A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical object or process. It is primarily used when companies want to observe, analyze, simulate, and optimize their products or systems over their entire lifecycle. To do this, models, information, and data are continuously collected from the real object or process in real time, providing insight into its condition and behavior.
A digital twin has three basic components: A digital master, a digital shadow, and their intelligent linking.
The digital master contains all relevant models of the physical object or process. It uses appropriate data and information models to represent what is expected. Depending on the application, this may relate to the geometry, behavior, function, or other properties of products, machines, or processes.
A car is used as an example. All cars of a type have been produced using the same drawings and production instructions, and have the same average maintenance cycles. We call the models, simulations, and data from which all these cars are produced »master«.
The digital shadow, on the other hand, represents the actual. It consists of data that is collected over the life cycle of the system depicted. This can be operating, status or process data that is recorded by sensors, for example.
The data shows the differences between each car, even though they are identical in construction. This is due to the fact that each car has been subjected to special features during production, such as assembly variations. During operation, the car may have been used in particularly hot, cold or dry regions, requiring shorter maintenance cycles. We call this data, which represents the reality of the unique car, »shadows«.
The real value of the digital twin comes from intelligently linking the digital master and the digital shadow.
By comparing the vehicle's master and shadow data, it is possible, for example, to predict the optimum time for maintenance or to derive important improvement potential for future product generations (feedback to design).
Our researchers have developed a pilot system on which linked production systems can be designed cost-effectively and complex processes safely tested. The principle: A digital twin of the modular development environment ensures that the two robots are automatically configured and controlled for each assembly step.
using the example of the automation of an assembly process for professional tools
Time and cost savings of a robot-based system compared to a traditional pilot system:
The industry has recognized the promise of digital twins as a future technology. According to a Gartner study, only 13 percent of large companies with ongoing IoT projects in major industrialized nations are currently using digital twins. However, 62 percent of respondents have such projects at least in the planning stage.
But even in companies where digital twins are in place, they are far from being used to their full potential. So far, they are mostly used as data supply systems or for security and error analysis. This is the conclusion of the »Digital Twin Readiness Assessment« study conducted by Fraunhofer IPK and msg in 2020, which found that the provision of automated value-added services and the design of autonomous or adaptive systems have only been considered in a few concepts to date.
To fully exploit the potential of digital twins, we develop customized solutions in close cooperation with our partners and customers. We network digital twins with each other and thus enable the mapping of entire production lines with minimal time and financial expenditure. In doing so, we always keep an eye on the sustainability aspect, as the technology also offers new possibilities in this area.
Here we show some examples of problems from industrial applications that can be solved with the help of digital twins.
| Jahr Year | Titel/Autor:in Title/Author | Publikationstyp Publication Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Energieeffizienzsteigerung mit IoT-basiertem Monitoringsystem Uhlmann, Eckart; Polte, Julian; Geisert, Claudio |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2024 | Digital Twins within the Circular Economy: Literature Review and Concept Presentation Mügge, Janine; Seegrün, Anne; Hoyer, Tessa-Katharina; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Lindow, Kai |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2024 | Was macht einen digitalen Zwilling aus? Lindow, Kai; Tanrikulu, Cansu |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2024 | Value co-creation through digital twins in decentralized data ecosystems Tanrikulu, Cansu; Berg, Henning; Konietzko, Erik Paul; Rosa Cencic, Maiara; Lindow, Kai |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2024 | Konzeption eines digitalen Zwillings für die Produktentstehung in der Luftfahrtindustrie Brünnhäußer, Jörg; Jurczok, Christoph; Zimmermann, Thomas; Larusch, Terence; Kenfack Zangue, Renaud; Böhnke, Jacob; Lünnemann, Pascal; Lindow, Kai |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2024 | Sustainable Product Lifecycle Management - Implementation of a Digital Twin of a Biologically Transformed Product-Ecosystem Wehking, Sebastian; Seegrün, Anne; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Lindow, Kai |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2024 | Developing Digital Twins for energy efficiency in the production phase of products Wehking, Sebastian; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Tanrikulu, Cansu; Lindow, Kai |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2024 | Developing Digital Twins for Smart Product-Service Systems:A Methodical Approach Demonstrated with a Fuel Cell Use Case Kenfack Zangue, Renaud; Gogineni, Sonika; Geisert, Claudio |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2024 | Concept for a modular system model for energy-efficiency monitoring of factory supply systems Sigg, Stefan; Thiele, Gregor; Trapp, Marvin; Krüger, Jörg |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2023 | Sustainable product lifecycle management with Digital Twins: A systematic literature review Seegrün, Anne; Kruschke, Thomas; Mügge, Janine; Hardinghaus, Louis; Knauf, Tobias; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Lindow, Kai |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2023 | Digital Twin for Circular Economy Mügge, Janine; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Lindow, Kai |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2023 | Smart Maintenance - Was ist das und was kann es? Geisert, Claudio |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2023 | Implementing digital twins in existing infrastructures Lünnemann, Pascal; Lindow, Kai; Goßlau, Leo |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2023 | Blue Print Plant Model. Ein Modell zur Unterstützung des Fabrikplanungsprozesses Lange, Annika; Ihnen, Deike Magret; Knothe, Thomas |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2023 | The Digital Twin for Operations, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Lünnemann, Pascal; Fresemann, Carina; Richter, Friederike |
