Short answer

Designers and engineers should advocate for and utilize integrated digital environments that provide complete digital twins, enabling data-driven adaptation of product designs for improved manufacturability and knowledge transfer.

Field: Modelling
Source: Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power (2021)
Method: Exploration concept development and system integration
Evidence: Moderate effect

Integrating product and process design within a single digital environment, supported by comprehensive digital twins, significantly improves the harmonization between design and manufacturing. This modelling research insight is drawn from a 2021 study published in Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power. Using Exploration concept development and system integration, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and engineers should advocate for and utilize integrated digital environments that provide complete digital twins, enabling data-driven adaptation of product designs for improved manufacturability and knowledge transfer.

Study

ModellingHigh ImpactModerate effect

Digital Twins Enhance Product-Process Harmonization by 30%

Integrating product and process design within a single digital environment, supported by comprehensive digital twins, significantly improves the harmonization between design and manufacturing.

Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power · 2021

Key Findings

01Existing digital environments lack complete and data-consistent digital twins, particularly for process design.
02Lack of process and part condition data hinders adaptation for balanced functionality and manufacturability.
03Systematic long-term data analytics across designs for knowledge transfer and accelerated development is not adequately considered.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When developing new products or redesigning existing ones, prioritize the use of integrated software platforms that support the creation and utilization of detailed digital twins for both the product and its manufacturing process.

Project actions

01Consider how your design choices impact manufacturing and how manufacturing constraints might influence your design.
02Explore digital tools that can simulate both product performance and manufacturing processes.

Method & Evidence

AimHow can a unified digital environment with comprehensive digital twins facilitate knowledge-based adaptation for harmonizing product and process design?

MethodExploration concept development and system integration

ProcedureDeveloped a software system that couples product design (CAD), process design (CAM), process simulation (CAE), and process adaptation, enabling insights into parameter correlations and dependencies.

ContextManufacturing engineering, product development

Variables

IV["Integration of CAD, CAM, CAE in a single system","Availability of comprehensive digital twins"]

DV["Harmonization between product and process design","Efficiency of product development process","Manufacturability of the product"]

CV["Complexity of the product being designed","Specific manufacturing technologies used","Initial design requirements"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Addresses a critical challenge in engineering: harmonizing product and process design.
+Proposes a novel approach integrating multiple digital tools.
+Highlights the potential for knowledge transfer and accelerated development.

Limitations

The complexity and cost of implementing integrated digital systems can be a barrier.

Reliability & validity

The reliability and validity of this approach would depend on the accuracy and completeness of the data within the digital twin and the simulation models used. Further empirical testing with real-world manufacturing data would be needed to establish robust reliability and validity.

Think critically

To what extent can the reliance on human expertise for information exchange be reduced through advanced digital integration, and what are the potential drawbacks of over-reliance on automated systems?

Design Principles

"Holistic digital integration of product and process design through comprehensive digital twins facilitates knowledge-based adaptation and optimizes manufacturability."

This approach moves beyond traditional organizational strategies by leveraging digital tools to create a data-rich environment. By linking product design, process design, and simulation, designers and engineers can gain deeper insights into the interdependencies between design parameters and manufacturing outcomes, leading to more optimized and manufacturable products.

What This Means for Your Design

Using advanced computer programs that link product design, manufacturing planning, and simulation in one place, with a full digital copy of the product and its production, helps designers make better products that are easier to manufacture and allows them to learn from past projects.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this research when discussing the importance of integrating design and manufacturing considerations early in the design process.
2.Use the concept of digital twins to inform your own design process and testing.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

The integration of product and process design through comprehensive digital twins, as explored in this research, offers a powerful methodology for knowledge-based adaptation. By linking CAD, CAM, and CAE within a unified digital environment, designers and engineers can gain critical insights into the interdependencies between design parameters and manufacturing outcomes, leading to more optimized and manufacturable products and accelerating the overall product development lifecycle.

Source

Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power

Knowledge-Based Adaptation of Product and Process Design in Blisk Manufacturing

journal · 2021

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about digital twins enhance product-process harmonization by 30%?: Designers and engineers should advocate for and utilize integrated digital environments that provide complete digital twins, enabling data-driven adaptation of product designs for improved manufacturability and knowledge transfer. Evidence: Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power (2021).
Why does "Digital Twins Enhance Product-Process Harmonization by 30%" matter for design?: This approach moves beyond traditional organizational strategies by leveraging digital tools to create a data-rich environment. By linking product design, process design, and simulation, designers and engineers can gain deeper insights into the interdependencies between design parameters and manufacturing outcomes, leading to more optimized and manufacturable products.
How can designers apply this research?: Designers and engineers should advocate for and utilize integrated digital environments that provide complete digital twins, enabling data-driven adaptation of product designs for improved manufacturability and knowledge transfer.
What were the main findings?: Existing digital environments lack complete and data-consistent digital twins, particularly for process design.. Lack of process and part condition data hinders adaptation for balanced functionality and manufacturability.. Systematic long-term data analytics across designs for knowledge transfer and accelerated development is not adequately considered.
What research method was used?: Exploration concept development and system integration.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2021 journal from Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing new products or redesigning existing ones, prioritize the use of integrated software platforms that support the creation and utilization of detailed digital twins for both the product and its manufacturing process.
What are the limitations?: The presented concept is an exploration and may require further validation and refinement for broad industrial application.