BaSys 4.2 research project

Uniform concept for the digital twin

A digital representation of components, products and processes will be of huge importance for efficient production in the future. As part of the BaSys 4.2 research project, Festo is working with numerous partners on a uniform implementation of the concepts required for this; these include the administration shell for the Industry 4.0 platform and the Module Type Package from NAMUR and the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association.

The digital twin is being utilised in concrete, practical applications of these concepts and is creating direct added value for production.

Digital twins are electronic descriptions of relevant units. These units may be components, systems, production goods or even abstract processes and logic. The requirements for them are also varied, ranging from general information such as manufacturer, type and size, to specific capabilities, physical simulations and interface descriptions for implementing modular plug & produce – such as the Module Type Package (MTP).

The digital twin concept is a core aspect of Industry 4.0. To use it efficiently, cross-industry rules are needed that are not tied to a specific manufacturer. These are being developed in BaSys 4.2 based on the administration shell concept, implemented in sample applications, and will then be presented.

Aims of the project

BaSys 4.2 has set itself the task of not only bringing together the various requirements of digital twins in the administration shell model, but also of developing open-source software tools and applications so that the concept can be easily implemented in practice. The aim is for the numerous strong partners to come up with a generally accepted model and thus to support small and medium-sized businesses in particular.

One particular focus for Festo lies in developing the engineering to drive real-life implementation of the concepts. In light of this, Festo is also leading the activities in the relevant work package. Key points here include the standardisation of engineering data and the automated generation of module system descriptions for modular production. This description enables automated integration using the plug & produce principle. A major challenge here is the transformation and synchronisation of the information from various domains and the semantics of the capabilities and data that this requires. Virtual commissioning and continuous data management throughout the product life cycle also play an important role.

In addition to software development, the three-year project also aims to produce scientific publications and develop shared demonstrators that showcase the benefits of the new applications. There is also a particular focus on bringing together the approaches of the process industry and those of the manufacturing industry.

Lead partner: German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Consortium leader: Fraunhofer IESE Kaiserslautern

Development partners:

  • RWTH Aachen
  • Eclipse Foundation
  • ABB
  • KUKA Roboter
  • Bosch
  • Fortiss
  • ZF Friedrichhafen
  • Lenze Group
  • Fraunhofer IESE
  • Fraunhofer IOSB
  • DFKI
  • SMS Group
  • EngRoTec
  • ITQ
  • PSI Automotive & Industry
  • ifak – Institute for Automation and Communication
  • Sysgo

Associated partners:

  • BASF
  • Bayer
  • Ineos
  • Dassault Systems

BaSys 4.2 is funded by the BMBF on code 01|S19022G.