Fanuc and ModuleWorks have collaborated on a photo-realistic and fully interactive simulation of a CHIRON machining center which they will present at the Fanuc stand (Hall 7, E02) at EMO 2021 (4-9 October, 2021 in Milano). Running on the ModuleWorks Visual Twin and connected directly to the Fanuc controller, the simulation enables Fanuc to demonstrate its latest control features on a virtual machine instead of a real machine.
The Visual Twin combines the ModuleWorks digital twin with high-end computer animation. It runs directly off the Fanuc controller just like a real machine, using the same parameters and an exact replica of the motion data produced by the machine’s servos to create a highly accurate and visually realistic simulation of the entire machine kinematics. Operators and engineers use the Fanuc HMI to set up and run jobs on the Visual Twin as if they were real jobs on a real machine which creates an authentic operating experience. This makes the Visual Twin a flexible and cost-saving alternative to setting up and shipping machines to exhibitions and live events. As Dr. Martin Stockinger, Product Manager CNC, at Fanuc explains:
“With the Visual Twin we can demonstrate all the new features of our controller on a machine tool without having to ship the actual machine. The whole set up is about the size of a fridge-freezer and weighs only a fraction of a real machine, which reduces our exhibition footprint and saves us a lot of costs. This is a big advantage, especially in the current uncertain climate, because we can stay flexible and quickly adapt our plans. We can also easily transport it to on-site customer meetings or quickly set up and run photo-realistic online demos from our own offices.”
The ModuleWorks Visual Twin also offers more flexibility for machine tool builders who can set up and run Visual Twins for any number of different machine tools from the Fanuc CNC or CNC GUIDE.
“It’s great to see how Fanuc are using the Visual Twin to support their business strategies. We look forward to an ongoing partnership and working together to add more functionality and further capabilities to the software.”
-Mark Foti, Head of Digital Factory at ModuleWorks
FANUC and ModuleWorks at EMO 2021.
Visitors to EMO 2021 can see a live demo of the Visual Twin running off a Fanuc controller with a virtual CHIRON machining center at the Fanuc stand (Hall 7, E02).
