Taking a More Holistic Approach with Digital Twins in Manufacturing Processes and Asset Management
Digital twins in manufacturing are being applied to manage the performance, effectiveness, and quality of manufacturers' fixed assets such as manufacturing machines, lines, and plants. When advanced visualization, IoT, and analytics are applied to these assets, manufacturers can take a more strategic and holistic approach to asset management.
Digital twins represent an enormous opportunity for manufacturers, spanning engineering, design customization, production, and operations. The Digital Twin Consortium Manufacturing Working Group focuses on the applicability of digital twins to the manufacturing process in various industries.
The group is exploring the use of digital twins to:
Our Key Priorities
Identify applications and use cases in Manufacturing
- Determine applicability for product life cycle, smart factory development, and supply chain.
- Apply digital twins at different stages of the product lifecycle.
- Collaborate with outside groups to define taxonomies and reference architectures.
Explore simulation scenarios
- Test various implementation strategies.
- Examine the interaction between physical and digital manufacturing components.
- Establish a simulated environment in which the digital twin can interact and simulate interaction.
Analyze different types of manufacturing (i.e., discrete vs. process)
- Define semantics required to describe a manufacturing digital twin.
- Identify standards gaps and requirements.
- Determine the need for manufacturing interoperability.