Realization of a digital twin for welded assemblies in an industrial manufacturing environment using an ISA-95 compliant framework

In order to reduce fuel consumption, aero engines are increasingly made from complex welded assemblies rather than singular monolithic castings. This increases variability in the manufacturing process, calling for an advanced geometry assurance approach to ensure adequate quality. Digital twins for geometry assurance have previously been suggested as way of increasing the precision of welded assemblies. However, these systems have mostly remained at the conceptual or experimental level, and their potential has not been realized in the industrial environment. No clear and unanimous view exists for industrial implementation of digital twins for manufacturing. This paper proposes a digital twin for welded assemblies, combined with a roadmap for industrial implementation based on established industry standards. The proposed digital twin functionality is based on individual locator adjustment combined with a genetic optimization algorithm and a non-nominal weld simulation method. This functionality is organized into the ISO 23247 framework to facilitate the information flow within the digital twin and support efficient implementation. To ensure compatibility with the industrial environment, an extended activity model based on the widely used ISA-95 standard is introduced based on the activities defined within the ISO 23247 framework implementation. This extended activity model for digital twins has a networked structure, enabling fast and direct information exchange between different activities while maintaining compliance with the ISA-95 information model. This lays the foundation for a digital thread to support the digital twin with relevant data. By combining the digital twin with existing frameworks, a full methodology is formed for the industrial implementation and realization of the proposed digital twin for welded assemblies. Finally, a case study shows how a digital twin implementation in Matlab and RD&T can decrease variation in a welded assembly. This methodology is applicable for implementation of a wide range of digital twin functionalities within industrial environments based on the ISA-95 standard.