What is a 3DEXPERIENCE Twin? – Part 1/12

This is Part 1 of our 12-part blog series based on the LNS Research eBook, “Forging the Digital Twin in Discrete Manufacturing: A Vision for Unity in the Virtual and Real Worlds”. We’ve added a brief commentary about the EXALEAD Information Intelligence vision of how the 3DEXPERIENCE twin unites virtual and real worlds and how data analytics are driving the future of business transformation in manufacturing.

Defining the Digital Twin

Today’s era of change in manufacturing is faster than any seen in history. During the last decades, we progressed from simple electronic control to an environment of unlimited data and industrial transformation. Getting transformation right in today’s competitive world is critical, and one key factor is the ability to manage and use data to achieve enterprise Strategic Objectives. A Digital Twin is often at the very heart of the metamorphosis.

While we see many definitions of “Digital Twin,” LNS Research keeps it simple: A Digital Twin is an executable virtual model of a physical thing or system.

That “physical thing” can be anything from a manufactured object, like a car, aircraft, or pharmaceutical drug, or the manufacturing system and process itself, including machines and equipment. Every single product has definable characteristics in the real world, and the Digital Twin combines and portrays the attributes virtually. In a perfect world, the Digital Twin would capture every single attribute of a product or system and its processes. In reality, the technology is still evolving to accomplish this vision and we’re not there yet. That doesn’t mean manufacturers can’t proceed with and derive tremendous value from a simpler virtual model.

In fact, a few forward-thinking vendors of software for discrete manufacturing are already demonstrating the possibilities of the Digital Twin in the product development setting and in production environments.

This blog series explains the current state of Digital Twin offerings and the opportunities for the future. Readers will gain a straightforward understanding of:

Results of the primary research on Digital Twin in manufacturing as a whole
What is Digital Twin in context of discrete manufacturing
How does a manufacturing enterprise capture value with Digital Twin
Why the product Digital Twin and asset Digital Twin require distinct consideration
Recommendations to develop and achieve value with a Digital Twin strategy

EXALEAD Commentary:

Dassault Systèmes is providing a 3DEXPERIENCE twin which has a broader coverage than what is usually defined by the market. By breaking down data silos and aggregating and analyzing legacy data on one platform, the EXALEAD solutions empower manufacturers to analyze information within its complete context and create accurate virtual models for experimentation.

Our 3DEXPERIENCE twin starts at the design phase where this virtual “asset” is progressively enhanced with additional facets, allowing users to simulate the realistic behavior of the virtual “asset” using advanced functional and physical modeling simulation.

The virtual “asset” is not only simulated by itself, but is also represented in the context of its usage, allowing users to experiment virtually with how it interacts with other systems and/or users. User Experience can be enriched through unlimited what-if scenarios.

Later in the lifecycle, the 3DEXPERIENCE twin can be used to design and simulate the manufacturing process that will be needed to produce the virtual “asset.”

Finally, once the virtual “asset” is physically produced in real life, giving birth to multiple “assets” each having its own serial number, the 3DEXPERIENCE twin is mirroring the behavior of these real assets in virtual reality, and manufacturers can compare their expected real-life behavior with the simulated behaviors defined in the engineering phase.

In the next blog installment, we will explore the possibilities being unlocked today by digital twin technology in manufacturing.

Part 1: What is a 3DEXPERIENCE Twin?

Part 2: Digital Twins and Manufacturing: Today’s Possibilities

Part 3: Who is Using Digital Twin Technology?

Part 4: Growth Expectations for Digital Twins in Manufacturing

Part 5: Digital Twin Use Cases in Manufacturing

Part 6: Exploring Digital Twin Opportunities in Manufacturing

Part 7: Simulating Product Use with Digital Twins in Manufacturing

Part 8: Simulating the Manufacturing Process with Digital Twins

Part 9: Software in Digital Twin

Part 10: Real Data Versus Virtual Data

Part 11: Digital Twin: Pragmatic Considerations