Digital Twin

Human ingenuity has always been geared toward moving forward. Although there have been periods without much progress, the overall trend has been progressive—especially over the last two centuries. The twenty-first century has had its fair share of technological hotspots such as AI, blockchain, and the Internet of Things.

Of these hotspots, the Internet of Things has the greatest impact on the manufacturing industry. In 2021, there were 10 billion active IoT devices, and this figure was expected to more than double by 2025.

Leading IoT innovation is digital twin technology. This is an aspect of the Internet of Things that delivers significant value to the manufacturing value chain. In this article, we explore digital twin simulation and discuss how it can improve your manufacturing processes and overall production.

How Does It Work?

A familiar analogue to the digital twin is Computer-Aided Design (CAD). However, while CAD is a predecessor of the digital twin, the two are quite different. A digital twin offers far more than CAD.

For example, CAD is a preliminary design of real machines/equipment before they are produced. With a digital model, you create a representation of the machine you want to manufacture. Once the CAD is completed, you can build the machine based on the design.

A CAD model does not even have to be three-dimensional—two-dimensional designs can also work.

A digital twin is more functional than this. With digital twins, sensors are used to map physical machines and then represent them digitally. It is essentially a digital representation of real devices, processes, and even an entire production line.

And that is not all: digital twins are interoperable between the digital and physical worlds. This means you can modify the digital twin, and the changes will be reflected in the physical world.

Conversely, you can make changes to the physical machine that affect the digital twin. This essentially creates a positive feedback loop between the digital twin and the corresponding physical device/process.

Digital Twin vs. Digital Shadow

If you have heard of digital twins, you have probably also come across the term “digital shadow.” Although the terms sound similar, they are quite different. The digital shadow is the opposite of CAD. While CAD is used to transfer models from the digital world to the physical world, a digital shadow is used to transfer models from the physical world to the digital world.

A digital twin, on the other hand, is bidirectional—meaning it transfers from the physical to the digital world and vice versa.

Essentially, you could say that digital twin technology combines CAD and digital shadow technology, with additional benefits such as real-time synchronization.

Setup Elements

How exactly is a digital twin set up and put into operation? This can be achieved by combining the following elements:

• Sensors: The cornerstone of digital twin technology. They capture signals, operating data, and environmental data from the real world and transfer them into the digital world.
• Data: Sensors are physical objects and are not sufficient on their own. When sensors operate, they produce data that is combined with other enterprise data. This includes bills of materials, enterprise systems data, design specifications, technical drawings, and even logs of customer complaints.
• Integration: The data collected by sensors is transferred into the digital world through integration technology. The same integration path is also used to transfer data from the digital world back into the physical world.
• Analytics: The goal of collecting data is to analyze it and generate insights. In digital twin technology, this is done through algorithmic simulations to gain insights into improving the respective manufacturing process.
• Actuators: After insights have been derived, the final step is to take action. This is achieved by using actuators. Actuators enable the digital twin simulation to communicate with people on-site, who then trigger actions to implement the insights gained from analysis. The cycle repeats, creating a feedback loop.

Role in Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is often referred to as the next phase of the industrial revolution. It is essentially driven by the Internet of Things, of which digital twin simulation is an integral part. Digital twin simulation is the bridge through which IoT devices can connect with the “world of atoms” (the physical world).

In principle, this represents limitless potential for IoT: everything that exists in the physical world can be transferred into IoT—and vice versa.

Smart Factory Value

While digital twin technology has a broad positive impact on Industry 4.0, it is also particularly valuable for achieving optimal effectiveness in a smart factory. Below are some ways digital twin simulation benefits smart factories:

• Predictive Maintenance: There are only so many places human eyes and hands can reach simultaneously. A computer can do much more. With digital twin simulation, you can quickly gain a holistic view of machines, and with computing power, you can detect system failures before they happen. This enables proactive measures and tools to keep machines in top condition.
• Better Collaboration: In a world without digital twin technology, you must be on-site before implementing upgrades in your manufacturing equipment. This is especially problematic if only a central team is capable of carrying out repairs. With digital twin technology, a central team can apply corrections remotely, which are then reflected on the shop floor. It also creates more room for cooperation, as more people worldwide can contribute to maintaining and optimizing machines.
• Improved Optimization: Digital twin simulation allows you to create a representation of your production line, giving you a holistic view of the entire production process. Ultimately, this helps you optimize key production KPIs such as production rates and scrap/reject rates.