4 steps to greater efficiency in machine development

The planning phase begins with checking the availability of software modules and selecting them according to the devices in the machine. These modules can be integrated directly into the electrical design using drag & drop and imported into the engineering project. An object contains macros for the electronic design, the PLC code for the hardware connection and offers all the necessary functions for programming the step chains. A complete object is available for each controllable device in the machine, regardless of the manufacturer. The connection to manufacturer-specific hardware is made via a provided interface.

Once all objects and interfaces have been selected, many other functions can be configured. These include, for example, the selection of ready-made operating modes, the addition of add-ons such as the diagnostics tool and the automatic import of the E-plan, which provides the entire bus structure including the symbols. Finally, the configuration is exported to the PLC. Code and folder structures are automatically generated in the PLC, which are structured according to defined and standardized norms. This provides maintenance personnel and programmers with a clear overview of the code and reduces training time. At this stage, not a single line of code has been written. Nevertheless, it is already possible to move and test every device in the machine in manual mode.

A significant programming effort often lies in programming the step chains for the automatic sequence. However, even here, all necessary objects can be dragged and dropped into the project and incorporated directly into sequence chains (SFC).

The HMI contains standardized areas such as the control of automatic operation, the selection of operating modes, the display of error messages as well as various views and the login system. Bosch Connected Industry also offers a selection of add-ons and assistance systems that can be integrated. With Virtual Assist, an assistance system for fault detection, the faulty device is displayed directly in the 3D model of the machine. The operating personnel receive clear instructions on how to rectify the problem. Another useful tool is Cycle Time Assist, which can be used to monitor the cycle times of the system. The assistance system precisely records the cycle times of all individual steps, from mechanical movements to communication times, and visualizes this data in real time. This enables production managers to quickly identify cycle time deviations and initiate countermeasures at an early stage to ensure production efficiency. This data can also be exported as an XML file for further processing.