Digital Twin Applications in Manufacturing

Developments and advancements in digital technologies have challenged traditional manufacturing and become the basis of what is known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0. Technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and Big Data are driving the manufacturing industry towards smart manufacturing through the easy interconnection of intelligent components inside the shop floor [1].

The increasing availability of real-time operational data, thanks to IoT technologies, and the boost of AI capabilities in learning and reasoning represent drivers toward realising a vision of physical products or processes having accompanying virtual representations that evolve through their entire life cycle [2]. These virtual representations are known as Digital Twins (DTs), and represent real-time digital models of physical objects. The physical object can range from a single component inside a CNC machine to a whole factory.

There are big expectations about the benefits of Digital Twins, but the technology is still in its infancy, and much work needs to be done before we see widespread use of DTs.