Modern manufacturing systems are influenced by the growing complexity of mechatronics, control systems, IIoT, and communication technologies integrated into cyber-physical systems. These systems demand flexibility, modularity, and rapid project execution, making digital tools critical for their design. Virtual commissioning, based on digital twins, enables the testing and validation of control systems and designs in virtual environments, reducing risks and accelerating time-to-market. This research explores the development of digital twin models to bridge the gap between simulation and real-world validation. The models identify design flaws, validate the PLC control code, and ensure interoperability across software platforms. A case study involving a modular Festo manufacturing system modelled in Tecnomatix Process Simulate demonstrates the ability of digital twins to detect inefficiencies, such as collision risks, and to validate automation systems virtually. This study highlights the advantages of virtual commissioning for optimizing manufacturing systems. Communication testing showed compatibility across platforms but revealed limitations with certain data types due to software constraints. This research provides practical insights into creating robust digital twin models, improving the flexibility, efficiency, and quality of manufacturing system design. It also offers recommendations to address current challenges in interoperability and system performance.

A digital twin is an effective tool for the design, testing, and validation of control strategies for electro-pneumatic actuators in industrial automation. This study presents and compares three different digital twin models of a pneumatic cylinder with varying levels of physical fidelity—from basic discrete control, through analogue control without pneumatic dynamics, to a complex model simulating pressure, friction, and airflow. The experiments were conducted using the Siemens NX Mechatronics Concept Designer, integrated with the SIMIT emulation platform and a PLC control system via the standardized OPC UA protocol. The main objective was to evaluate simulation accuracy, model flexibility for testing various control strategies, and the ability of the digital twin to reflect changes in PLC algorithms. The results showed that while simple models are suitable for verifying basic logic, only advanced models can realistically replicate the dynamic behaviour of pneumatic systems, including delay phases and pressure influence. A comparison with the experimental study by Jiménez confirmed a strong correlation between the simulated and actual actuator behaviour. In future work, the developed control algorithm will be connected to a physical cylinder to further validate the models and refine control strategies under real-world conditions.

This paper focuses on virtual commissioning of a robotic manufacturing system, its theoretical background, and an analysis of its importance in the design of automated and robotic systems. Virtual commissioning allows the PLC control program to be tested and debugged on a created digital model of the machine, called a digital twin of the machine. Just this solution can simulate and optimize the automated system design itself without the need to have real hardware (PLC, automation elements, or the whole machine/equipment). Virtual commissioning offers an effective alternative to reduce the risks and effort of real commissioning of the machine. This makes it possible to reduce the time to market and increase flexibility, efficiency, and quality. Virtual commissioning in a single-control system is a simple solution; we can either use the Software-in-the-Loop method with emulated PLC control, simulated behavioural model, and co-simulation model or Hardware-in-the-Loop method with real controller. The problem appears when we have various types of controller, including an industrial robot controller. The paper deals with the theoretical background and partial outlines of solutions in the use of different types of the control system, if interconnections or emulators for different control systems are available. The recommended solution is to use a separate solution for the 3D simulation of the robotic system and an independent solution for the behavioural model, which will be tested in the future.

The aim of the contribution is to create an event-controlled simulation of an automated production system using selected simulation software according to analyses and creation PLC control program compatible with human-machine control interface (HMI) visualization. The programmer can test the control program without the need for additional hardware on a virtual model of the machine. This method is called as a Virtual Commissioning method. The question is whether these new digital technologies are beneficial in the development process of new machines. The theoretical part of the contribution deals with the evaluation of the current state of knowledge in the field of virtual commissioning systems from the perspective of the Industry 4.0 concept and the use of principles taken from the technology of digital twins for analysing the possibilities of productive support of simulation, programming and visualization of control. For the Virtual Commissioning of the Quality-handling station from a flexible production system. It was chosen Tecnomatix Process simulating software for the developing of the Digital Twin of the station that is suitable for the connection of the logical behaviour inputs and outputs of the Digital Twin to the PLCSIM emulator. The main goal is to create a functional PLC program, so that in the second phase the process of virtual commissioning can be tested by the Software-the-Loop method. The preparation of the simulation model consists in a sample of the control station model of the production system, the process of creating kinematic bonds, behaviour model, creating control signals in the Tecnomatix Process Simulate program. Programming procedure and acquaintance with control means in the Simatic Manager program, selection of communication interface and creation of control visualization. In the final work, validation is performed and evaluation supports the objectives and the results confirmed the benefits of the Virtual Commissioning tool.