Simulation tools ease and speed assembly cell development

Typical assembly cell development requires that the hardware be mostly functional before significant software development can begin. Utilizing a software simulation of the hardware allows concurrent development of the hardware and software and provides many benefits including reduced time to market. Traditional simulation tools, though, are geared towards prototyping and early application development, but for advanced applications are of little or no use during later stages of development and deployment. The Cimetrix CODE (Cimetrix Open Development Environment) system provides a unique solution that supports development of a single software application that can drive not only the simulation, but also the physical machine, without the use of a translator. CODE applications run on Windows NT and can take full advantage of the wide range of third party software and hardware available on that platform. This article will explore the use of simulation throughout the life cycle of an assembly cell, including project definition, development and maintenance, and discuss the benefits that simulation can provide.