May 2022 Volume 4

AUTOMATION

Digital Twin Technology The digitization of industrial equipment and processes is generating reams of data to which analytical techniques can be applied – in real time -- toward the improvement of product quality, output, manufacturing efficiency and other parameters. One such technique is the use of Digital Twins to study manufactured products and the equipment/processes used to produce them. At its essence, a Digital Twin is a virtual representation that serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process. The concept originated at the University of Michigan in 2002, but the first practical use of DT technology was by NASA to improve physical model simulation of a spacecraft in 2010. As the result of the interconnectivity of smart equipment with other mechanical and/or electronic assets, Digital Twins have become more commonplace in manufacturing. Dr. Gracious Ngaile is a professor at North Carolina State University and, as a FIERF Magnet School Professor, is well-known to the forging community. At NC State, Prof. Ngaile teaches a graduate course called Digital Manufacturing in which Digital Twin technology figures prominently. “The Digital Twin can play a critical role in enhancing part quality and productivity. Current forging operations involve several subsystems that exhibit inherent variances or disturbances that directly affect the quality of forged products,” says Dr. Ngaile. In most modern forges these variances cause the forging line to be stopped at regular intervals to make necessary adjustments in equipment and practices to keep production flowing. This stoppage results in costly downtime, excess wear and tear on manufacturing systems and likely an increased scrap rate. In a FIERF-sponsored project, Ngaile is working with industry partner Bharat Forge, in Sanford, North Carolina, to implement this “cyber-physical” fusion that is a Digital Twin and monitor the activities of a Lasco press forming aluminum parts. The architecture of the simulation-based Digital Twin is developed such that it can

Hot Edge Detection: The Future of Forge

during forging. HED allows for automatic detection and collection of information on the shape change occurring during forging. HED uses a system of cameras that can identify wavelength radiation emitted by hot objects and pinpoint the edges of the object safely and remotely. Once the edges have been detected, the information can be fed into a computer, which then measures the geometric evolution of hot forged parts during deformation. Through HED we can execute the forging process and examine the billet in real time. By integrating this monitoring system into the industrial process, we can learn how to implement and develop a more accurate modelling system to make forging more efficient in the future. The digital elements of the forging process will develop over time, and so too will our understanding of it. The integration of Industry 4.0 within a traditional manufacturing process does not come without challenges, but it unlocks a unique offering for the forging industry on a global scale and hot edge detection is part of that journey. To find out more about hot edge detection and how we are embedding Industry 4.0 into the forging process visit www.nmis.scot.

Alaster McDonach, Senior Manufacturing Engineer, University of Strathclyde's Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) Group, Scotland Anastasia Khatunsteva, Digital Manufacturing Engineer,NMISDigital Factory, Scotland Constantinos Vassiades, PhD candidate sponsored by Core Members of the AFRC Forging has historically been resistant to Industry 4.0, which has resulted in an ancient process existing in a modern world where the majority of industrial forging equipment offers limited data collection and storage capabilities. The lag in data is mostly a reflection of the harsh environmental conditions associated with forging, which makes it less amenable to Industry 4.0. If we can get beyond this and use data to truly understand a material's behavior as it is forged, quality improvements can be met by digitizing key process parameters. Together, the NMIS Digital Factory and Advanced Forming Research Centre is looking at ways to embed digitization into the core of the forging process. As part of that research, we are using hot edge detection (HED) to gain surface evaluation of a billet

The Advanced Forming Research Center at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland

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