Digital Twins for Smart Manufacturing

Smart manufacturing is a vital part of the broader concept of Industry 4.0. Its foundation is the bridge between virtual and physical environments, developed on the Internet of Things (IoT) and other contemporary technologies, such as cloud systems, data analytics, and machine learning. A cutting process controlled by digital twins can be a modern solution for manufacturing. To ensure the correct behavior of a complex manufacturing system, modern engineering uses model-based simulation and data analysis to predict the outcome, optimize, adjust, and evaluate at all stages, not only in the initial design, but also in the development, production, and monitoring phases. Such continuous data collection using virtual twin simulation and physical twin experimentation is related to modified vibratory turning and drilling tool structures, macro- and micro-drilling processes, improving the quality of grinding operations, and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) prediction methods for robotic sheet forming. As applications of the latter process gain momentum, solutions associated with local heating of the polymer sheet become more acceptable than expensive 3D printing processes, while the replacement of eco-unfriendly lubrication by ultrasonic metal sheet excitation allows the problems of the green economy to be addressed more quickly.