More product variety, higher quality and lower production costs: digital twins are revolutionizing our industry. There are many different definitions of what a digital twin stands for – depending on which company takes a closer look at the digital twin, the views are sometimes contradictory. And yet it’s quite simple: by definition, a twin means two things. When applied to the industry, it means that something exists in duplicate – once real and once virtual. Only the level of detail of the twins in question is different.
The digital process twin
If you look at a production facility consisting of several interlinked systems, a process image of a plant can be created and analyzed with the help of machine and process data. The aim is to exchange status data between the real and digital twin at any time during operation, which is permanently recorded by sensors. This enables companies to keep a constant eye on their production, digitally “fast-forward” subsequent process steps and make initial estimates of material wear and machine downtime. When viewing the process of digital production, the observer takes a bird’s eye view and uses defined process parameters to constantly compare their production with the real counterpart. It can therefore determine buffer times, stock levels and machine utilization in real time. What it cannot do is map the real system behavior at machine level. Distributed sensor points are not enough to map this.
The digital (plant) twin
The basis of the digital twin at machine level is a simulation model to which all properties and functions of the planned product are assigned – from the material and sensors to the movement and dynamics of the real machine, including robotics. This means, for example, that malfunctions can be detected in good time and rectified before production starts – eliminating the need to develop a costly prototype.
Ideally, when each machine is delivered, the operator receives the “digital twin” from the manufacturer, which contains all the relevant data for the machine in question. This means iPhysics ends up directly in the control cabinet. With the actual commissioning of a system, the digital twin now runs as a virtual counterpart in the control cabinet – based on real-time data from the machine. The system operator can immediately take advantage of the many benefits offered by the digital twin. This model can of course also be fed with all relevant machine data by the operator.
The digital twin can be immediately integrated into standard production. It provides all the necessary data to ensure a smooth process at all times. Even the calculation of complicated geometric models is possible without any problems. Thanks to the virtual testing of all processes in advance over a longer period of time, any operator of a machine can put it into real operation without any problems and will not experience any nasty surprises. In addition, collisions that occur during real operation can be detected and prevented using a look-ahead function.
