Digital Twin

The "digital twin" becomes a decisive competitive advantage

Today, the manufacture of a steadily increasing variety of products requires more flexible workshops in which adjustments of the production systems can be implemented to partially customer-specific requirements. Increasingly demanded single-part and very small batches are shifting the costs of production planning and production significantly in the direction of NC programming and the run-in processes. However, an increase in productivity, especially in these critical areas of order processing, leads to an increased risk during production. The ability to economically secure, evaluate and optimize machining processes at the machining planning stage thus becomes a decisive competitive advantage.

In this context, the "digital twin" is becoming increasingly important. A digital twin is a digitized image of a product to be manufactured, in which a large number of parameters and properties can be taken into account. The evaluation of these properties has the potential to improve processes and workflows even during product creation. For example, targeted optimization of production processes is possible in the context of work preparation, taking component-specific properties into account. This allows time-consuming, iterative optimization loops at shop floor level to be significantly reduced later on, or even avoided altogether.

The basic prerequisites for setting up the digital twin are highly accurate images of the resources intended for production and real-time simulation models for calculating the expected product parameters and product properties. It should be noted, however, that this digital transformation is to be understood more as an evolution than a revolution and can therefore be implemented successively in industrial practice.

EXAPT - the target achievement lab for the digital twin

With EXAPT's software solutions, the potentials shown can also be developed for small and medium-sized companies.

Because with our software, in addition to the basic elements for turning, drilling and milling, you can also use more advanced technologies such as EXAPT machine simulation or EXAPT collision control to simulate your CAM program as close to production as possible.

In addition, you can use the EXAPT CAM system to generate machine simulations with the entire machine. With the prepared machine model, you achieve a simulation of the machine room that is true to production. Optional fade-in and fade-out of machine components allows an insight into otherwise hidden areas.

With the EXAPTsimulation/view extension, you also reduce the setup and run-in times of your production. When setting up the machine, the operator has the option of simulating the planned machining sequence close to the machine.

Convince yourself and soon use the advantages of the EXAPT software to bring your digital twin to life!

Your advantages at a glance:

  • High fidelity machine simulation
  • Highly accurate material removal simulation
  • Reduction of setup & run-in times
  • Mapping of control behavior
  • Modular design and step-by-step implementation

Free EXAPT Demo

Experience the digital shopfloor live

Digital twin of a Heller CP4000

Digital twin of a Hermle C20

Tobias Hermanns-Krott
Tobias Hermanns-Krott
Milan Blagojevic
Milan Blagojevic
Ricardo Letzian