Virtual Reality Extension for Digital Twins of Machine Tools

Abstract

Digital twins (DTs) provide numerous opportunities for value creation in manufacturing. Services enabled by DTs include remote monitoring of assets' conditions and predictive maintenance. In this paper, we introduce novel, previously unexplored services based on a fully virtualized machine tool, which are targeted at increasing machine operators' productivity. This allows conducting procedures, such as operator training at a virtual machine tool, which results in the real machine tool being available for value adding activities. Beyond operator training, we envision further potential applications of the virtual machine tool including the run-in of new processes and collision detection.