At Future Cast, in partnership with TYR3D, we see the ‘digital twin’ becoming more and more relevant within companies’ operational activities. Industry 4.0 technologies have always been a driver within Future Cast, so it was no surprise that digital twin technology was advanced as a key pursuit.

With our expertise and our collaboration with TYR3D on technology, we are working on how the ‘digital twin’ can benefit industry in 3D interactive training and asset management.

Our journey in the digital twin technology has intensified over the past two years, however, it has not been all plain sailing. With all new technologies: integration with existing systems, proven track records and results, cost, quality, security, reliability and scalability are all preconceived barriers for implementation by companies. We have worked hard on improving on these areas, some of which we had underestimate, as the technology speaks for itself.

The development of the ‘digital twin technology’ course has allowed us to engage with industry: on their requirements and their expectations. This has helped us understand how, where and when the technology might be best suited.

As with any new technology, the digital twin has to be maintained, updated and monitored, so investment, by-in and ownership within an organisation needs to be established.

Understanding how the technology can improve productivity within an organisation can be challenging for decision makers, so a focus on industry needs, in the first instance, is crucial.

Another interesting observation we have noticed along the way is that the digital twin offers so much to so many industries, and becoming a subject matter expert in a particular industry with a particular requirement can seem restrictive; however, it may prove the best strategy over time, who knows, we will just have to see.

We are always innovating and seeing what more could be done with the technology, and while great and exciting as that is, this can be distracting, as just because the technology can do something does not make it relevant or useful to industry.

What is it?

The digital twin means many different things to different people. We are focusing on:

• The digital capture: whether a landscape, building, process, piece of equipment, right down to a small manufacturing part. Staging of the capture and capability of the equipment are critical;
• The processing: of that digital data captured, the use of data file types and the weight of the data are key to what ultimately and how the data, is presented;
• The presentation of the data: use of digital twin platforms and the combination and overlay of existing data.

How it helps

Improving communication, visualisation, decision making, operational aid, future proofing and product or process promotion are some of the main benefits to industry by having a digital twin.

With previous work experience in manufacturing, we were aware of some of the challenges faced in those highly pressurised and time limited environments.

We noticed that information, while there is a lot of it, is stored in different systems each with their own access points, so it takes time to reach the information critical to getting the task completed.

Obviously, there are reasons for this, and we do not envisage the digital twin replacing these qualified systems; however, the digital twin can aim to decrease that time allowing technicians and decision makers who need to act fast or make decisions based on multiple data sources.

It also limits errors by operators and technicians who can rely on the visual capture the digital twin provides to validate their actions or review issues with their line managers and external vendors.

Interestingly, the digital twin helps with organisations' carbon footprint, by limiting the need for being at a particular piece of equipment or process to discuss problems or new/upgrading projects. This can be very useful when dealing with international stakeholders, not to mention the time and logistics involved.

Improving training and asset management

We have focused on a number of key areas which we feel is important to the end user:

• The information to be obtained;
• How it can be presented;
• Training on how to use it effectively.

The size of the data captured and how it is processed is where we focus most of our technical efforts. The presentation of the data, which is equally as important, needs to be user friendly, and quickly accessible.

So, I suppose, like any information platform, the flow of information needs to be standardised throughout different projects, where the end user is familiar and expects similar patterns to be followed. 

Future Cast’s new R&D facility – One of our first digital twin projects.

Bringing training to life by visualising standard operating procedures was our main aim of developing the 3D interactive training solution. We see it as a valuable aid which does not aim to replace the existing qualified training documentation, but adds the visual aspect, particularly if trainees are taking training on processes or equipment without seeing the actual process or equipment beforehand.

An example of a digital twin – 3D interactive training.

Another area that the digital twin provides a practical solution is in the asset management of process equipment. Having detailed digital replicas of installed equipment not just equipment manuals, allows individualised asset management which can complement building management systems or Scada systems. The ability for operators or technicians to interact with the digital twin further strengthens the need and relevance.

An example of a digital twin – Asset Management (click here to have sneak peek).

How the industry shapes our direction

We are always interested to see organisations moving towards embracing new technologies and what motivated their decisions to do so. Ultimately, the technology has to be value added, and new technology needs time to prove itself with returns of productivity and profitability.

Data security is a concern with the majority of organisations we talk to, while on the other hand future proofing of assets is an area that organisations are focusing on due to concerns around subject matter experts moving on or retiring and assisting disaster recovery plans.

The digital twin course keeps us in tune with industry movements and it highlights the different industries' approach to embracing new technologies and concerns of implementing such technologies.

Where we are and future plans

We feel we are still very much at the beginning of the digital twin journey, although we have moved on very much from a technology perspective with respect to digital capture equipment and platform usage.

We are very much now focused on industry engagement and integration of the digital twin. Ultimately, after discussing with senior management, finance, and IT, it is crucial that technicians and operators understand and embrace the technology – their support is essential to make it a truly worthwhile pursuit.

Our future plans involve staying in touch with the latest technologies, delivering our Digital Twin Technology 1 Day course through Engineers’ Ireland (seven CPD points) and in collaboration with Industry 4.0 Skillnet providing partial funding to the private sector.

We feel there will be a natural progression for organisations towards adopting digital twin technology. We are interested in pursuing anything that helps and improves employee training, reduces operational errors, and minimises downtime.

This Industry 4.0 Skillnet course is funded up to 40% through the ESF+ programme, which it is a social funding initiative co-funded by the government and the European Union (www.eufunds.ie) aimed at promoting awareness and advocating for equal opportunities for all individuals to undertake upskilling or reskilling and advancing their careers. 

Industry 4.0 Skillnet course

• Our new course Digital Twin Technology ESF+ Course will take place on Monday, September 23, at Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4;
• You can find the course details at the link above or for queries and to book your place, please contact the CPD Training Team at cpdtraining@engineersireland.ie or 01 6651305.

Authors: Mark McGowan, technology specialist, has more than 23 years’ experience as a cabinet maker in the wood technology sector and has extensive knowledge of Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) milling/manufacturing processes. He has been involved in the 3D technology world since 1999 and 3D printing since 2013. He is now working on 3D concrete printing research and development within Future Cast. McGowan leads the technology, digital capture and data processing aspects of the digital twin technology development within Future Cast. For further information, email: mark@futurecast.info Tel. +353 (0)87 4362417. Patrick O’Donnell, Future Cast consultant. He has worked in the construction industry in various roles for more than 10 years on civil engineering infrastructure projects; food processing facilities; water treatment facilities; and most recently with Future Cast on projects development and digital twin technology development. He also has seven years' facilities management experience within the manufacturing industry. O'Donnell provides consultancy to Future Cast on digital twin development. Email: patrick@futurecast.info

Future Cast

Future Cast is an Innovation, Education, and R&D centre focused on the Construction, Manufacturing and Quarrying industries. We promote the adoption of innovative technologies and provide subsidised training through Industry 4.0 Skillnet Network.

Supporting the growth of businesses by enhancing industry specific skills and knowledge, broadening access to skills development opportunities and encouraging ongoing professional development.  

We work with companies to identify their training needs and assist them on their digital transition journey. Our extensive knowledge and industry expertise will help tackle business challenges successfully.