Author: Dr. Yavuz Murtezaoglu, Founder and Managing Director of ModuleWorks
In the first article, I shared my 30 years’ experience in simulating CNC machines and in the second I looked at how CNC machines with integrated collision avoidance systems prevent crashes and made the bold claim that they might even eliminate all crashes by 2030.
This final article takes us to the latest evolution in simulation, where we talk about a simulation running live inside the CNC control, enabling the machine to become fully automated.
What is the best name for this type of simulation? Other industries use the term Digital Twin, which captures its essence well. As everything occurs in real time, I would like to call it a “Live Digital Twin”.
The Rise of Digital Twins
The huge success of NVIDIA in driving artificial intelligence (AI) with their chips and software platforms has been a catalyst for Digital Twins which are now a familiar feature of our industry. The Digital Twin is a virtual copy of machines and factories that enables AI to find optimal manufacturing solutions without having to perform any actual machining. With the Digital Twin, we can machine millions of scenarios virtually on the cloud and train the AI engine to find the best machining strategies for any given job. The results can help CNC operators, engineers and CAM programmers make quicker, smarter decisions that save time and costs on the shop floor.
We have only just begun tapping into the potential of Digital Twins for training AI engines. It is an exciting prospect. The global Digital Twin market is expected to grow annually by 36.9% across all industries, reaching a value of USD 412.0 billion by 2033[1]. AI will play a central role along with cloud-based solutions. As the technology matures, we can look forward to the developments it will bring to digital manufacturing.
But even without training the AI, Digital Twins are already generating value of their own and it is this immediate value that I would like to focus on.
Going Live with Digital Twins
A real time Digital Twin, what I call a “Live Digital Twin (LiDiT)”, would run in parallel with the CNC machine, and would even run one second ahead of the machining process. It knows every detail about the positions of the machine’s components at every millisecond. It knows which tool is being used, the in-process workpiece, the work holding, the material and the physical capabilities of the machine. With this knowledge, the LiDiT can stop the machine before a collision occurs, as I described in my previous article. It also has access to cutting process data, such as the spindle current, and feed drive data from the sensors and interprets this along with the calculated machine positions to create a complete and exact reconstruction of the machining physics.
The Live Digital Twin would perform all this in real time while the machine tool is running, making it a highly effective and constantly alert guardian that accurately monitors the cutting process and detects any anomalies, such as tool breakage, excessive tool wear or unexpected high loads on the tool. It can then take active measures to protect the machine, for example, adjusting the feed rate to bring cutting forces within the specified limits for the tool. Sometimes it will stop the machining process altogether when excessive forces cannot be corrected. Health monitoring extends to the spindle and feed drives, providing comprehensive coverage for safer, more efficient and more cost-effective machining.
[1] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/11/11/2978494/0/en/Digital-T%20wins-Market-Is-Expected-To-Reach-a-Revenue-Of-USD-412-O-Bn-By-2033-At-%2036-9-CAGR-Dimension-Market-Research.html
