A digital twin for machine building is a 1:1 virtual model of a machine or line, built from your CAD data, that behaves like the real thing when your PLC program drives it. Machine builders use it to test control logic before the machine exists, to rehearse commissioning, and later to monitor and plan around the installed machine. This brief covers the digital twin product from iUNI, the Wartens group's digital twin company: what it contains, how a build runs, what you receive and what it does not do.
We are writing for German machine builders, where the twin has to earn its place in a tight project budget. The case for it rests on one point: errors found in a model are cheaper than errors found on a customer's floor. At Norwegian machine builder Tronrud, a digital twin allowed design, mechanics and programming to run in parallel, cutting the design phase by 10% and commissioning time by 25% (ISA InTech).
What the iUNI digital twin includes
iUNI builds VR-ready digital twins of factories, plants, warehouses and facilities from CAD data, connected to live sensor data, for planning, monitoring and virtual commissioning (iUNI). The listed features are:
- 1:1 scale digital replicas built from CAD data
- Real-time IoT data integration and visualisation
- Predictive maintenance and anomaly detection
- What-if scenario simulation
- A web-based 3D viewer that needs no software installation
- Integration with SCADA, PLC and ERP systems
What makes it relevant to a machine builder is the Wartens angle behind it. Wartens are automation engineers first, so the twin runs the same control logic the machine will run, and virtual commissioning tests the real PLC program against the model before anyone travels to site.
Who it is for
| You are | Typical first use | What you gain |
|---|---|---|
| Special-purpose machine builder | Virtual commissioning of a new machine type | Logic debugged before the FAT |
| Series machine builder | Reusable twin of a standard machine with variants | Faster testing of each customer option |
| Line integrator | Twin of the whole line including conveyors and buffers | Throughput and interlock tests across machines |
| Plant with retrofit plans | Twin of the existing line before a control upgrade | Migrated code tested before the shutdown |
How a build runs, step by step
- Scope. One sentence of purpose, the machines in scope, and what the twin must answer. Commissioning, monitoring or both.
- Data intake. CAD models, electrical drawings, the I/O list, and the PLC program or its specification.
- Model build. Geometry at 1:1 scale, then behaviour: conveyors, actuators, sensors, part flow, timing.
- Signal mapping. Every PLC input and output is connected to the model, so the program sees a machine rather than a list of forced bits.
- Test. The PLC program runs against the twin. Sequences, interlocks, faults and recovery are exercised and logged.
- Handover. The platform, viewer and dashboards are delivered, and the twin can be connected to live data once the machine runs.
A typical twin project takes 12 to 24 weeks (iUNI). A single machine type with a clear test scope sits at the short end; a full line with live data integration at the long end. Prices are published as ranges on iUNI's pricing page; we would rather quote against your scope than guess here.
GROB and Siemens: A continuous Digital Twin from engineering to operations
Siemens Knowledge Hub
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Watch on YouTubeWhat you receive
- A digital twin platform with a web-based 3D viewer
- An IoT integration layer for live machine data
- An analytics and reporting dashboard
- A VR/AR visualisation module
- Test records from the virtual commissioning runs, when commissioning is in scope
What it does not do
- It does not replace the FAT or SAT. It moves logic debugging earlier so those tests confirm rather than discover.
- It does not validate safety functions. Safety validation under EN ISO 13849 remains a separate, documented activity.
- It cannot model what nobody specified. A twin built from incomplete CAD or a missing I/O list inherits the gaps.
- It does not make design decisions for you. What-if simulation shows consequences; engineers choose.
Questions to settle before you order a twin
- Which decision or test will the twin support first? Commissioning, throughput, layout or monitoring each need a different level of detail.
- Is the CAD current, and who owns updates when the design changes during the build?
- Which PLC platform and version will drive the twin, and can the program run on a virtual controller?
- Which signals matter? An I/O list with addresses and descriptions saves weeks of guessing.
- Will the twin connect to the real machine later, and if so through which interface, such as OPC UA from the controller?
- Who in your team will use the twin after handover, and for what?
Clear answers keep the build at the short end of the timeline. Vague ones turn a twin into an open-ended visualisation project.
How it fits a real project
Take a builder of pouch packaging machines with a new variant due for FAT in five months. Mechanical design is 70% complete, the PLC program is being written in TIA Portal. The twin is built from the current CAD in parallel with programming. From week ten the programmers test sequences against it daily. When the FAT arrives, the customer sees a machine whose logic has already run thousands of virtual cycles. The same twin later serves as a reference for remote support and for the next variant.
If you need a structure for the twin's data, the ISO 23247 framework and the Asset Administration Shell give you a vocabulary customers recognise. For a deeper look at the commissioning part, read what virtual commissioning is and how it works.
Next step
In Germany, Wartens offers digital twins and virtual commissioning for machine builders and plants. See our digital twin and virtual commissioning service, or send us the CAD and I/O list of one machine and we will propose a scope and timeline. Contact us.
