Overview

Digitalisation is an essential aspect of sustainable design and manufacturing. Effective use of digital technologies such as “digital twins”, “digital thread”, and “digital testing” can increase productivity and reduce waste across manufacturing sectors, primarily by reducing the need for physical prototypes in design and testing and establishing more connected manufacturing processes within industry and supply chains. For example, increased digital testing reduces the need for physical testing, which currently accounts for 30-50% of development costs in the automotive or aerospace industries.Although “digital thread”, “digital twins”, and “digital testing” are becoming common terms, there is often a lack of a shared understanding about how these are defined in different industries, especially in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and also in academia.This workshop aims to work towards a shared understanding of “digital thread” and “digital twins” and how these technologies can support digital testing processes. This will be achieved by bringing together academic and technical experts and people with a general interest to discuss and co-create solutions collaboratively.

Who should attend?

The workshop should be of interest to people working in a broad range of industries who use or seek to use digital technologies to collaborate and co-create sustainable design and manufacturing processes. We welcome individuals from industry, academia, industrial and research clusters that may already be working together to support the digitalisation of sustainable manufacturing, as well as those who are considering their use in future projects.

Why attend?

The workshop will provide a forum for academic and industrial organisations to explore current challenges and potential solutions with regard to the adoption of digital technologies in sustainable design and manufacture. The workshop will help participants improve their understanding of how digital twins and digital threads can support digital testing through facilitated small-group and informal discussions. It will also offer a platform to gather knowledge and expertise from subject experts. Building on these discussions, it will offer opportunities to initiate collaborations and establish clusters to support the development of digital technologies and processes for sustainable manufacturing.

About the Project

Managing physical testing activities in product design and manufacturing brings contradictory industrial challenges. On one hand, the need for physical testing increases as new technologies are introduced into products to meet sustainability targets, especially for product validation and quality assurance. For example, the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy highlights the need for enhanced testing across different uses and stages of new technologies, including low-carbon hydrogen production and heat recovery (HM Government, 2021). On the other hand, digitalisation supports sustainable design and manufacturing and drives towards reduced physical testing and more digital testing. But, the acceptance of digital testing to replace physical testing is still an issue.The Open University, in collaboration with AMRC, aims to establish a research cluster with academics and industrial organisations to work together to develop methods and tools to support the digitalisation of the testing processes in manufacturing.

Agenda

9.30 - Registration

10.00-10.10 Welcome

10.10-10.30 Introductory discussion- Introduce each other and understand the key terms “digital twin”, “digital thread”, and “digital testing.”

10.30-11.00 - Report back, introductions and definitions

11.00-11.20 Break

11.20-11.50 Keynote address, followed by Q&A

11.50-12.30 Introduction to workshop aims and academic perspective

12.30-13.15 Lunch

13.15-14.00 Group discussion

- How can digital twins and digital threads help digital testing?

- Key challenges?

14.00-14.20 - Report back to the group

- Three key challenges?

14.20-14.45 Examples and Expert input on tackling challenges, current capabilities

- AMRC

- Helen Lockett, The Open University

- Khadija Tahera, The Open University

14.45-15.45 Group discussion

- Response to challenges

- Next steps?

15.45 Workshop close

Followed by an optional tour of the AMRC factory Whole group

Digital twin, digital thread and testing for sustainable manufacturing