A generic asset model for implementing product digital twins in smart remanufacturing

Abstract

A digital twin is a “live” virtual replica of a sensorised component, product, process, human, or system. It accurately copies the entity being modelled by capturing information in real time, or near real time, from the entity, through embedded sensors and the Internet-of-Things. Many applications of digital twins in the manufacturing industry have been investigated. This article focuses on, and contributes to, the development of product digital twins to reduce the impact of quantity, quality, and demand uncertainties in remanufacturing. Starting from issues specific to remanufacturing, the article derives the functional requirements for a product digital twin for remanufacturing and proposes a Unified Modelling Language (UML) model of a generic asset to be remanufactured. The model is used in an example which highlights the need to translate existing knowledge and data into an integrated system to realise a product digital twin, capable of supporting remanufacturing process planning.

Optimising remanufacturing decision-making using the bees algorithm in product digital twins

“…Using the list of uncertainties by Rizova et al 12 , namely, (1) demand for remanufactured products, (2) returns quality, (3) returns quantity, (4) lead time, (5) returns timing and (6) routing, it has already been shown that product DTs, which are digital models with details of how the product was used throughout its service life, can offer information on 2, 3, 4 and 5. On the other hand, a process DT, which models the remanufacturing operation, is likely to yield data enabling remanufacturers to handle 6 11 . In combining the two DTs to create an end-to-end DT, all uncertainties could be contested to some degree.…”

“…This research explores the inner workings of the decision-making module (DMM) identified in 11 and depicted in Fig. 1 as a key element of a remanufacturing-centric DT.…”

“…The questions that will drive this exploration include ‘what are the key variables that need to be incorporated into the DMM to come to a decision?’ and ‘if the remanufacturing business is to be managed to CE principles, how do the outputs of the DT feed into to triple-bottom line assessment and the decision as to whether or not an EoL product is recovered’? A multilevel digital twin (DT), incorporating a product and process DT, has been proposed to improve and automate decision-making for remanufacturing with the aim of improving the visibility of inbound core quantity, quality, demand, and processing opportunities 11 . In this research, a simulated product is digitally connected to a virtual version of the same product to trial the prediction modelling proposed.…”

“…A product DT comprises a real product in real space, a virtual product in virtual space, and the connections of data and information that tie the ‘products’ together 28 . The system design used in this work has been described in detail in 11 .…”

“…This has led to a sector that exhibits low levels of technology utilisation 10 . However, as technology and information systems advance and become more accessible, new opportunities arise to improve the management of uncertainties by providing near real-time information about a product’s in-use performance, making predictions around its EoL time and state, and autonomously assessing the multidimensional needs of the core and the business 11 .…”