Digital Twin Integration Process for Small Manufacturers

Digital twins (DT) are revolutionizing the manufacturing industry.The results of a systematic literature review analyzing the landscape of DT implementation research revealed several challenges related to Industry 4.0 transition for manufacturers within their existing operations.These challenges included the absence of practices involving sensory instrumentation, automation, connectivity, and data analytics.In addition to the complexity of those challenges, and due to limited resources, small manufacturers have more difficulty when approaching the implementation of DT into their existing systems.This research proposes an incremental approach to overcome the challenges a small manufacturer faces in implementing DT.The authors propose a design and validation process in discrete stages.Additionally, engineering student interns will be employed to integrate the digital twin technology at a small manufacturer.