The Digital Plant Twin as the centre of communication and interaction between the planning team and simulation experts based on functional enhancements and interactivity optimizations

Under the paradigm of the “Digital Twin”, a wide variety of concepts are currently being implemented by companies and scientifically discussed by research institutions, which essentially involve the digital representation of products, processes and resources in order to achieve specific goals. Here, one area of application is the planning phase of production plants, in which they are digitally modelled, optimized and put into operation. The interaction with the Digital Twin of the production system used for this purpose is currently characterized by the fact that a simulation expert forms the sole interface between the digital representation and the rest of the planning team. Furthermore, Digital Twins are usually implemented at the local workstation of the respective expert using monolithic software tools. Future planning tasks in the context of development and production cannot be solved effectively in this way.

Through targeted further development and service-based integration of technologies in the area of the Digital Twin in the InterAcDT project, the existing digital planning and optimization of production systems is now being

1. functionally significantly extended, among other things by AI-based optimization algorithms,
2. made available to a wide range of users through novel interaction methods and web-based provision, and
3. illustrated by an accompanying methodology and derivation of best practices and made accessible for effective use in practice.

Thus, the interaction with the Digital Twin, currently monopolized by simulation experts, shall be developed towards an approach of collaborative use of Digital Twins. The resulting, collaboratively usable Digital Twin with new optimization functions represents a significant further development of the current state of the art. Thus, it enables an indirect increase in the planning quality and an economical production.

The InterAcDT project started on October 1, 2021 and will be funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (StMWi) for a period of 3 years. It can be assigned to the program part information and communication technology within the BayVFP funding line digitalization.

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