Interscale Content Hub – We’re seeing an increasing adoption of digital twin technology in manufacturing. Yes, many manufacturers are adopting digital twin technology, with significant investments being made to leverage its potential for enhancing productivity and efficiency.
By offering insights like never before, predictive capabilities, and ways to make things better, digital twins are helping manufacturers work more efficiently, productively, and innovatively.
No matter if you’re just getting started with digital twins or looking to brush up on your knowledge, this guide has something for you.
Applications of Digital Twin Technology in Manufacturing
Product Design and Development
Digital twin tech helps manufacturers create and test virtual prototypes before going ahead with physical production.
This approach slashes the time and costs typically associated with traditional prototyping.
In their paper, “Chapter Two—Digital twin technology for ‘smart manufacturing’,” Preetha Evangeline and Anandhakumar say the technology lets engineers simulate different design ideas, which helps them make products perform better and spot problems early on.
Take the automotive industry, for example. Digital twins help designers create safer, more efficient vehicles by simulating crash tests and other performance metrics virtually.
Process Optimization
A digital twin lets you simulate production processes, find out where there are bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and then work out how to fix them to make the whole process more productive.
Mohsen Soori and colleagues in “Digital twin for smart manufacturing, A review” point out that digital twins can model entire production lines, from raw materials to finished goods.
Werner Kritzinger and colleagues in “Digital Twin in manufacturing: A categorical literature review and classification,” talk about how digital twins can bring together data from the physical and virtual worlds.
By looking at data from sensors and other sources in real time, these twins can spot where there are bottlenecks, inefficiencies and areas for improvement.
The McKinsey report shows us what the result looks like. In their piece called ‘Digital twins: The next frontier of factory optimisation’, they tell us how a factory digital twin helped an assembly plant redesign its production schedule.
This meant that they saved 5-7% on their costs each month by cutting down on overtime.
Quality Management
By keeping an eye on data from IoT sensors, digital twins can spot when equipment might fail or products might not meet quality standards before they actually happen. This lets you take action before things go wrong, and helps you maintain quality and keep on top of maintenance.
This means fewer defects and a higher-quality product.
Evangeline and Anandhakumar say companies can use digital twins to understand and predict how products behave in different situations, which helps to improve quality and customer satisfaction.
In the context of practice, Kritzinger et al., highlight the value of digital shadows, a type of digital twin with a one-way data flow from the physical object to the digital replica, for quality management.
By keeping an eye on the data from the production process in real time, these digital shadows can spot any issues and check that everything’s meeting the quality standards.
The connection with 3D models is explained in more detail in the article “Digital Twin vs 3D Model: Why Digital Twins Eat 3D Models for Breakfast?
Supply Chain Management
Soori and colleagues talk about how digital twins can be used to model entire supply chains.
These digital twins can help to predict disruptions, optimise inventory levels and improve overall efficiency.
For example, an Australian mining company could use a digital twin to keep an eye on their global supply chain, spotting potential delays due to weather or geopolitical issues and making sure they adjust their logistics in advance to keep everything running smoothly.
So yes, bringing digital twins into supply chain management systems lets you track inventory levels in real-time and make sure you always have the right amount of stock.
This big-picture approach is especially helpful for complex supply chains, as shown by the detailed literature review done by Kritzinger et al.
Factory Planning and Layout
Kritzinger et al., say you can use digital models for planning factory layouts.
These models can simulate material flow, identify potential bottlenecks and optimise the placement of machines and workstations.
This means you can have more efficient production processes, less time handling materials, and make better use of factory space.
For instance, digital twins can be used to figure out where machinery and workstations should go to make it easier for workers to get around and get more done in less time.
Benefits of Digital Twin Technology in Manufacturing
Using digital twin technology in manufacturing brings a whole host of advantages. One critical advantage pointed out by Soori et al.; the digital twin can help cut costs.
By spotting where there’s room for improvement and using data to make things more efficient, digital twins help your company cut waste, make your operations more streamlined, and lower production costs.
And don’t forget the real-time data analysis and predictive maintenance capabilities of digital twins.
These features help your company to get the most out of its production processes, reduce downtime and boost productivity.
On top of that, Kritzinger and colleagues say that digital twins help to improve quality.
By testing products and spotting any issues early on, manufacturers can make sure that only the best products leave the factory.
As a point of reference in the construction sector, kindly read “How Digital Twin Technology in Construction Help You Avoid Blockhead?“
Challenges and Limitations
Evangeline and Anandhakumar talk about the high upfront costs involved in creating and maintaining digital twins.
The technology also requires specific skills and expertise, which may not be readily available in all manufacturing organisations.
We also need to talk about how digital twins fit in with what we already have in place.
Integrating digital twins can be tricky and time-consuming, and it takes a lot of effort to make sure everything runs smoothly.
We also need to worry about data security and privacy to make sure that sensitive production data is kept confidential and safe.
And don’t forget the human factor. Some organisations might find it tricky to find people with the right skills to develop, manage and interpret digital twin systems.
So, while digital twin technology can be a real game-changer for manufacturing, it’s important to plan ahead and think about the challenges it might bring.
That’s Why, You Need to Consider Interscale
Whether you’re looking to make your BIM workflows more efficient, get into VR, or even develop a digital twin strategy, Interscale has the experience and expertise to guide you.
What does that mean for your business?
You can count on us to be there for you, so you can work more efficiently, make better decisions, and bring new ideas to market faster.
Don’t hesitate to drop us a line to arrange a meeting. Our team is here for you 24/7, ready to make whatever changes you need to make to fit your needs and goals.
Alternatively, we’ve got some basic info on our Interscale BIM Management Support page here for you.
In Closing
The digital twins cover product design, supply chain management, and factory layout planning, and they offer many advantages.
And it looks like more and more manufacturers will be using it, which will lead to more innovations and efficiencies.
So, are you ready to embrace the ongoing evolution and see the progress of digital twin technology in manufacturing?
