will work.
42 2005-07-13 2005-07-15 Two ports, under two different levels, cannot SDB, V5R15SP2
have the same name. No error message will LCM
101
be displayed but the simulation will not be

displayed. Ex Machine.EmergencyStop and
HMI.EmergencyStop.
43 2005-07-13 2005-07-15 2005-08-01 Yes Updating the .CATProduct-file with Control CSS The changes between the original control V5R15SP2
logic of a virtual PLC will not have an effect and the complete product are not taken
on the complete product (with model and into account because the logic between
HMI). The virtual PLC must be added again the reference and the instance are not
and all ports and signal must be mapped synchronized. Right-click on the module
together to get it working. Just to do an "Control Logic Workspace", select
update in the control logic. Another way to do "Propeties". To have the same logic
a update is to change the file with the between the reference and the instance,
complete product. But, in that case, the select "Same contain with reference", in
original file with the control logic will not be this case the changes done in the instance
affected. will be duplicated on the reference.
44 2005-07-14 Starting a Task Manager during a simulation CSS V5R15SP2
will let the graphic of the model to be
corrupted.
45 2005-07-11 2005-07-12 2005-07-13 No If the port Sensor_Program1_IL_Main (the CSS Will be This is a feature of the program. All the V5R15SP2
port out from the Luftrigg product) is deleted changed in simulation ports (MSE for the
the sensor stops work, all signals are left just R16. device/robot's tasks, Sensor_program1 for
the port is deleted. the sensors) have to be moved up to the
application's root in order to work with the
3D simulation. This feature will be
changed in the R16 version.
46 2005-07-11 2005-07-12 2005-07-13 No When a product with a working sensor is SDB The resource sensor has to be at the root V5R15SP2
imported into a new product, the sensor to work but for the present moment, I don't
signal doesn't work. It will always be false know why. I have forwarded your question
even if the beam is broken. to the development team.
47 2005-07-07 2005-07-12 2005-07-13 Partly It is possible to record a scenario in the SDB Debugger The scenario files allows you to record the V5R15SP2
debugger to .eso-files, but there are no tools works with Input/output of the simulation.You can
to analyze the created files. .eso-files in open it with "notepad". You will see that
R16. I/O are recorded at each cycle. However,
in the R15 version, the debugger does not
work with the 3D simulation so you have to
force the returned values of the MSE port
(MSE.END). For the R16 version, the
debugger will work with the 3D simulation,
102
so it will be possible to analyse the signals

and the movements of the mechanism
from the eso files.
48 2005-07-18 Problem using the debugger at the complete CSS V5R15SP2
model, only an action with a ? and "Nothing"
is displayed.
49 2005-07-19 Degugging a step with two macro and a joint- LCM V5R15SP2
transition after will show different behavior in
Run-mode or in Step-by-step mode. In Step-
by-step mode it will go up to the initial step
though the step not was connected.
50 2005-07-13 2005-07-15 2005-08-01 No Problems with updating a changed CAD- DB, SDB No There is no update from an external CAD- V5R15SP2
geometry from Pro/E. product. If you change the model, you
have to import it and build the mechanism
again.
51 2005-07-13 2005-07-15 2005-08-01 When running a simulation in CSS and CSS They cannot recreate it at DA support. V5R15SP2
switching between hide and show some
home-positions will be redefined. This does
not appear if the part is switched before the
simulation starts.

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Master Thesis CODEN:LUTEDX/(TEIE-5208)/1-114/(2005)

Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation

Joakim Davidson, Electrical Engineering

Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation

Interactive control of a virtual machine

Joakim Davidson and Tobias Sennö

Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation

Department of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation (IEA) LTH

Printed by Tryckeriet i E-huset

The project is done at Tetra Pak Research and Development in Lund,

The software selected is Delmia Automation and is delivered by Delmia.

The result of the project is that Delmia Automation can perform a

Because of a delay in the delivery of the simulation software and the

The recommendation to Tetra Pak is to do further works in this area,

Lund, October 2005

Joakim Davidson Tobias Sennö

2 CONTROLLING THE VIRTUAL SYSTEM ................................. 9

6 THE SIMULATION PROJECT ....................................................53

APPENDIX A SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION ... 75

APPENDIX B LIST OF SIGNALS....................................................... 79

APPENDIX C CODE FOR THE VIRTUAL MACHINE .................... 81

APPENDIX D DELMIA AUTOMATION COMMENTS

When a new machine is developed it is necessary to build up a real

By doing simulations it is possibly to fulfill these ideas. With simulation it

Tetra Pak wants to investigate the possibility to control a virtual machine

1.2 The task

Today Pro/Engineer from PTC is used as CAD-software at Tetra Pak R&D.

A model of a simple machine has been used to be simulated. Complex

This project is limited in time. As a master thesis it is planned to take

The economy and the price of the software were of subordinate

1.4 Target group

Today Tetra Laval is organized as in Figure 1.1.

TETRA LAVAL GROUP BOARD

TETRA LAVAL INTERNATIONAL

TETRA PAK DELAVAL SIDEL

Figure 1.1: Tetra Laval organization scheme2.

Tetra Laval International

The development result of a new package was launched in 1963, the

In 2000 Alfa Laval Agri changed name to DeLaval. DeLaval supplies

1.6 Overview of the project

A copy of the selected software, Delmia Automation, was received at the

1.7 Outline of the report

Next part is a market survey, found in Chapter 4.

In Appendix A the Software requirements specification for the assessment

2.1 The idea of control and machine

Discrete event and dynamical simulation

A discrete event simulation is for example simulation of queues in

A dynamical system is different from a discrete event system. In a

A dynamical system uses continuous time or discrete time-steps and the

The results of a simulation

Connection between traditional simulators and PLCs

In traditional design processes the machines are simulated in one system

Real PLC Virtual PLC

Real equipment Virtual equipment

Figure 2.1: The idea of mechatronic simulation.

2.2 Previous work

In a master thesis by Jan-Olof Sivtoft a communication core between

In one of these, a master thesis by Ola Hammarlund and Dan Persson a

A bachelor thesis by Annika Olofsson and Marie Lundqvist that connects