Why 3D Digital Twins are the Stepping Stone for your Effective Digitization Journey

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Here are some of the real-world applications or use cases of 3D digital twin technology:

1.Factory layouts

Traditional factory layouts present a host of productivity-related challenges due to problems such as:

• Bottlenecks in goods movement
• Narrow aisles
• Wrongly-placed production equipment

Using 3D digital twins, manufacturers can improve the factory layout with real-time sensing data. With 3D simulation models, manufacturers can optimize the placement of their equipment or the addition of new storage spaces. Smart flexible factory layouts can help manufacturers adapt to growing demands or add more workers.

Here’s a case study of how a 3D “photorealistic” digital twin enabled a utility company to easily locate their factory assets.

2.Maintenance operations 

With 3D digital twin technology, manufacturing and energy utility companies can create and deploy virtual replicas of their physical assets and machines. By collecting and analyzing operational data, they can elevate their maintenance operations by:

• Detecting early-stage problems.
• Tracking performance metrics.
• Forecasting a potential downtime.

Further, engineering teams can share this operational data with other stakeholders, thus creating a data-driven operational strategy across the enterprise. For instance, an international automotive company deployed augmented reality for remote maintenance operations – enabled by a 3D digital twin platform.

3.Sustainable operations

With global problems like climate change and fast resource depletion, sustainable technology solutions are an essential need for manufacturers and utility companies. Using 3D digital twin, smart manufacturers can reduce their carbon footprint by:

• Optimizing the utilization of available resources.
• Reducing energy consumption.
• Improving waste management through data-driven recycling practices.
• Minimizing equipment shutdowns through data-driven predictive maintenance.

As an example, manufacturers of perishable foods can reduce wastage by using 3D digital twins to monitor temperature. It can determine the external factors that can spoil perishable foods. Similarly, with IoT integration, general manufacturers can optimize their recycling process by collecting real-time data on:

• Fill rates on recycling bins
• Composition of recycled material

A leading Japanese HVAC consultation firm leveraged 3D digital twin technology to optimize the efficient use of HVAC systems across its smart buildings.

4.Remote operations

Along with connected IoT sensors, 3D digital twin technology is enabling real-time monitoring and remote operations in a distributed manufacturing environment. Remote operations teams can monitor real-time manufacturing data including:

• Temperature levels
• Pressure levels
• Production metrics
• Equipment performance

With this real-time operational data, maintenance teams can detect anomalies and recommend predictive maintenance to avoid expensive repairs. Enabled by an immersive digital twin environment,  business stakeholders can interact with remote production facilities and optimize their workflow.

Among the successful case studies, a construction firm created a digital twin of its on-site construction project and tracked the project’s progress.

How to build a 3D digital twin model

To build an efficient 3D digital twin model, companies must first create a virtual replica of their physical asset or object – along with a seamless connection to real-time data streams.

Here’s a 4-step process on how to implement a 3D digital twin:

1. Define the business goal or purpose of the 3D model.
2. Collect relevant data using advanced scanning methods like LiDAR or photogrammetry.
3. Implement real-time integration between the data sources and the 3D model to keep them synchronized.
4. Develop an intuitive UI for effective visualization and interaction with the 3D digital twin model.

Conclusion

To summarize, 3D digital twin technology holds a lot of promise in industry domains like manufacturing and utilities. Beyond simply a technological innovation, digital twin is now a journey into a sustainable future in the business domain.

Among the leading digital twin companies in India, Pratiti Technologies can help you build a variety of 3D digital twin models using photogrammetry. As part of Framence’s growing partner network, we have the necessary expertise to implement your next 3D digital twin project.

Are you looking for a reliable digital twin solution provider? Contact us today!