Digital twin · engineering
The plant as a model — before you touch it.
A digital twin is not a diagram but a computing model of your plant: fed from the historian, simulated on the real structures of your controller, coupled via OPC-UA. You test parameters, predict wear and run commissioning virtually — without risking a single real part.
1 · Mirror
Live image from the historian — millions of data points, every machine mirrored in real time. The twin knows what the real plant is doing right now.
2 · Simulation
Runs on the real structures and tags of your controller (soft PLC) — structure real, values simulated. Parameters can be tried safely, without risking a single part.
3 · Optimisation
What-if computation and ML suggest better parameters and detect drift before scrap occurs — prediction instead of reaction.
Interactive live simulation
Simplified model of a CNC mill for illustration — the full simulation runs in the demo.
Inside view
Override
Move the parameters — the plant reacts live.
Process X-ray
Ghost compare · vibration
Ghost = ideal reference run. When the live curve drifts, the twin sees it early — before scrap happens.
Shift log · events
Historian (TimescaleDB)
Millions of data points as the factual base — the twin doesn't guess, it computes on real histories.
OPC-UA (bidirectional)
Vendor-neutral coupling to PLC and control system — read and, where authorised, write back.
Soft-PLC sandbox
A clone of the control logic with real structures and tag names — experiment without touching the line.
Beckhoff TwinCAT
PC-based control as an open target platform — connectable instead of a proprietary island.
ML & R/Python
scikit-learn and R Shiny for what-if, correlation and remaining-life prediction.
Virtual commissioning
Test control logic against the model before the hardware exists — shorten commissioning, find errors up front.
Throughput & energy
Optimise parameters on the model instead of on live production — no scrap while searching for the optimum.
Predictive maintenance
Remaining life from vibration and temperature — act before a bearing stops the line.
Risk-free training
Operators practise edge cases on the twin that you'd never provoke on the real plant.