Using open-source microcontrollers to enable digital twin communication for smart manufacturing

One of the key enabling technologies for the smart factory is the Digital Twin, which can be described as a digital model of a physical entity. In smart manufacturing, a digital twin, also referred to as a cyber-physical production system, comprises three integrated components: the product, the process and the machine. In this paper, the design, fabrication and development of a proof of principal manufacturing digital twin demonstrator is discussed. The manufacturing process is a V-bending operation of a thin metallic plate. All three components of a manufacturing digital twin are represented: the metallic plate product, the bending process and the bending machine. Low-cost, IoT-enabled, open-source microcontrollers are used to communicate between the physical and the digital twins. The microcontroller is used to control machine operations, while also extracting sensor data from the system. It is demonstrated that the digital twin enables real-time stress prediction in the product during the bending process, while also tracking and recording machine performance. An information dashboard has also been developed which presents key performance indicators to the end user.