Digital Twin Evolution Model and Its Applications in Intelligent Manufacturing

As a key enabling technology for the cyber-physical fusion of intelligent manufacturing, the digital twin has drawn extensive concern. And how to build a digital twin model has become a current research hotspot. At present, digital twin models are mostly focused on conceptual abstraction or specific engineering applications, and seldom consider how to construct and apply digital twin models step by step from the perspective of construction methods and processes. Therefore, this paper proposed the digital twin evolution model (DTEM), which divides the construction and application process of the digital twin into three evolution stages, namely digital model, digital shadow, and digital twin. Then, the application methods, key technologies and tool platforms of each evolution stage were discussed. And the typical applications of DTEM were explored, including intelligent equipment, intelligent production, and intelligent operation and maintenance. The applications show that the proposed model provides a feasible technical route and useful application reference for the step-by-step implementation of digital twins in intelligent manufacturing. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.