Administration shell based on the digital twin
Keep an eye on all system data digitally and transparently: More efficiency, more transparency, more quality.
Even in 2022, many historically grown systems still lack digitalization.
The so-called digital twin helps to display and manage values, processes, workflows and maintenance centrally, digitally and transparently. It is the basis for a Administration tray of the system over the entire life cycle. The data is thus made accessible to all stakeholders in collaborative work.
The data you have about your system - from the hardware description, recipes, protocols and control algorithms through to set values and maintenance intervals - is a treasure trove that needs to be unearthed. Looking at the system over its entire life cycle offers unimagined potential in terms of both quality and cost.
The key to exploiting this potential is the administration shell.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is an asset administration shell?
The digital twin is the technical data image of your system. It contains data on the installed components, as well as processes, value chains, recipes, target values and much more.
The "administration shell" is the entirety of all interfaces that make the digital twin accessible from the outside.
Here are some examples of such interfaces:
The "digital nameplate"
In contrast to the conventional type plate, the digital type plate can store significantly more extensive information about an asset. In addition to the manufacturer and the version of the hardware, access to documentation can be stored here, error messages can be explained and tutorial videos can be called up, right through to the flexible reordering of spare parts via an access point.
Definition of areas of application
For example, the operating parameters can be stored for different hardware. Up to what temperature can the hardware process the raw material? What is the maximum throughput? This allows the operator to see whether the asset can be used for the desired purpose.
Expected behavior
What speeds will a screw achieve with a certain material feed? If the window of expected parameters is defined, the system can warn in good time if any process is running outside the norm and intervene before damage occurs (predictive maintenance).
In addition to quality assurance, the asset administration shell also offers extensive options for optimizing efficiency and improving communication between those involved. While many parameters have to be recorded and stored for historical systems, these are already available for newly constructed systems and only need to be used.
RAMI stands for "Reference Architecture Model in Industry" and represents a system in the context of different approaches.
The RAMI maps the system on different axes. While the layers, similar to the OSI model in network technology, can abstract at different levels of abstraction from the specific hardware to the underlying value creation and business case, another axis abstracts from the temperature sensor to the administration shell.
(German Institute for Standardization e.V. (ed.) 2016b: p.19)
What data is stored in the digital twin and can be accessed via the asset administration shell?
In the past, either during the construction of a new system or during a subsequent analysis, tables were used to record which hardware from which manufacturer was used, how the raw materials flowed through the system and so on. The data was then no longer used; it was only kept for documentation purposes and was only used for subsequent expansions.
Opdenhoff collects extensive data on the system and incorporates it into the asset structure:
- Hardware
- Processes (recipes)
- Functions (control algorithms)
- Value chains
- Order numbers
- Values
- Maintenance
- Value chains
For existing systems, Opdenhoff records processes, documentation, type plates, flow diagrams and all other documentation and creates the digital twin from this. If the relevant data is not available or documented, it is researched and supplemented by employees and manufacturers.
This step can be considered directly when building a new system. When the system is being designed and planned, the Digital twin created in parallel so that the data can be retrieved at any time in the future.
In this step, all data is standardized and is thus uniformly available, comparable and evaluable for the entire system.
The administration shell - options and access paths
The administration shell can be used in various ways. On the one hand, an interface can be flange-mounted with which the digital twin can be controlled, parameterized and read out.
Access via open APIs is often even more exciting: as all interfaces are available in open standards, such as JSON, the digital twin can be integrated into existing PPS systems and provide even more transparency and optimization potential.
Data such as equipment and machines, fittings and pipelines are recorded digitally via pipe and flow diagrams.
Classic type plate of a system.
Outlook:
The administration shell based on the digital twin makes many things possible. Unimagined synergy effects are created:
In times of a shortage of skilled workers, it is essential to use valuable team members for valuable activities and to save on all activities that can be automated and rationalized. This not only increases efficiency but also the quality of work in existing activities - an essential factor in the job satisfaction of generations Y and Z.
The systematization and digitalization of knowledge, ecologically sustainable synergy effects, predictive maintenance and transparent analyses of operating resources, production and profitability become possible.
The future: modeling an information platform
In future, a holistic, mobile information platform will display all important information digitally. In combination with VR and AR, individual employees will be able to operate complete systems safely and productively.
The digital twin and its administration shell: The future for efficiency, quality and cost optimization in the manufacturing industry.
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