ABB and Typhoon HIL Create DriveLab ACS880: The Next Generation of HIL-compatible Digital Twin

ABB has partnered with Typhoon HIL to create the DriveLab ACS880 HIL-compatible digital twin. This collaboration between leading industry players will empower a wide range of industrial customers with a realistic, scalable, and easy to use real-time simulation platform.

DriveLab ACS880 is the next generation of Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation technology. It is specifically tailored and geared towards simplifying the integration of ABB variable speed drives (VSD) systems. It will enable customers to quickly test and validate the system via a test automation capability which is a key component of top-tier customer support.

HIL simulation is used to validate both component and system-level behavior of the drives and drive systems in real-world applications ranging from compressors, conveyers, and cranes to large scale energy storage, microgrids and more. The DriveLab ACS880 serves as a digital twin, integrating the control hardware, firmware, and software of the ACS880 drives with Typhoon HIL’s high-fidelity digital models. These digital models virtually represent the ACS880 drive’s hardware, including its connected components, such as the grid, motors, filters, batteries, protection devices, and the electro-mechanical elements.

“Collaboration with partners such as Typhoon HIL is delivering innovation that directly benefits customers across different industries,” said Chris Poynter, president of ABB System Drives. “The HIL solution allows us to work with our customers to help them shorten their testing and validation cycle with improved speed, efficiency and quality of the process.”

“Typhoon HIL and ABB share common values on business excellence, and we are deeply aligned on technology. This positions us perfectly as a trusted partner that can be successful on both of these fronts” added Nikola Celanovic, Co-Founder & CEO, Typhoon HIL. "By making interoperability so much easier through our HIL Compatible solutions, we’re helping our and ABB’s customers to thrive in today’s changing energy landscape.”

Chris Poynter continued, “We can test set-ups more rapidly, more reliably with HIL solutions so it’s a great opportunity to add this component to the eco-system.”

ABB and Typhoon HIL will be showcasing DriveLab ACS880 HIL Compatible at the Smart Production Solutions trade show in Hall 4 from 12-14 November in Nuremberg, Germany.