Contribution to the development of a Digital Twin based on product lifecycle to support the manufacturing process

The current manufacture challenges are closely linked to the aim of digitalizing the product, the process and the means of production. In such aspects, information about the production processes is available in real-time, allowing managers to act on digital models and, through them, apply decisions in real systems. Thus, having a mirror model or a Digital Twin enables real-time absorption, simulation and implementation of manufacturing variations from the real environment, allowing faster detection of physical problems, and faster production response. The Digital Twin is a virtual representation of the physical system, which is equipped with sensors and actuators and feed the digital system, where the monitoring of data and simulation of variations, for instance, take place. From the synchronized interactions of both components, it is possible to deliver the mentioned faster production responses. Brazilian and German universities joined efforts to develop a Digital Twin based on product lifecycle to support the Manufacturing Process to address these challenges. The proposed Digital Twin seeks to integrate the product twin and the twin of its development process. It shall represent the manufacturing process, enabling the monitoring and optimization of the real production process. The Digital Twin itself is addressed as a product inside the production system and, therefore, its development process will follow the product lifecycle perspective, from the conception and planning to its implementation and usage. The Digital Twin will be further improved with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence tools, characterizing a Smart Digital Twin of the Manufacturing Process. Thus, this paper aims to present the concepts of a research project that is being developed in a joint Brazilian-German Cooperative Research.