Mechatronic Objects in Production Engineering

In order to manage the market-driven challenges in the form of soaring product variants and decreasing model cycles successfully, new and innovative methods and IT solutions are required, especially in the field of production engineering. In this context, the development and seamless use of standardized mechatronic objects will play a decisive role in future engineering processes. In this contribution, three application fields based on mechatronic objects are presented: Functional engineering, virtual robot program development and virtual commissioning. Apart from the most important characteristics of these innovative solutions, the engineering workflows and links between these topics are illustrated both from a scientific- and user-oriented point of view taking the example of automated manufacturing systems in automotive industry.