Versatile Digital Doppelgänger
Dr. Rolf Reinema, responsible at ZF for the IT infrastructure and IT in engineering and production, among other things, explains the special features and extraordinary advantages of the "digital twin" process for the automotive industry of tomorrow.
What Is a Digital Twin?
A digital twin is the virtual representation of a physical object, system or process. It is a digital copy of its real-world counterpart. The digital twin accompanies a product, for example, over its entire life cycle from the initial idea through development, production and use, to recycling or disposal.
What Applications Are There for These Versatile Digital Solutions?
In development, they serve to simulate and optimize the functions of products – even before physical prototypes have been manufactured. They can shorten development times, reduce costs and improve product quality. In production, the digital twin is used to optimize manufacturing processes, plan plants and carry out virtual commissioning. The earlier a digital twin of a product becomes available, the earlier production planning and setup can begin. During operation, digital twins allow for performance prediction and support the predictive maintenance of products.
What Are the Special Advantages of Such Virtual Representations?
Digital twins deliver a whole array of benefits. They increase efficiency, for example, as they accelerate development and thus shorten the time to market. At the same time, they can be used to detect weak points and errors at an early stage and thus optimize products better. The need for fewer physical prototypes and fewer tests reduces costs. Since all decisions are made on the basis of data when using digital twins, product and process quality is improved.
Dr. Rolf Reinema, responsible for IT Infrastructure & Operations, IT Security, Production IT, Engineering IT, Quality IT
Are There Other Advantages?
Absolutely, take sustainability for example: Digital twins reduce the use of resources and ensure optimized processes. To this end, they increase flexibility by accelerating the adaptation of products or processes to changing requirements. And let's not forget that they can also drive innovation. New business models and services are often based on the data of a digital twin.
Where Does ZF Rely on Digital Twins?
As already mentioned, ZF uses digital twins throughout the entire product life cycle. We use them in products to improve their performance, quality and cost. With their help, we develop new functions and assistance systems. We also use them to improve production lines, for example by optimizing layouts and material flow. Digital twins also enhance sustainability because they can work toward reducing energy consumption and waste in production.
Can These Simulations Replace Practical Tests?
No, while digital twins can reduce the number of physical tests by providing virtual environments for simulations, they are not a complete substitute for real-world prototypes. Complementary physical tests are often required to confirm the simulation results.
...Which Brings Us to the Reliability of the Data of a Digital Twin.
The data quality of a digital twin is crucial for the value of the information it provides. The reliability of the data depends on the quality of the input data and on the calibration with real-world scenarios. ZF ensures high data quality and reliability of the results. We achieve this through consistent data models that are reviewed regularly, as well as through precise measurements and rigorous validation processes.
Rolf Reinema explains in an interview why digital twins are indispensable in many areas.
How Does ZF Further Develop The "Digital Twin" Approach?
Our engineers are increasingly integrating AI and machine learning into digital twins to achieve even more accurate predictions. Future developments are moving toward linking digital twins with platforms such as Catena-X for seamless data integration along the automotive value chain.
Are There External Requirements for Digital Twins?
Yes, there are. Beyond the requirements of the Catena-X initiative for end-to-end digital mapping of products and processes along the entire value chain, customers and partners are also showing a growing interest in digital twins. Ultimately, cooperation can be optimized with this technology and new business models developed. To this end, digital twins ensure greater transparency, traceability and efficiency with products.
