A generic asset model for implementing product digital twins in smart remanufacturing

A digital twin is a “live” virtual replica of a sensorised component, product, process, human, or system. It accurately copies the entity being modelled by capturing information in real time, or near real time, from the entity, through embedded sensors and the Internet-of-Things. Many applications of digital twins in the manufacturing industry have been investigated. This article focuses on, and contributes to, the development of product digital twins to reduce the impact of quantity, quality, and demand uncertainties in remanufacturing. Starting from issues specific to remanufacturing, the article derives the functional requirements for a product digital twin for remanufacturing and proposes a Unified Modelling Language (UML) model of a generic asset to be remanufactured. The model is used in an example which highlights the need to translate existing knowledge and data into an integrated system to realise a product digital twin, capable of supporting remanufacturing process planning.