An Intelligent Redesign Method for Used Products Based on Digital Twin

Abstract

Remanufacturing used products is an important technological approach in sustainable development and circular economy. Meanwhile, redesign is the key component of remanufacturing, as it can innovate the function and structure of used products. However, due to the uncertain quality, variety, and small batches of the returned used products for remanufacturing, it is difficult to generate a sound redesign scheme to satisfy the customer demand quickly and dynamically. In addition, it is unpredictable whether the redesign scheme is suitable for the remanufacturing processes, which may lead to additional remanufacturing costs. In order to improve the efficiency of design and obtain the optimal design scheme, it is necessary to use intelligent technology to quickly generate and optimize the redesign scheme. To address this, an intelligent redesign method for used products based on the digital twin is proposed in this paper. Digital twin (DT) technology can connect the physical world with the virtual world and use the virtual model to simulate the redesign process, which is conducive to the dynamic adjustment and optimization of the redesign scheme. Firstly, the redesign process framework is constructed based on the axiomatic design (AD) method, and the redesign features of the used products are analyzed to determine the redesign problems. Then, based on the connotation of a digital twin, an intelligent redesign framework is constructed, which provides detailed guidance for building the digital-twin-driven redesign system. Henceforth, the application of the redesign process based on a digital twin is discussed, a technical approach of the digital-twin-driven redesign is proposed, and data processing methods, such as data cleaning, data integration, and data analysis, are used to realize the redesign scheme decision. Finally, the feasibility of this method is verified by the redesign of a used clutch.