All components and systems will be networked with each other in the production of the future. Digital models of components or systems – known as digital twins – play a key role here, from the design phase to commissioning and operation. They contribute to system optimisation and simplify lifecycle management. Our research and involvement in this field aims to establish cross-manufacturer solutions. We are working towards offering our customers a digital twin factory in future, which will enable them to quickly and easily integrate digital twins of their custom-configured Festo products into their engineering environment.
The ever expanding array of functions is bringing huge increases in requirements and work for machine builders, which is why we want to provide digital twins for our components and systems in future. Physics-based models accurately reproduce the capabilities of the components. This significantly shortens customers’ project timelines and increases productivity. Customers can simulate, test and make more adjustments to a piece of hardware before they even get to hold it in their hands. For example, they can design and program optimum, efficient handling systems using the virtual model. Machine builders can find and rectify errors at an early stage, which is crucial to ensure that the subsequent system operates efficiently and reliably.
Digital twins are much more than just 3D models that move virtually. They are digital representations with a wealth of component information. This includes the unique description of their capabilities, their role within the machine, their behaviour, the simulation of their kinematics and kinetics and their communication.
The Industry 4.0 machine architecture is based entirely on digital twins. Thanks to their standardised communication interfaces, they make life easier for our customers throughout virtually the entire lifecycle of a machine: from virtual commissioning and control of the machine to data acquisition and the resulting value-added services such as maintenance or diagnostics. In the past, machines have not been consistently digital, which makes it difficult to fully network all of the objects. Festo is therefore working on seamless and consistent communication technology. One interface that has already been standardised is the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI), used for connecting physical models regardless of the manufacturer. The administration shell is used as a central technical element to implement digital twins.
Digital twins make things easier right from the planning stage and the preparation of concrete proposals. Intelligent algorithms can be used to design and configure optimum and at the same time energy-efficient components.
In a virtual model, the system operator doesn't need to do any programming to test whether the slide can be moved, for example, and can view the process data from the displacement encoder or end position sensor. If the developer wishes to create control sequences for the machine, they can easily be compiled using the components’ functions such as extend, rotate or grip.
The condition monitoring generates a message when operating components are approaching the end of their service life. The digital twin for the machine can then automatically order spare parts, for example. If at that point there are newer models for the components being replaced, the customer can use the virtual environment to first test how the new components interact and then order them accordingly.
The condition monitoring can also be used in conjunction with the simulation models of the digital twins to create predictive maintenance plans. Customers can also use the digital twins to develop and test subsequent changes or reconfigurations on the virtual model before these are implemented on the machine, which speeds up the process.