“Struggling to Build a Real-Time Digital Twin of ABB IRC5 in Visual Components via OPC UA”

Hi everyone,

I am currently working on a Digital Twin project using an ABB IRC5 controller and Visual Components Premium 4.8.

My goal is to synchronize real robot data (I/O and variables) with the simulation via OPC UA.

Current setup:

  • Controller: ABB IRC5

  • OPC UA Server: Enabled (Port 4840)

  • Visual Components: Version 4.8 Premium

  • Connection: Successful

Issue:
I can connect to the OPC UA server, but I am having trouble accessing or mapping variables correctly in Visual Components. The data is either not visible or not updating as expected.

Questions:

  • What is the best practice for exposing RAPID variables or signals for OPC UA?

  • How can I properly map OPC UA nodes to the robot or simulation properties in Visual Components?

  • Is OPC UA suitable for real-time synchronization, or should I combine it with another method?

Any advice or examples would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!