Plan Your Automation Journey Through Virtual Commissioning

Shashi Kumar | 5 March 2025

The integration of emulation software and PLC (programmable logic controller) represents a ground-breaking advancement in industrial automation. By leveraging emulation software, we can construct a virtual model of physical systems, allowing for real-time testing and validation. When synchronized with PLCs, the digital twin accurately replicates the behaviour of the physical system, offering valuable insights into performance, troubleshooting and optimization.

Emulation empowers you to streamline development and reduce costs by enabling virtual testing and refinement of automated systems at an early stage, significantly accelerating your time to market.

Virtual Commissioning

Virtual commissioning is the process of creating a virtual replica of a physical system, allowing engineers to simulate its real-world operation. This enables teams to test, optimize, and refine systems in a controlled virtual environment before any physical equipment is deployed.

How Does Virtual Commissioning Work?

A digital replica of a physical system, allowing for the simulation and testing of automation systems before they are physically built.

Here’s how the process generally works:

• Modelling the System – The first step is to create a virtual model of the system processes, which requires a library of components. This model should include all components such as conveyors, machines, sensors, actuators, as well as their connections and interactions.
• Integrating Control Systems – The virtual model is then integrated with the actual control system, such as a PLC. This allows the virtual system to interact with the same software and control logic that will be used in the real system.
• Emulating the Operation – With the virtual system and control logic in place, the system is tested in an emulation environment. This helps identify any issues, errors, or inefficiencies in the design and control logic.
• Optimizing Performance – Using the insights from the emulation, engineers can make adjustments to the design, control parameters, and operational flow to optimize performance, troubleshoot code and enhance system reliability.
• Validation and Verification – Once the system behaves as expected in the virtual environment, it can be validated and verified. This step ensures that all functions, from safety checks to machine cycles, work seamlessly.
• Deployment – After successful virtual commissioning, the system is physically implemented, and the control logic can be transferred to the actual system, minimizing the chances of issues during physical deployment and ensuring faster, smoother start-ups.

This presents several key benefits:

1. Improved Accuracy – Minimize errors during testing by using a digital environment to verify control logic and system behaviour before physical implementation.
2. Seamless Integration – Testing with emulation software ensures a smooth transition between virtual and physical environments, facilitating the synchronization of control systems and automation components.
3. Enhanced Efficiency – Improve overall system performance by optimizing processes, reducing waste.
4. Save Time and Money – By leveraging virtual commissioning, you can conduct early testing and troubleshooting, solving issues digitally before physical implementation, thereby reducing costly errors and minimizing project delays.
5. Increased Safety: Virtual environments enable safe testing and validation without the risk of damaging physical equipment.

Efficiency and Precision are Key

In industrial automation, efficiency and precision are key to staying competitive. Bastian Solutions' virtual commissioning services help clients optimize their systems in a cost-effective and timely way. By detecting issues early, ensuring smooth integration, and improving system performance before physical setup, this approach reduces risks and costs while speeding up time to market.

Connect with a Bastian Solutions expert today to discuss your project and discover how we can help you navigate the next step in your automation journey. 

ProMat: Take the Next Step in Your Automation Journey

Whether you’re taking your first steps into automation or optimizing a fully integrated system, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Join us March 17-20 at ProMat 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. 

See how we guide customers to automation success and meet with our experts to discuss solutions designed to tackle challenges of all sizes. 

Author: Shashi Kumar