Development and Testing of a Semi-physical Simulation System for a Pipe End Forming Machine

To address the challenges of personalised customisation and rapid delivery in pipe fitting production-such as time constraints and complexities in programming and debugging pipe end forming machines-this study proposes a semi-physical simulation system.The system integrates a programmable logic controller (PLC) as the upper control unit with a virtual 3D model of the pipe end forming machine as the lower control unit, enabling data exchange through an intermediate serial port.The test results demonstrate that the system can simulate pipe machining with a response latency of approximately 14 ms and data transmission rates ranging from 88.75% to 95.63%.This approach provides a cost-effective, safe, and reliable platform for program testing and debugging in the pipe manufacturing industry while also offering valuable insights for simulating other complex mechanical systems.