The concept of digital twins in the manufacturing industry: A study untangling the digital twin concept to utilize its benefits
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Production engineering (MPPEN), MSc
Publicerad
2020
Författare
Hultgren, Jenny
Lundström, Klara
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The manufacturing industry of today is challenged by highly competitive and dynamic
markets, changed customer behavior and new technologies applied in manufacturing
industry seeking to improve productivity and efficiency. The concept of
digital twins has entered the manufacturing scene as an important part of this technology
development and Industry 4.0. The concept has attained large interest in
academia in the recent years but the diffuseness of the concept still remains. This
thesis explores the concept of digital twins in the manufacturing industry. Through
a literature review and an interview study with representatives from the industry,
the definition of the concept of digital twins has been explored further and a remarkable
diversity in the view of the concept of digital twins has been found both
in academia and industry. In this thesis two different types of digital twins have
been identified: a product digital twin and a factory digital twin. These digital twins
enable, among other things, improved productivity and efficiency in the manufacturing
industry. When implementing digital twins in the manufacturing industries
change management, clear communication, compatible systems and clearly stated
use cases regarding the digital twin need to be established. Moreover, the concept
of digital twins is still in its infancy and because of its diffuseness, further research
could therefore focus on how the the evolution of the definition of digital twins can
merge to a common understanding.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
digital twin, definition, Industry 4.0, manufacturing , smart manufacturing, interview study, benefit.