NX How to create virtual commissioning using NX MCD and ABB Robot Studio

How to build up digital twin by the software-in-the-loop solution of MCD and ABB Robot Studio with ABB socket

NX MCD + ABB Robot Studio by TCP IP

The following document introduces the structure, machine model generation and debugging of the software-in-the-loop solution of MCD and ABB Robot Studio with ABB socket.

The figure below shows an overview of the communication

1. It is assumed that the reader has knowledge of ABB Robot Studio and can operate Mechatronics Concept Designer.

2. ABB Robot Studio can be downloaded from ABB official website

The following figure shows the operating principle of the application example. MCD use TCP connection to ABB virtual robot and transmit axes data.

This application example was created with the following software components:

a)      Start menu → ABB Industrial IT folder→ click ABB Robot studio to open software

b)      Choose File → Share → click Unpack and Work.

c)       On the Unpack & Work dialog box, find Select the Pack & Go file to unpack, click Browse, select file “Socket_ABBServer.rspag”

d)      Click Next to unpack this project

e)       Wait until Controller Status trans to green. Now controller is started, and Socket Server is already running in background.

f)       Choose RAPID → Test and Debug group → Program Pointer drop down list → click Set Program Pointer to Main in all task. Now tis robot program sequence is initialized.

g)      In RAPID → Test and Debug group →click Start

h)      Now the robot program has run automatically.

a)      Start menu → Siemens NX folder →Click NX to start NX.

b)      Open user case original part, choose File in ribbon bar → click Open… → click Options

→ “Assembly Load Options” dialog change Option to Partially Load, click OK.

→ select part file “_ABB_Socket.prt”, click OK to open the part.

c)       Choose Home → Automation group → click External Signal Configuration

d)      Switch to "TCP", and click "

Import Connection" button, in file selection window select “TcpConnection.csv”

e)      In Connections group find Endian list, switch to Little Endian, press OK

f)        Press OK to close External Signal Configuration window.

g)       Choose Home → Automation group → click Signal Mapping. In pop-up dialog change Type to "TCP", and click Do Auto Mapping, press OK.

a)      Start MCD simulation by click Play, the robot in MCD start to move controlled by Robot Studio through TCP communication protocol.