Speeding up development time by a projected 30 to 40 percent and optimizing operations with the executable Digital Twin

Holding everything together

All electronics and semiconductors require glue to secure components in place. Getting the right amount of glue at the right temperature is crucial to an effective bond. Otherwise, components will fail, leading to higher production costs and faulty product returns.

RAMPF Production Systems GmbH & Co. KG (RAMPF), which is part of the RAMPF Group, develops the machinery that applies this glue to various applications across several industries. These machines require extensive time to set up and monitor to ensure correct operation. Thus, the company has invested in simulation and edge extension for the automation to speed up and improve this process.

“RAMPF helps make production more efficient, more autonomous and faster by providing customers with the best solutions on the market,” says Thomas Weber, director of research and development (R&D) at RAMPF.

His team used a combination of Siemens tools to automate the gluing machines. This included using Simcenter™ software for creating a mechatronic simulation model and an executable Digital Twin (xDT) of the machine, the Industrial Edge with the LiveTwin Edge app for running the xDT on the machine and SIMATIC® suite programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for applying automated changes. Simcenter, LiveTwin and SIMATIC are part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services.

Delivering crucial insights via simulation

RAMPF engineers worked closely with Novicos, a Siemens expert partner, to build a Simcenter Amesim™ software model that simulates hydraulics, the material flow in the pipes and the pump and valve behaviors of the machine.

“Simcenter Amesim has a library of components ready to use, such as pumps, valves and pipes, which made it quick and easy for us to build a model of the machine for RAMPF,” says Henning Lohmann, simulation expert at Novicos. “This helps lower production costs in early design phases because we can investigate certain parameters or variables much faster than using physical measurements and tests.”

Without this model, engineers did not have a clear insight into what is happening within the machine, everything was based on their experience, best guesses and estimations. The simulation allowed them to see during development which factors had the most influence on the gluing quality and needed to be focused on.

“We can now use the simulation model to accurately predict the required dispensing volume for the machine,” says Marcel Bok, software developer in R&D at RAMPF. “There are also many parameters that cannot be measured but can be simulated. Using the Simcenter model, we can predict these values and achieve better results.”

Leveraging the power of an executable Digital Twin

Improving the development process is just the first benefit of using simulation. When the machine was built, RAMPF packed the final model into Simcenter Executable Digital Twin and deployed it on the Industrial Edge application, LiveTwin. This runs in parallel in a closed loop and in real time with the machine in real-world operation, automatically feeding relevant data to the model such as temperature, pump rotation number, rotations per minute and valve position. The simulation model then feeds back information on certain values that are not measurable in the physical machine. For instance, since engineers could not previously measure the volume flow being dispensed, they had to use trial and error to get it right. Now they can simulate it accurately, and leveraging LiveTwin provides the data to automatically adjust the nozzle’s movement speed or other necessary variables to ensure the machine always dispenses exactly the right amount of glue.

A PLC performs the automation, which runs the application program of the machine builder. RAMPF used SIMATIC due to its seamless integration with their other tools in the end-to-end chain.

Due to the amount of data involved, there is not enough bandwidth to process everything in the cloud. Instead, LiveTwin runs on an Industrial Edge device to process the data at the factory level. RAMPF can also install the LiveTwin application as a virtual edge device on an existing server, allowing resources to be scaled up as and when they need them. RAMPF will be able to achieve higher machine availability and process quality due to automatic adjustments to application changeover and material batch characteristics. The company aims to save about 3 percent of operational time because of simulation-based maintenance compared to regular service intervals.

RAMPF used an existing machine for proof of concept, setting specific variables and measuring the amount of material the machine dispenses. Novicos then used the resulting data to fine-tune the Simcenter Amesim model and ensure it accurately replicated what happened in the physical machine.

Achieving faster setup and less waste

After calibrating, RAMPF can now use the solution to analyze each customer project, ensuring the machine dispenses glue efficiently, guaranteeing the required performance at the lowest cost. Previously, the machine had to be set up for each product, depending on factors such as size and shape, which used to be a time-consuming process. Now, this process can be achieved much quicker since the simulation model informs exactly how the glue will behave and its optimal configuration. This can reduce waste because the machine dispenses the correct amount of glue each time and no components must be thrown away due to incorrect application.

Overall, RAMPF predicts they will be able to speed up development time by around 30 to 40 percent and commissioning time by about 30 percent thanks to less calibration and test weighing.

“Partnering with Siemens and Novicos has been an ideal fit, as they deliver an end-to-end solution using Simcenter Amesim, Simcenter Executable Digital Twin, the Industrial Edge with LiveTwin and SIMATIC PLCs,” says Weber. “These Siemens products integrate seamlessly, eliminating the need to connect solutions from multiple providers, saving time and reducing complexity.

“We see major opportunities for the future in digitalization. Running simulations simultaneously with Simcenter Executable Digital Twin generates significant benefits for both our customers and us as a machine manufacturer and automation specialist. This has the potential to be used across a wide range of industries and use cases, especially where precise material dispensing and measurement are required.”