Digital Twin

Smart data management to support assets and installed base

What is a digital twin?

The digital twin refers to a digital model of a particular product or asset that includes design specifications, engineering models describing the product with a digital representation for geometry, materials, components and behaviour. There can be many digital twins as geometry is just one of the many views. Other specific views can be about requirements, pricing etc.

A digital twin is intended to accurately mirror the as-build and as-maintained unique specifications of the physical asset that it represents. Which can either be a real unique individual asset or a real serially numbered assets. It becomes a twin only when that asset has been built. These can be around for a long time representing the installed base and sold products.

What are the challenges of maintaining a digital twin?

The challenge is and has always been to keep the digital twin updated and relevant. Updates are based on observations that can be manual and automated. For large numbers of observations, the use of IoT has opened up new possibilities for connectivity, edge computing and analytics. Sensors and IoT devices on the product and asset must be represented in the relevant digital twins.

What is the PLCS standard?

The PLCS standard (ISO 10303-239), with its state of the art - open and rich data model, has been developed for the information used in the support through-life of complex products. The data model is designed to allow the creation of an integrated view of an asset’s data, covering its lifecycle across traditionally siloed functional perspectives. The standards unique concepts make PLCS the perfect framework to achieve full digital twins.

Key PLCS concepts in ShareAspace

  • Distinguish between designs and actuals (individuals)
  • Manage different BOM views (such as as-designed, as-manufactured and as-maintained) of a product and link/trace between them
  • Record processes and other actions applied to the product (or done by the product)
  • Manage different breakdown views (such as physical and functional breakdowns) of a product and link between them and to different BOM views
  • Audit trail covering the complete life cycle of a product and asset for overall configuration management of any digital twin data
  • Manage product properties and record their values over time or against different views
  • Manage the associated documents and other information, such as models, related to the product and any subsidiary products
  • Manage requirements, allocation, tracing and verification and validation
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Eurostep solutions

Check out Eurostep's solution for full digital twins integrations.

ShareAspace Server

Recommended reading

Learn about Technological Innovation Trends of the Future Railway System
Eurostep’s Sylvain Marie to present at STARS Tutorial on Smart Asset Management/Maintenance of the future & Railways Digital Twin
We are excited to announce that Sylvain Marie, Director AEC&Plant industry vertical at Eurostep, will be presenting at the STARS Tutorial on Smart Asset Management/Maintenance of the future & Railways ...
Digital Twin: Key Concepts and Benefits for Asset Management
Key points Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical assets that capture their design, behaviour, and other crucial parameters in real-time. Maintaining digital twins requires real-time monitoring of assets using ...
Webinar: How to connect IoT and BIM to implement the built asset Digital Twin?
Are you struggling with managing and integrating data from your building's IoT sensors? Are you looking for a way to make sense of all the information and make data-driven decisions? ...
digital open lock
Live webinar: Digital Twins – How to avoid vendor lock-in throughout an asset or product lifecycle?
How do you keep digital twins up-to-date and avoid vendor lock-in throughout an asset or product lifecycle? In recent years capabilities and platforms to implement digital twins have been increasing ...
Egis unveils Connec(t)win – the light, modular and resilient Digital Twin for connected maintenance using
ShareAspace iAIM
The French engineering firm Egis unveils, through a demonstrator it invented, a concept of light and resilient Digital Twin aimed at local authorities and transport infrastructure operators using, among other ...
Building Information Modelling with digital twins and digital thread using ShareAspace
Realizing the BIM Digital Twin and Digital Thread with ShareAspace, IFC, IoT and Azure Services to Support the Data Management Across the Life Cycle of Building and AEC Assets
BIM and the Digital Twin The use of Building Information Models [BIMs] is changing the way the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction [AEC] industries will operate in the future. Data from ...
Getting to a Real Digital Twin by Managing Unstructured and Structured Product Data Using Azure Services and ShareAspace
Managing unstructured and structured product data We are living in the age of digital transformation and IT is becoming an integral part of our lives. Design and engineering of things ...
Enabling the digital thread with ShareAspace
A Digital Thread is for Life – Not Just Manufacturing
Implementing the digital thread and digital twin with PLCS The concept of a Digital Thread has been gaining traction for a while. It often seems to be focused on manufacturing: ...
Do we need a standard like PLCS to build a digital thread?
Posting this as a blog on the Eurostep web site but you can follow the discussion on Linkedin here. PLCS is not needed for a digital thread but it is ...
Learn about Technological Innovation Trends of the Future Railway System
Eurostep’s Sylvain Marie to present at STARS Tutorial on Smart Asset Management/Maintenance of the future & Railways Digital Twin
We are excited to announce that Sylvain Marie, Director AEC&Plant industry vertical at Eurostep, will be presenting at the STARS Tutorial on Smart Asset Management/Maintenance of the future & Railways ...
Digital Twin: Key Concepts and Benefits for Asset Management
Key points Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical assets that capture their design, behaviour, and other crucial parameters in real-time. Maintaining digital twins requires real-time monitoring of assets using ...
Webinar: How to connect IoT and BIM to implement the built asset Digital Twin?
Are you struggling with managing and integrating data from your building's IoT sensors? Are you looking for a way to make sense of all the information and make data-driven decisions? ...
digital open lock
Live webinar: Digital Twins – How to avoid vendor lock-in throughout an asset or product lifecycle?
How do you keep digital twins up-to-date and avoid vendor lock-in throughout an asset or product lifecycle? In recent years capabilities and platforms to implement digital twins have been increasing ...
Egis unveils Connec(t)win – the light, modular and resilient Digital Twin for connected maintenance using
ShareAspace iAIM
The French engineering firm Egis unveils, through a demonstrator it invented, a concept of light and resilient Digital Twin aimed at local authorities and transport infrastructure operators using, among other ...
Building Information Modelling with digital twins and digital thread using ShareAspace
Realizing the BIM Digital Twin and Digital Thread with ShareAspace, IFC, IoT and Azure Services to Support the Data Management Across the Life Cycle of Building and AEC Assets
BIM and the Digital Twin The use of Building Information Models [BIMs] is changing the way the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction [AEC] industries will operate in the future. Data from ...
Getting to a Real Digital Twin by Managing Unstructured and Structured Product Data Using Azure Services and ShareAspace
Managing unstructured and structured product data We are living in the age of digital transformation and IT is becoming an integral part of our lives. Design and engineering of things ...
Enabling the digital thread with ShareAspace
A Digital Thread is for Life – Not Just Manufacturing
Implementing the digital thread and digital twin with PLCS The concept of a Digital Thread has been gaining traction for a while. It often seems to be focused on manufacturing: ...
Do we need a standard like PLCS to build a digital thread?
Posting this as a blog on the Eurostep web site but you can follow the discussion on Linkedin here. PLCS is not needed for a digital thread but it is ...

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