VIRTUAL PROTOTYPING AND DIGITAL TWIN

Virtual Prototyping may be defined as a method for product development, in which the system performance is assessed by means of a digital model, so as to identify/solve design flaws before physical testing.

At present, Virtual Prototypes (VP) can simulate mechanical/mechatronic systems, starting from the geometrical and parametric representation of parts, the study of complex devices during their motion (i.e. Multi-Body analysis), the verification and optimization of their structural behavior (i.e. Finite Element models), up to the simulation of the overall manufacturing procedure.

As such, VP generation requires the extensive use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Engineering (CAE), and Manufacturing (CAM) tools, along with their seamless integration.

Similarly, a Digital Twin (DT) can be described as a digital replica of a physical system including data concerning its interaction with the environment. Nowadays, DTs are commonly known as key enablers for the Industry 4.0 & 5.0 frameworks, and they embed a bidirectional & closed-loop communication between virtual and physical spaces, thus allowing adaptive/real-time plant optimization.

Within this scenario, the research aims at exploiting VPs and DTs as effective tools for product/process development, possibly allowing to identify the best architectures while reducing time-to-market. Envisaged fields of application include aerospace, automotive, robotics, healthcare, manufacturing, inspection/maintenance, agrifood.

Keywords:
Integrated Design; Computer-Aided Engineering; Virtual Prototyping; Digital Twin; Digital Shadow.