DIGITAL TWINS

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DIGITAL TWINS

When designing a new machine, the main concern is to build it and bring it to market as quickly as possible. Any delay, complication or failed prototype can damage the overall project results.

To overcome these problems, the Digital Twin concept was born. A Digital Twin can follow a machine or industrial plant throughout its life cycle, from conceptual planning to after-sales services. It can be developed in parallel with mechanical design and adapted, improved and tested. It offers the ability to simulate machine hardware and software in real time production processes.

The virtual use of the machine allows technicians to design modifications and improvements, test them and return them to the original design, in development and test cycles within an overall plan. These cycles, performed before the realization of the machine or plant, are much faster and less expensive.

The creation of a Digital Twin begins by using the machine’s CAD data that fixes the basic geometry of the components, then parameterizing all the physical and kinematic information. Using a physical engine, the software can simulate the dynamic behavior of equipment, devices, materials, sensors and forces.

A very important point is the mechatronic integration that allows to deeply optimize the control cycle of the machine, whose software will reside in the PLC. It must offer additional functionality compared to the tests performed in the field, such as the possibility to slow down or speed up the machining phases, to verify that all the processes involved are performed correctly and to accurately estimate the cycle times and productivity of the machine.

ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL TWINS

The use of Digital Twin technology offers the key to confirm the results of engineering projects before starting the construction phase, allowing the calculation of productivity under different operating conditions and helping to solve bottlenecks in plants.

Through virtual commissioning it helps to reduce time and expense, improving the quality of the control software in terms of requirements met by more than 100% and reducing commissioning time by 75%. This is due to the fact that almost two-thirds of the commissioning time is spent to test and correct errors in the PLC software when the machine has already been assembled on site.

Logidea Sagl creates Digital Twin for virtual commissioning, making it possible to test and validate the software virtually before connecting it to the real system. Moreover, through our Digital Twins it is possible to easily simulate the most dangerous operating conditions of the machine without real damage to the equipment, products or users.

The Digital Twin does not die when the real machine goes into service, but it works alongside it allowing training of operators as well as testing of new production cycles.

It is also useful for the realization of promotional material for the marketing department, also with the help of virtual reality, to create even more immersive experiences.