Digital Twins in Product Lifecycle for Sustainability in Manufacturing and Maintenance

Abstract

A “digital twin” is a dynamic, digital replica of a technical object (e.g., a physical system, device, machine or production process) or a living organism. Using this type of solution has become an integral part of Industry 4.0, offering businesses tangible benefits, in addition to being particularly effective within the context of sustainable production and maintenance. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of research on the development of digital twins of technical objects, which involved data acquisition and their conversion into knowledge, the use of physical models to simulate tasks and processes, and the use of simulation models to improve the physical tasks and processes. In addition, monitoring processes and process parameters allow for the continued improvement of existing processes as regards intelligent eco-designing and planning and monitoring production processes while taking into account sustainable production and maintenance.