Virtual commissioning is the practice of designing, testing and validating an automated system inside a dynamic digital twin before the real cell is built. In EDAS, this twin behaves like the future installation so that you can try many scenarios and process variants during engineering. Problems in logic, timing, safety or motion can be identified and solved in this virtual phase, which saves time and cost during installation and ramp up on the shop floor.
In EDAS the 3D window is the graphical interface to the digital twin and lets you interact with all graphical elements of the cell. You use the usual EDAS tools for design, modeling and programming while running in simulation instead of on hardware. The manual notes that all licenses include the full simulation toolbox, so you can design, model, plan, program, align and import or export data entirely in a virtual environment. Simulation behavior can also be defined per sensor, which leads to smoother and faster simulation runs.
In a real production line there are several controllers that must work together, such as a master PLC coordinating cell PLCs that in turn release robots and safety functions. EDAS seamlessly integrates into this architecture by communicating bi-directionally with the PLC, robots, and sensors, all while being synchronized with the digital twin. This setup enables testing of real-world scenarios, such as robot collisions or abnormal operating states, ensuring that all logic behaves correctly before the first cycle is run on real equipment.
EDAS supports connections to external simulators for different components of the automation cell. This includes widely used solutions such as KUKA Office Lite and Leica simulators, as well as simulation tools like Fe.Screen Sim. By mapping variables through standard protocols like OPC UA, EDAS can exchange data with these simulators as if they were real devices. This enables engineering teams to test and validate complete process chains virtually.
In practice, virtual commissioning is being applied mainly in large projects and by large OEMs that operate entire lines or build new factories. In these environments, the risk and cost associated with downtime, rework or on-site debugging is high enough that investing in digital twins, simulators and virtual commissioning teams pays off quickly. Smaller SMEs, on the other hand, often lack the personnel, budget or tooling to set up full virtual commissioning pipelines, so they may still rely more on direct on-site commissioning even though the underlying EDAS simulation capabilities are available to them.
One of the key goals of using virtual commissioning with EDAS is to standardise and pre-check automation flows so thoroughly that, once you reach the factory floor, you largely “just upload and start.” The same validated logic should be applicable across plants in different locations, so a process proven in one factory can be reused in others with minimal changes. EDAS is designed and tested for continuous inline use and can run 24/7 in production environments, so the behaviour validated virtually is meant to carry over into long-running real systems with high reliability.
Virtual commissioning with EDAS brings together automation logic, robot control, sensors, and metrology systems inside a cohesive digital twin. By integrating with trusted simulators like KUKA Office Lite, Fe.Screen Sim, and Leica, EDAS allows teams to validate entire processes virtually. EDAS is designed to operate with simulators as naturally as with real hardware, so logic, safety behavior and process flows are debugged where it is safest and cheapest to do so, in simulation, before the first real cycle ever runs.
