Principal investigator: Speicher, Terry, Charles Stricker, Joanna DeFranco
University: Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus
Industry partners: Duryea Technologies
As part of Industry 4.0, digital twins are revolutionizing manufacturing. However, they face several challenges to being implemented. These challenges relate to small manufacturing companies transitioning to smart manufacturing, and they include lack of practices related to instrumentation, automation, connectivity, and data analytics.
We propose an implementation design and validation plan to integrate digital twin technology at a small manufacturer. In our proof of concept, we will use computer numerical control (CNC) machinery to improve machine health and to enhance the quality of the fabricated part. Then, we will evolve the virtual representation in three stages from digital model to digital shadow to digital twin as data flows advance from manual to automated. We will develop the digital twin technology by involving undergraduate engineering students in developing models and analyzing data to optimize the manufacturing process of the clamp ring for an air filter canister fabricated at Duryea Technologies.