Hardware-in-the-loop simulation of machine tools and manufacturing systems

Simulation methods play an important role in the design loop of sophisticated machine tools. In this paper we present a different type of simulation strategy, a method that integrates control hardware within a simulation model of the machine tool. For motion control software developers, the benefits are twofold: a simulation test bed becomes available before the machine is available, while the quality of the software migration process can be improved using automated regression tests.