BimScaler Blog – A digital twin in manufacturing industry refers to a virtual copy of a physical product, process, or system that mirrors the real-time dynamics and characteristics of the original.
This technology is set to make a big impact on efficiency, quality and innovation.
In practice, you can test a new manufacturing process in a virtual environment before implementing it in the real world. Sounds pretty cost-effective, right?
Benefits of Digital Twin in Manufacturing
The whitepaper, “Digital Twins for Industrial Applications,” written by experts at the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), says digital twins provide a single entry point to access lifecycle information, which can help with advanced analytics and AI applications that can enhance the decision-making process.
Consequently, the digital twins can help manufacturers identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies by enabling real-time monitoring and simulation of production processes.
The paper “Digital Twin in Manufacturing: A Categorical Literature Review and Classification” by Werner Kritzinger et al., also points out how digital twins help automate the configuration of production setups using virtual product specs, which makes production more efficient.
On top of that, digital twins are great for predictive maintenance. By keeping an eye on the equipment and using predictive analytics, they can spot potential failures before they happen, reducing downtime and making machinery last longer.
Another great thing about digital twins is that they help to make sure products are of a high quality.
This is because they allow for a lot of testing and validation to be done in a virtual environment, so that products meet the right standards before they are made.
This also helps to reduce defects, as you can read in the IIC whitepaper, which explains how digital twins develop high-fidelity virtual sensors for accurate measurements and quality control.
Also, digital twins help speed up the design and manufacturing process.
By simulating different production scenarios and making it easier to create prototypes, they help companies get their products to market more quickly.
The paper by Igiri Onaji et al., “Digital twin in manufacturing: conceptual framework and case studies,” shows how digital twins help companies to make changes more quickly and plan production more efficiently.
And finally, digital twins help companies save a lot of money. They cut down on the need for physical prototypes and reduce the number of production errors, which means lower operational costs.
Applications of Digital Twin in Manufacturing
Product Lifecycle Management
Digital twins are really useful for product lifecycle management (PLM), giving you a complete picture of how a product performs from start to finish.
Kritzinger et al. say the digital twin makes it easy to bring product data together from start to finish, which helps people make better decisions and work more efficiently.
For example, in the design phase, you can test virtual models in different situations to see how they’ll perform and spot any problems early on.
This means you don’t need to make as many physical prototypes, and you can get the whole development process moving faster.
What’s more, as products start production, digital twins let you monitor and control the manufacturing process in real time, making sure it sticks to the design specs.
The after-sales phase also gets a boost from digital twins, with better maintenance and service strategies.
By keeping an eye on how products are performing in the field, manufacturers can work out when they need to carry out maintenance and plan service schedules.
Smart Manufacturing
Digital twins are a key part of creating highly automated and connected production environments.
Digital twins let you integrate IoT sensors, data analytics and AI to monitor and control production processes with incredible precision.
This integration makes it easy to tweak production parameters on the fly, which leads to big improvements in efficiency and less waste.
Digital twins also help make adaptive manufacturing systems that can change and adapt to changes in demand or production conditions.
By running through different scenarios, manufacturers can make sure they’re making the most of their resources and getting the most out of their production schedules.
In the end, they can be as productive as possible with as little downtime as they can get away with.
This is especially useful in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments, where flexibility and responsiveness are key.
If you want to know how digital twins work in construction, take a look at “Building Smarter, Not Harder: Reinventing the Digital Twins in Construction.”
Predictive Maintenance
By making digital copies of machinery and keeping an eye on how they’re performing, manufacturers can work out when maintenance is needed, so they can avoid any unexpected breakdowns and make sure the equipment lasts longer.
This approach not only means less downtime but also lower maintenance costs and better overall operational efficiency.
Digital twins can do this by looking at data from sensors in the machinery.
The sensors track things like vibration, temperature, and pressure, which are then analysed using advanced analytics to spot patterns that could indicate a problem.
This proactive approach lets maintenance teams deal with issues before they get out of hand, so that machinery keeps working at its best.
Steps to Implement a Digital Twin
The first thing to do is to set clear objectives. These objectives should be in line with the wider strategic goals of the manufacturing process, such as improving efficiency, reducing downtime, or enhancing product quality.
Next, it’s vital to collect data. This means getting all the data you can from the physical assets, including operational, environmental, and historical performance data.
Onaji et al. say you need to get accurate, real-time data to build a reliable digital twin model.
Once you’ve got all the data together, you can start building the digital model. The model should be able to accurately represent the physical asset and interact with real-time data.
The IIC white paper shows that we need high-fidelity simulations and to combine physics-based and data-driven models to make sure the digital twin works well.
The next step is to link the digital twin with IoT sensors and data analytics platforms.
Integrating the digital twin with IoT sensors and data analytics platforms means you can collect and analyse data in real time, giving you insights into how the asset is performing.
The framework discussed by Lu et al. in “Digital twin-driven smart manufacturing: Connotation, reference model, applications and research issues” shows how using advanced analytics and AI can help make better decisions.
And finally, it’s always worth trying to make things better. Updates and changes based on new data and insights keep the digital twin up to date and make it more effective. This process helps us to identify and implement process improvements.
For a good overview of how digital twins work in engineering, please refer to “Digital Twins in Engineering: The Engineer Cheat Code You’re Waiting For
Already Overwhelmed by the Complexities of Digital Twins in Manufacturing?
It’s no secret that lots of organisations have to deal with some pretty big challenges, like data integration, system compatibility and high initial costs.
What’s more, when you look a bit deeper, you’ll see that the upfront investment required for digital twin technology can also be substantial, which makes it a scary prospect for many organisations.
So, at BIM Scaler, we offer customised solutions for managing digital twins and Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital twins projects.
Our CAD/BIM management expertise ensures that all design and manufacturing data is accurately captured and used, keeping digital twin models accurate and up to date.
If you’d like to know more about how BIM Scaler can help with your digital twins needs, kindly visit and read our CAD/BIM management services.
You’re also welcome to book a lunch meeting with us if you like. We’re here for you 24/7 if you need to discuss your specific needs.
In Closing
The digital twin technology helps manufacturers to work more efficiently, predict when maintenance is needed, and make products of a higher quality.
While there are some challenges, there are also ways to make the transition to digital twins in manufacturing industry easier and more rewarding. One way is to use solutions like those provided by BIM Scaler.
