Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1357726
50 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2021 lines, machines, configurations, flows, capa- bilities, manpower, and other resources. is is intellectual property with commercial value. More Than a Database So far, my personal digital twin is just a data- base; I need more. As a person, I am connected to the world. Events happen, and as with most humans, I develop opinions which are linked to memories, food for thought, which evolves as I address and solve problems, and interact with other people. e manufacturing digi- tal twin also needs to be connected. ings that we do and say are very tightly linked with events that we experience. Without this link, my digital twin would be limited to endlessly repeating old facts from the original database, not considering any changes to the environ- ment, and unaware of specific needs and con- straints. In other words, irrelevant. e IPC Connected Factory Exchange is not going to help my personal digital twin, but does fulfill requirements of a manufacturing digi- tal twin, providing real-time information that brings live visibility of every event and situa- tion across the whole shop floor through a sin- gle interface and language. Wouldn't commu- nication be great if every human on the planet had at least one common language in which we could all communicate? With connections made, now we get to the tricky part. I would like my digital twin to not just exist, but to actually do stuff, specifically things I don't want to have to do myself. Digi- tal assistants can do this today but without any real intelligence beyond what they see about each of us in their database, albeit more than we are likely aware of. For example, when I want to buy something, it is very satisfying to be able to choose the best item from all the choices offered. ere are many products of the type that I need, all of which have different looks and specifications, and of course, prices. I need the best value item that gives me what I need in terms of perfor- mance, capability, and expected life; perhaps, I want a little more on top of that to show off a little (we are only human aer all). ere are likely to be several suppliers offering the same or very similar products that meet the crite- ria. As well as price comparison, I should also consider the delivery cost, time and reliability, supplier rating, aer sales service record, etc. ere is only so much attention span that my human brain can muster, especially when key information seems deliberately hidden. We cannot get into every detail of differentiation; I certainly have better things to do. My digi- tal twin, however, could do it all, and find the perfect solution. Millions of data exchanges across the internet cost virtually nothing. I can be very happy then that the choice "I" end up making is the very best one. For the manufac- turing world, the new IPC 2551 Digital Twin provides the definition and structure as to how all of this can be done, linking informa- tion and interoperability between digital twin solutions, bridging the once separated worlds of product, manufacturing, and lifecycle digi- tal twin elements. Two Types of Algorithms In addition to all the data, however, my thought process to do this needs to be coded into the digital twin, as there will be many con- flicts, trade-offs, and compromises to consider during the decision-making process. Lower cost is good, but at the expense of quality? ere is an algorithm therefore to be applied to The manufacturing digital twin also needs to be connected. Things that we do and say are very tightly linked with events that we experience.