Co-Simulation as realization of digital twins Exchange and coupling of (partial) models for virtual commissioning

Today, modeling and simulation are used in the development of products and the engineering of machines and plants. Due to the structure of the considered systems and the distributed work, often single simulation models are created, which have to be combined for many applications. Co-simulation represents a simulation-technical solution. With the increasing use of simulation in operation and service, there is an additional need for powerful co-simulation techniques to realize cooperative digital twins. This article gives an overview of existing implementations with the focus on virtual commissioning of the automation system.