Digital twin applications are beginning to see widespread adoption throughout several different sectors, including manufacturing. This innovative technology has the potential to make such a significant impact on science and industry that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy created a committee dedicated to developing a strategic plan for digital twins.
The aerospace and defense manufacturing industries in particular are taking advantage of digital twin technology. For example, NASA is working on building a digital twin of the Michoud Assembly Facility – a large manufacturing facility with 40 acres of manufacturing space that is used to develop new space exploration capabilities. The digital twin of this facility will enable NASA to use computational data-driven modeling to decrease costs, make production more efficient, and improve quality.
As usage of digital twins continues to increase, manufacturers are hoping to utilize this technology to take on some of the most challenging computational modeling efforts. Digital twins are helping the industrial and scientific communities push the boundaries of what is possible. With this technology, users can see a whole system in real-time, giving them an enhanced perspective and better understating of how the different parts of a system or process all work together as a whole.
Continuing adoption of digital twin technology has implications for the manufacturing world today and in the future. One day it will likely be necessary for a company to remain competitive, especially within the aerospace and defense manufacturing sectors. Digital twins are poised to transform not just how we work in the future, but also how we interact with the world around us.