Find every software bug
before the machine exists

Why go-live software bugs are so expensive

When a new production cell or automation system is installed, commissioning begins: engineers connect the control software and run the machine for the first time. In most projects, this is when reality diverges from design — and the bugs appear.

Software errors at this stage are costly in ways that simulation errors are not. Specialist engineers are on-site at day rates. The machine time is on the critical path. Every hour of debugging is an hour of delayed production start. In complex systems, commissioning overruns measured in weeks are routine — and entirely avoidable.

What virtual commissioning actually involves

Virtual commissioning is not a simulation of the control logic — it is the real control logic running against a simulated machine. The PLC program, HMI logic, and robot programs are exactly the same code that will run on the real system. The only difference is that the I/O signals are exchanged with a Visual Components 3D model instead of physical hardware.

This means every timing dependency, every sensor trigger, every emergency stop, every interlock condition can be tested — without the physical system being present. The simulation model replicates the mechanical behaviour of the machine with enough fidelity to expose all logic errors in the software.

What you get at the end

Deliverables: the validated Visual Components model, a test protocol documenting every scenario tested and its result, the verified PLC/robot program files, and optional offline programming outputs (robot teaching points generated from the simulation).

Traditional vs virtual commissioning

Stage	With virtual commissioning	Traditional approach
Bug discovery	In simulation — days before site	On site — engineers at day rate
Fix and retest cycle	Minutes in simulation	Hours or days on site
Edge case & fault testing	Systematic in simulation	Often skipped — too risky/costly
Physical commissioning duration	50–70% shorter	Full duration — software + mechanics
Risk to machine / product	Zero — all in simulation	Real risk of damage from software errors
Deliverable after project	Reusable 3D model + offline programs	No reusable artifact

Tools & technology

Our virtual commissioning work uses Visual Components — the industry standard for 3D simulation in manufacturing — which SimulateFirst is a certified partner and reseller of. Visual Components has native connectivity for OPC UA, TwinCAT ADS, Siemens PLC Sim Advanced, and supports hardware-in-the-loop via real PLC hardware connected to the simulation.

For robot offline programming, the simulation generates verified robot programs (RAPID, KRL, LS, URScript) that can be uploaded directly to the robot controller — eliminating manual teaching of robot positions on site.