Expert: "Creating digital twins allows us to conduct research on various parts, mechanisms and reduce the number of defects by up to 85 percent"

Technological sovereignty of the Union State is at the forefront in today's realities. Scientists from Belarus and Russia are jointly achieving significant results in promising scientific areas. One of them is supercomputer calculations and digital twins, with the help of which various processes and phenomena are modeled to solve specific problems in industries and the socio-economic sphere. A correspondent from "R" learned the details.

New reality

A logical continuation of the development of digital production was the combination of information technology with operational processes to create digital twins. They can increase the productivity of industrial enterprises, so the country's leading companies in various industries have already adopted the new technology, says  Sergei Kruglikov, Director General of the United Institute of Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus:

- A digital twin is a virtual prototype of an existing object or process in reality, be it a product, a complex system, or even an entire enterprise. It allows you to simulate internal processes, technical characteristics, and behavior of a physical object at the design stage. Due to this, sources of errors or failures can be identified and eliminated even before actual operation. This also saves time and even the most complex production routes can be calculated quickly, tested, and programmed with a minimum of cost and effort. Moreover, throughout the entire life cycle, the model continuously generates data on the state of its physical counterpart, that is, it constantly monitors the state of equipment and production systems.

The digital twin must see, that is, recognize, internal and external changes occurring in the product. It must be able to analyze the totality of all factors and offer ready-made scenarios for the development of the situation. And also manage the process, including without human intervention.

— We have been working on these issues for quite a long time and have good developments. Our young robotics laboratory creates digital twins not just of individual components, but of the entire product and the entire control process, simulating both external and internal influences, — emphasized Sergey Kruglikov.

The areas of application of digital twins are extensive. Based on archival documents, 3D models of lost architectural monuments are created. The technology of virtual twins also formed the basis of a robotic hospital for a Russian company. Our scientists have combined all robots into a single network for their effective interaction with each other in order to reduce the contact of medical personnel with COVID patients. But at this stage, the technology has received the greatest distribution in industry, because it is digital twins that allow radically optimizing all processes in the production and sales chain.

— Digitalization of a well or a plant should be preceded by automation, that is, the installation of various sensors that will continuously supply data, — explains Sergey Kruglikov. — The timing of such projects depends on what needs to be obtained from the digital twin. The amount of time and money spent directly depends on the size of the object, the level of its initial automation, and the availability of infrastructure. Software packages and technical means are also needed, such as our supercomputer center, where we model objects and processes. Orders are received, we work, including under direct contracts, most projects are carried out within the framework of state programs.

A practical approach

As part of the implementation of state scientific and technical programs, the developments of our scientists have been successfully implemented at Belarusian enterprises of various specializations. The first result was the acceleration of development and improvement of the quality of design solutions for new types of export-oriented products. Thus, the digital twin of the Amkodor telescopic boom made it possible to reduce the design time for a new product from four to six months, and the time it takes to enter the market for a new product from three to two years. The preparation of technical and operational documentation has been significantly simplified and accelerated. Most importantly, the number of design changes has been reduced by 68 percent.

Digital twins are an extremely relevant and cost-effective component. To confirm this, Sergey Kruglikov gave an illustrative example when it was possible to reduce production costs and material intensity by reducing defects:

- The project was based on innovative modeling of the casting process. The results showed that the creation of digital twins allows for research into various parts and mechanisms and reduces defects by 69–85 percent. For example, at the Minsk Motor Plant, defects due to porosity amounted to 80 percent. Now it does not exceed 15 percent. At the Bobruisk Machine-Building Plant, it was possible to reduce the percentage of defects by 31 percent, and costs by 10 percent, and the total production time was reduced by almost a third.