Digital Twin
What Is a Digital Twin?
A digital twin in manufacturing is a virtual copy of a part, product, machine, production line, or even entire processes. The digital twin makes manufacturing more efficient, safer, and future-ready. It is created on the computer using real-time data or historical values from sensors and operational experience. This allows for risk-free monitoring or testing of changes, maintenance needs, or new processes. It saves costs, prevents breakdowns, and reveals optimization potential, such as in energy use or throughput.
The digital twin is the virtual image of a tangible or intangible object or process in the real world. The term “digital avatar” is also occasionally used. It represents actual processes, systems, or objects in digital form. This digital model is based on data and algorithms and can also be coupled with the real world utilizing sensor technology.
A digital twin can be used to perform analyses and simulations. In this way, processes and designs can be planned, optimized, monitored, and predicted on the computer without the need for resources in the real world. This can accelerate and simplify all phases of development, manufacturing, and application. As a connecting construct between the digital and the real world, the digital twin is a central element for Industry 4.0.
