VIB-SHP^[1] brings together leading industrial companies, software vendors and research institutes to work on new methods and IT solutions for Smart Hybrid Prototyping and make a modular system available to SMEs. It forms the basis for an interactive 3D development environment in which the commissioning of production systems can be validated virtually before the cost-intensive construction and assembly phase starts. CONTACT Software is providing two crucial modules to achieve this goal. 

One of the modules is a new, cross-domain concept for product modeling with a sample implementation in CIM DATABASE PLM. The other module involves the development and validation of new PLM interfaces for incorporating MCAD and ECAD applications, VR technologies, a variety of simulation tools and ERP in the virtual validation process. CIM DATABASE PLM will be responsible for the core product data management tasks and manage the 3D geometry, the product structure information and the simulation models for the connected IT tools. The software is also used to map the digitally described plant components in a stand-ardized modular system. CONTACT's new visualization solution, 3D Spatial Connect, is also used in VIB-SHP alongside VR and CAD to allow direct access to the geometry in the PLM system.

"Virtual Reality is a medium that is ideally suited for coordination within interdis-ciplinary teams", says Dr. Patrick Müller, PLM Product Manager at CONTACT Software. "Everyone involved in the product engineering process benefits from the highly informative nature of the powerful visual representation." The use of VR also offers economic benefits such as the reduction in the number of changes that result from early digital testing of the product. Up to now, the high cost of technologies such as these has meant that they have been used almost exclusively in large corporations; but the research project on Smart Hybrid Prototyping (SHP) now makes them available to SMEs as well. 

The SHP modular toolbox will in future make it possible to take better account of aspects of a product that were previously difficult to represent during the early development phases, such as haptic and acoustic interaction. The behavior of the virtual plant components is represented using appropriate simulation models and can be experienced in real-time and in full size in the VR environment. Interfaces fitted with sensors and actuators permit users to interact with the virtual 3D model and test the functional interplay of the mechanical, electrical and software elements. 

In line with the principles of Industry 4.0, this results in a virtualized representation of the manufacturing systems, which serves as a reference for developing the mechatronic products. Planners, customers, designers and automation specialists can base their discussions on the VR model as they collaborate together. And those who will subsequently operate the machine can be far more involved in the development of manufacturing systems than was previously the case. 

"CONTACT's involvement in VIB-SHP means that the company is now engaged in three research projects for Industry 4.0 that provide excellent coverage of the industrialization process," says Müller. GEMINI addresses the development and implementation of new Industry 4.0 business models, mecPro² aims to achieve a model-based Systems Engineering process, and VIB-SHP focuses on virtual commissioning using new simulation methodologies. 

From the world of industry, VIB-SHP is supported by automation experts from Beckhoff Automation, EDAG Production Solutions, MEWES & Partner, Jonas & Redmann and PROMESS. MEWES & Partner are also contributing their plant simulation software to the project. The VR expertise is coming from Datenflug and nVIZ, while PSIpenta are the specialists for ERP. Scientific support is provided by the Berlin Technical University and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK), which is also leading the project. The project is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is supported by the project management agency of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and is due to run until October 2017. 

[1] VIB-SHP is a German acronym for Virtual commissioning with Smart Hybrid Prototyping – modular systems for virtualized validation of manufacturing systems