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Main Applications of The Digital Twins
The digital twin market has experienced a significant growth of 71% between 2020 and 2022, with 63% of manufacturers currently developing or planning to develop a digital twin. The latest Digital Twin Market Report for 2023-2027 highlights the six main applications of digital twins, including system prediction, simulation, asset interoperability, maintenance, visualization, and product simulation.
As many companies embark on digital transformation initiatives that involve creating digital replicas of physical assets, understanding the nuances of different types of digital twins and their activity hotspots can help vendors focus their efforts and end-users select the most valuable initiatives.
Digital Twin application 1: System prediction
One of the most common applications of digital twins is system prediction, accounting for 30% of analyzed projects. These digital twins are utilized to predict the behavior and future state of entire systems, including factories, buildings, wind farms, and even cities during their operational or optimization phases. Predictive models lie at the heart of these digital twins, leveraging current data and operational history to forecast future outcomes.
Digital Twin application 2: System simulation
28% of analyzed digital twin projects were focused on system simulation. This involves simulating entire systems during their build, operate, or optimize life cycle phases. By doing so, engineers can test various scenarios with many interlinked variables at play, which is not possible in product-level simulations. For instance, system simulations can be used to simulate factories before opening or making significant changes, rail networks, or traffic. The primary advantage of such simulations is cost reduction by testing asset types, operational parameters, and other critical system variables before implementing changes.
Digital Twin application 3: Asset interoperability
Digital twins are becoming increasingly popular in the world of asset interoperability, with 24% of analyzed projects falling under this category. These digital twins allow for streamlined data formats and standardized data input/output during the “operate” or “optimize” life cycle phase. By extracting real-time data from assets, including features, characteristics, properties, statuses, parameters, measurement data, and capabilities, asset interoperability twins provide a standardized way to address assets and integrate new assets into the overall system. Many initiatives align with industry consortia’s interoperability frameworks to achieve this goal. Overall, digital twins are proving to be a valuable tool for asset interoperability in various industries.
Digital Twin application 4: Maintenance
21% of analyzed projects falling under this category. These digital twins are designed to assist systems during the maintenance phase of their life cycle, often utilizing predictive capabilities. By providing detailed information about physical assets or systems, maintenance personnel can use digital twins to ensure operational effectiveness during scheduled downtime or repair tasks. Additionally, predictive maintenance use cases can prevent asset failures and costly downtimes altogether. Overall, digital twins are proving to be a valuable tool for optimizing maintenance processes and improving system performance.
Digital Twin application 5: System visualization
One-fifth of the digital twin projects analyzed are focused on system visualization, which involves using the digital twin to provide a visual representation of a system during its operational phase. This is achieved through the use of 3D visual elements, often created using CAD drawings, which enhance transparency and provide insights into the current operating conditions of the system.
Digital Twin application 6: Product simulation
9% of the analyzed digital twin projects are considered digital twins for product simulation, where a (future) product is being simulated during the “design” or “build” life cycle phase. By simulating a product during the design or build phase, companies can test out different designs without the need for costly prototypes. This allows them to quickly test thousands or even millions of product variations, saving time and money in the process. Product simulation digital twins are often closely linked to computer-aided engineering (CAE) software and can simulate everything from fluid dynamics to mechanical performance and electromagnetics. Overall, digital twins are proving to be an invaluable tool for developing new and improved products.
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