The concept of the digital twin has been around for more than a quarter-century, but for a long time its practical application was constrained by the limits of the computer. However, advances in computing means those constraints no longer exist, so the digital twin is now a fact of life in manufacturing, and its prominence will continue to grow.

Why is Siemens PLM Software talking about the digital twin, and what can the digital twin bring to industrial companies?

There can be many definitions of the digital twin. From our point of view, a digital twin is a set of computer models that provide the means to design, validate and optimize a part, product, manufacturing process or production facility in the virtual world. It enables you to do these things quickly, accurately and as close as possible to the real thing – the physical counterpart. These digital twins use data from sensors that are installed on physical objects to represent their near real-time status, working condition or position. Siemens has recognized the value of the digital twin for a long time. When we began developing software for advanced robotics more than 25 years ago, we enabled the development of full 3D models for automotive body assembly cells.

These models could be used to simulate, validate and optimize robotic operations before they were executed on the shop floor. With an extremely high degree of fidelity, our applications could not only simulate a cell, but also enable its near perfect virtual commissioning.

Nonetheless, advances in computer science have made it possible to broaden the scope of the digital twin to include many more capabilities, information, inputs and outputs. It also helps you develop and introduce new products to the market much faster than ever.

Today we can support digital twins for product design, manufacturing process planning and production using the Smart Factory loop and via smart products.

Download this whitepaper for more information.

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