The concepts of the digital twin and digital thread have been around for decades. Industry insiders generally agree that keeping them joined maximizes their value and justifies the effort of keeping them current. Yet the gaps between them seem not to be closing. The specifics of digital twins and digital threads differ widely, but many of their underlying considerations are similar; both are fed by many of the same information flows, especially if PLM enables them. Fundamentally, a digital twin without a digital thread is an orphan, disconnected from the decisions and processes that impact it. Whether the product is a drill bit or an aircraft, its virtual representation will undoubtedly struggle to be complete and up to date without a digital thread. When information flows between them are synchronized and unimpeded, every business unit gains. Ultimately, the benefit of joining the digital twin to its digital thread is a competitive advantage. This presentation will make a case for how and why the digital twin and its digital thread are inseparable.
This presentation will present and discuss the process, test cases, and results of the Aerospace & Defense PLM Action Group’s Multi-view BOM Solution Evaluation Benchmarks Report, released on 16 July 2020. The report documents the definition of test cases that encapsulate requirements for Multi-view BOM management within an aerospace OEM, and the findings and conclusions from evaluating the capability of commercially available PLM software to fulfil those requirements. The report concludes that the test cases are valid and that commercial technology has matured to a level where the implementation of Multi-view BOM management within an aerospace OEM is a practical possibility, albeit with caveats. The results were consolidated, analyzed, and configured to describe the industry’s state for aerospace specific requirements, but reported results were generalized to mask specific solution performance. The discussion will conclude with recommendations for industry action and future solution evaluation benchmarks.
Digital Twin approaches offer immense potential for manufacturing as they can provide insights into the complete production history and the design and usage cycle. Simulation models, which are applied to find optimal process parameters, can benefit from production data. Live data are attractive because they allow for real-time assessment of the overall process quality and enhance simulation models. This presentation will highlight how 5G offers universal connectivity for multiple devices like sensors, robots, and machines for live data assessment. Furthermore, it will consider future IT architectures integrating 5G and edge cloud systems.
Modern warships are complex digital assets. BAE Systems is building the advanced Global Combat Ship (GCS) in the UK, Canada, and Australia. The GCS will be capable of undertaking a wide range of roles from high-intensity warfare to humanitarian assistance, either operating independently or as part of a task group. The ship’s variants will take full advantage of modular design and open systems architecture to facilitate through-life support and upgrades as new technology develops. This will ensure the GCS remains relevant to future maritime demands and delivers an adaptable design with the ability to accommodate sub-systems to meet individual country needs. This presentation will reflect on the Digital Ship and the importance of the Digital Thread. Find out how the Digital Ship will drive innovation, efficiency, and quality.
Day 2 – 18 November
KEYNOTE: Digital Thread: Be Careful What you Wish For, It Just Might Come True Marc Halpern, P.E., Ph.D., Vice President, Gartner
A digital thread is compelling. It can streamline business activities for greater profit and growth. But, what is gained or lost depends on the approach. This presentation will help attendees understand the risks and benefits of different approaches to support their planning.
The exchange of Product Data Management (PDM) data between disparate PDM solutions, including Computer-Aided Design and Bill of Materials data, presents a challenge within the Aerospace & Defense industry. The exchange requires independent and exclusive processes, each unique and complicated to support the long-term future of collaboration between Original Equipment Manufacturers and suppliers. Improving the efficiency of collaboration across the product lifecycle in development, production, and maintenance creates opportunities to meet product cost targets. This presentation offers a new desired state for that collaboration process where multiple partners collaborate on projects in a common workspace.
This presentation will look at the two sides of the PLM coin: one is the plumbing part, including the need for a system of records and master data management for product data and PLM. The other side is the presentation and business management part with analytics, BI, dashboards, etc. The presentation side will deliver tremendous value by adopting clear, concise, and valid approaches to product data. If not, however nice it looks, the presentation side will be disconnected, leading to faulty conclusions and decisions. By inviting the complete enterprise to tap into a consistent and maintained Digital Thread, PLM will be repositioned, better understood, and add value beyond engineering.
Model-Based Definition Information Requirements for Type Design ? Brandon Sapp, The Boeing Company Ian Parent, Pratt & Whitney, Canada One of the key business challenges in the aerospace and defence industry is achieving OEM and supply chain collaboration through the bi-directional exchange of technical data packages via digital tools and model-based processes. To address this challenge, the Aerospace and Defense Product Lifecycle Management Action Group (AD PAG) sponsored a project team of domain experts from the AD PAG member companies to evaluate current data interoperability standards, enabling a Model-Based Definition (MBD) set of concepts, processes, and tools that allow the creation of a semantically (computer interpretable) annotated 3D product definition that is linked to a Bill of Materials (BOM) system. This presentation will report out the AD PAG project team’s position on critical information requirements in support of four key use cases. It will also cover the project team’s next step in implementation and standards assessment.
The concept of a digital twin relies on the digital-thread capability to use the right set of models, link to the right data, adjust to reality and perform simulations at the right time to make valuable business decisions. The digital thread must link the information — from models to data — and trigger actions, such as simulation, in a systematic and model-based approach, thus avoiding a one-of-a-kind solution every time a new digital twin needs to be built. If we breakdown the thread, we must traverse several software systems, such as a PLM, a data platform, a simulation lifecycle management (SLM) system and other enterprise platforms, extract and map the data models and connect the software services sustaining a massive integration effort. Where are we on this journey? Is this large integration across function posing a challenge to the digital transformation? What is the future role of PLM and SLM and open integration service solutions? In this presentation, we explore these important questions and discuss the path to their resolution.
Considerable energy has been expended in the industry on digital transformation over the past years. Recent events in the world have highlighted the need to double down on leveraging the value of digital in all aspects of the product lifecycle. Boeing has embraced the model-based enterprise and is enhancing and refining the classic Systems Engineering V model to accommodate digital and introduce a taxonomy to accelerate adoption. In addition to enhancements to the model, enhancements and alignment to a standards-based approach will be shown utilizing federated architectures and the latest thinking on Digital Twins.
The Aerospace and Defense Product Lifecycle Management Action Group sponsored a team of domain experts to evaluate current data interoperability technologies in support of Model-Based Systems Engineering. The objective converged towards data architecture models created during the conceptual design phase. Based on this objective, the team explored the feasibility of exchanging digital models, instead of documents, between the aerospace Original Equipment Manufacturing companies and their suppliers. The focus of this presentation is aerospace and the alternatives for exchanging digitally defined system architecture models as a standard business practice. It will look at the investigation process, the applicable Use Cases, the options explored, results obtained, issues identified, and potential solutions.
Product Lifecycle Management and Model-Based Systems Engineering are core and indispensable ingredients in contemporary product development. In theory, tools can realize the digital thread. In practice, it is not so easy to implement the theory. In this presentation, the focus is on what it takes to realize the digital thread for a complex system – the JAS 39E/F fighter aircraft. It will cover how the development model applied influences the modelling approach and setting up a simulator product line that supports the integration of heterogeneous models to allow for product simulation for integration testing, verification, and validation. It will also discuss the trade-offs made and desired improvements for strengthening the digital thread.
Sponsor Thought-Leadership Vignette Company: Vertex Software: Dan Murray– Democratizing Large-Model 3D Visualization to Enable Collaboration
