In the future, AUDI AG will operate production lines with server-based controls. The numerous advantages of control virtualization with CODESYS should be used – for functional and safe controls.
Audi is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium and luxury segment. The Edge Cloud 4 Production project was launched to optimize production and the processes required for it for the benefit of automotive customers. One of the most important steps towards this goal: the virtualization of control technology.
For CODESYS, independence from the control hardware has always been a central focus. With this knowledge, Audi selected the Kempten automation company as a partner for PLC virtualization. And so project teams from Audi and CODESYS worked their way from feasibility studies and initial practical demos to prototypes and ultimately to production cells that produced real body parts in the pilot stage.
An important milestone on the way to partnership is the implementation of the Volkswagen Audi Seat Skoda Standard (VASS) for the project planning of control applications. The realization of this standard with CODESYS is currently being implemented. This means that CODESYS can be selected as a supplier to the Volkswagen Group for future vehicle projects.
“If Audi uses CODESYS in production, this would be the first use of our product by a major automobile manufacturer. This allows us to prove that hardware-independent automation also works on a large scale,” says Dieter Hess, founder and managing director of the CODESYS Group.
“CODESYS is an important technology partner for us. “Thanks to the partnership-based collaboration and good chemistry, we were able to make great project progress in a short period of time,” confirms Dr. Markus Wunsch, Head of Technology Development Production/Logistics at AUDI AG. “After successful piloting, we are planning the first production line based on virtual control in the next few years.”