AERO ENGINE ROUND TABLE “Beyond LEAN – Digital Twin”
On Wednesday November 21st 2018 the NAG organised (in combination with the DGTA) its seventh Aero Engine Round Table, this time held at the Digital Factory for Composites of Airborne / Siemens in The Hague. This round table session intented to provide participants with an overview of the latest development in process simulation based on the digital twin tool and to discuss the future potential of digital twins in providing an additional competitive advantgage for small & medium size companies.
Marcus Kremers (Airborne) kicked off with an introductory presentation showing the digital twin’s advantages in automated processes such as adaptive manufacturing. Pieter Dejonghe (Siemens) presented an overview of the various steps in the design and manufacturing processes where digital twins can play a role, and the importance of a closed loop system in order to allow machine learning to further improve the end-product. This was followed by a shop tour allowing the participants to experience real-life examples of digital twin applications.
The ensuing & lively round table discussion adressed questions such as the prime motivators to introduce the concept & application of digital twin, how a digital twin differs from applications such as VR / AR, and whether the advantages foreseen in the application of a digital twin outweigh the time & effort to develop a digital twin. In general, it was felt that in future having a digital twin of one’s product or manufacturing / maintenance process contributes to achieving a zero-fault product which in turn can improve the customer’s confidence in the company’s end-product / service delivered.
The round table closed with a networking session thus allowing for a more one-on-one sharing of opinions, experiences and business cards amongst the participants.