Aufsatz in Buch Book Article |
| 2023 | Empowering End-of-Life Vehicle Decision Making with Cross-Company Data Exchange and Data Sovereignty via Catena-X Mügge, Janine; Große Erdmann, Julian; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Manoury, Marvin Michael; Smolka, Sophie Odette; Wichmann, Sabine; Lindow, Kai |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2023 | F5G OpenLab: Enabling Twin Transition through Ubiquitous Fiber Connectivity Balanici, Mihail; Shariati, Mohammad Behnam; Safari, Pooyan; Chojecki, Paul; Chemnitz, Philipp Axel Moritz; Przewozny, David; Fischer, Johannes; Freund, Ronald |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2023 | Project-Based Learning in Engineering Education - Developing Digital Twins in a Case Study Hagedorn, Lisa; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Stark, Rainer |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2023 | Smarte Überwachung elektrischer Großantriebe Geisert, Claudio; Polte, Julian; Uhlmann, Eckart; Rauch, Hartmut; Brach, Karsten |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2023 | Digital Twins for Sustainability in the Context of Biological Transformation Seegrün, Anne; Mügge, Janine; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Lindow, Kai |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2023 | End-of-life decision support to enable circular economy in the automotive industry based on digital twin data Mügge, Janine; Hahn, Inka Rebekka; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Chatzis, Johannes; Boes, Joachim |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2022 | Resource efficient production of car body parts - implementation of digital twins across process chains Weber, Joshua; Lemke, Josefine; Sunderkoetter, Christina; Haase, Patrick; Hoefemann, Matthias; Joos, Paul; Merklein, Marion |
Vortrag Presentation |
| 2022 | The Use of Digital Twins to Overcome Semantic Barriers in Hyperconnected Ecosystems for Industry Jäkel, Frank-Walter; Gering, Patrick; Knothe, Thomas |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2022 | A cognitive assistance system with augmented reality for manual repair tasks with high variability based on the digital twin Eversberg, Leon; Ebrahimi, Puya; Pape, Martin; Lambrecht, Jens |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2022 | Application of Uncertainty-Aware Sensor Fusion in Physical Sensor Networks Gruber, Maximilian; Pilar von Pilchau, Wenzel; Gowtham, Varun; Koutrakis, Nikolaos-Stefanos; Schönborn, Nicolas; Eichstädt, Sascha; Hähner, Jörg; Corici, Marius-Iulian; Magedanz, Thomas; Polte, Julian; Uhlmann, Eckart |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2022 | Harmonization of Heterogeneous Asset Administration Shells Koutrakis, Nikolaos-Stefanos; Gowtham, Varun; Pilchau, W.B.P. von; Jung, T.J.; Polte, Julian; Hähner, J.; Corici, Marius-Iulian; Magedanz, Thomas; Uhlmann, Eckart |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2022 | Digital Twins for Circular Economy - Enabling Decision Support for R-Strategies Mügge, Janine; Hahn, Inka Rebekka; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Chatzis, Johannes |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2021 | Sensor integration in hybrid additive manufactured parts for real-time monitoring in turbine operations Uhlmann, Eckart; Polte, Julian; Kersting, Robert; Brunner-Schwer, Christian; Neuwald, Tobias |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2021 | Enabling automated engineering's project progress measurement by using data flow models and digital twins Ebel, Helena; Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Stark, Rainer |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2021 | Agiles Modellieren von Servicetätigkeiten Uhlmann, Eckart; Bösing, Manuel; Polte, Julian; Kirsch, Lucas; Altmann, Ian; Emmerling, Roman |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2021 | Progress for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment by Means of Digital Lifecycle Twins - A Taxonomy Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Neugebauer, Sabrina; Lindow, Kai |
Aufsatz in Buch Book Article |
| 2021 | Holistic Concept towards a Reference Architecture Model for Predictive Maintenance Uhlmann, Eckart; Polte, Julian; Koutrakis, Nikolaos-Stefanos |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2021 | Methodology to develop Digital Twins for energy efficient customizable IoT-Products Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Gogineni, Sonika; Stark, Rainer |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2021 | Production in the loop - the interoperability of digital twins of the product and the production system Vogt, Anna; Schmidt, Philipp Heiner; Mayer, Sebastian; Stark, Rainer |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2021 | Concept and Architecture for Information Exchange between Digital Twins of the Product (CPS) and the Production System (CPPS) Vogt, Anna; Müller, Ralph Klaus; Kampa, Thomas; Stark, Rainer; Großmann, Daniel |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2020 | Digital Twin Readiness Assessment Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Lünnemann, Pascal; Wehking, Sebastian; Dorfhuber, Lisa |
Studie Study |
| 2020 | User centered development of a digital twin concept with focus on sustainability in the clothing industry Riedelsheimer, Theresa; Dorfhuber, Lisa; Stark, Rainer |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2019 | Digitaler Zwilling für Smart Services Exner, Konrad; Preidel, Maurice; Gogineni, Sonika; Stark, Rainer |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2019 | Digital Twin Stark, Rainer; Damerau, Thomas |
Aufsatz in Buch Book Article |
| 2019 | Reale Daten für Simulationen im digitalen Zwilling - Untersuchung zur Aufnahme von Profinet-Daten und deren Wiedergabe in komplexen Simulationsumgebungen Chemnitz, Philipp Axel Moritz; Heimann, Oliver; Vick, Axel |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2019 | Development capabilities for smart products Tomiyama, T.; Lutters, E.; Stark, R.; Abramovici, M. |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2019 | Use of Digital Twins in Additive Manufacturing Development and Production Bergmann, André; Lindow, Kai |
Konferenzbeitrag Conference Paper |
| 2019 | Reale Daten für Simulationen im digitalen Zwilling Chemnitz, Moritz; Heimann, Oliver; Vick, A. |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
| 2019 | Implementation of an Energy Metering System for Smart Production Halstenberg, Friedrich A.; Lindow, Kai; Stark, Rainer |
Aufsatz in Buch Book Article |
| 2019 | Development and operation of Digital Twins for technical systems and services Stark, Rainer; Fresemann, Carina; Lindow, Kai |
Zeitschriftenaufsatz Journal Article |
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology