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Because the tempo of digital transformation accelerates within the manufacturing and engineering industries, two ideas have gained important traction: digital twins and digital threads. Each ideas seek advice from digital representations of bodily objects, however they serve completely different functions and supply corporations distinctive benefits. Right here, we are going to evaluate digital twins and digital threads, and focus on potential use instances and advantages.
What are digital twins?
A digital twin is a digital reproduction of a bodily object or system, full with all of the design and operational information of the bodily object, together with geometry, efficiency information and habits fashions. The aim of a digital twin is to simulate the habits of kit in real-time, permitting engineers and operators to watch efficiency and determine system points/anomalies.
Digital twin know-how makes use of Industrial Web of Issues (IIoT) sensors, machine learning and simulation software program to gather product information and generate correct fashions. Groups can then use the fashions to foretell upkeep wants, simulate modifications to the system and optimize processes (e.g., security protocols, reporting procedures, manufacturing processes, and many others.).
For instance, a digital twin of a wind turbine can simulate the impression of adjusting wind velocity and path on the turbine’s efficiency, serving to operators make knowledgeable selections about upkeep and vitality manufacturing.
Explore how digital twins can optimize the performance of your assets in a sustainable way
What’s a digital thread?
A digital thread is a digital illustration of a product’s lifecycle, from design to manufacturing to upkeep and past, offering a seamless move of knowledge that connects all points of the lifecycle. The aim of a digital thread is to offer a whole and clear view of producing methods, enabling environment friendly collaboration and decision-making throughout all phases of the method.
Digital threads use quite a lot of applied sciences, together with computer-aided design (CAD) software program, product lifecycle administration (PLM) methods and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, to gather and share information throughout workflows. Digital thread know-how optimizes traceability, offering a solution to observe asset progress and make sure that all stakeholders are on the identical web page all through the manufacturing course of. For instance, aerospace corporations can create a digital thread to assist assemble plane with digital engineering. Manufacturing groups make the most of 3D-model-based methods to ensure that plane are constructed precisely to engineering specs and depend on the digital thread to trace progress and determine points and inefficiencies throughout manufacturing.
What distinguishes digital twins from digital threads?
Each digital twins and digital threads make the most of digital representations of real-world belongings and processes, however they provide distinct capabilities.
Scale
Digital twins are scalable, however solely to a degree. Digital twin know-how collects real-time information from a single supply/asset. And though a digital twin idea can hook up with different twins to simulate complete digital environments, they’re most helpful in evaluating a particular manufacturing setting. A digital thread idea, however, is limitlessly scalable. Digital threads can hook up with (virtually) some other enterprise system, together with digital twins.
As such, digital thread know-how could also be finest fitted to operations and/or circumstances the place information should be gathered from an array of departments, gadgets, methods and processes. Quite the opposite, digital twins will higher serve operations that rely totally on repetitive machine processes inside a particular manufacturing setting.
Knowledge centralization
Each digital twins and digital threads centralize information to some extent. Each accumulate complete sensor information and mixture and retailer that information in an simply accessible information hub. Nevertheless, digital threads allow groups to take information from digital twins and different sources and centralize the information move throughout departments and manufacturing silos in order that the complete firm can entry the identical data. Knowledge connected to a digital thread additionally tends to be extra persistently correct, as a result of the automation options of a digital thread idea get rid of the necessity to manually transmit data between departments and workflows.
Advantages of digital twins vs. digital thread
Digital twins and digital threads assist organizations enhance system effectivity, scale back manufacturing prices, enhance product design and restrict system downtime. Nevertheless, the impression of every know-how will range relying on producer wants.
Digital twins enable producers to do the next:
- Interact in responsive monitoring in actual time
- Conduct proactive threat assessments and make the most of predictive troubleshooting for organizational belongings
- Speed up innovation utilizing digital fashions and digital mirroring
Digital threads assist producers within the following methods:
- Construct extra agile operations by facilitating a steady, synchronized information move
- Improve interdepartmental collaboration throughout belongings and methods
- Optimize connectivity between manufacturing and engineering processes
- Streamline product growth to scale back manufacturing time and get merchandise to market quicker
- Guarantee regulatory compliance by monitoring the complete product lifecycle, together with design selections, engineering modifications and upkeep information
Leverage IBM Maximo Software Suite on your digital transformation
Digital twins and digital threads are important instruments for corporations seeking to begin or speed up a digital transformation. Utilizing superior technological instruments like IBM Maximo may help organizations get there quicker.
IBM Maximo is a complete enterprise asset administration system that helps organizations optimize asset efficiency and streamline day-to-day operations. Utilizing an built-in AI-powered, cloud-based platform, IBM Maximo provides complete CMMS capabilities that produce superior information analytics and assist producers seeking to make knowledgeable selections about system efficiency and optimization.
Utilizing IBM Maximo software program—particularly as a complement to present enterprise useful resource administration (ERP) methods or a producing execution system (MES)—may help your facility acquire a aggressive edge in at present’s ever-evolving manufacturing market.
To find out how, book a live demo with an IBM expert
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