【112】Digital Twins: Let Each Product "Trial Produce" Once in the Virtual World

【112】Digital Twins: Let Each Product "Trial Produce" Once in the Virtual World

The expert team from the Singapore Technologies Engineering Agency spent the entire afternoon in the control center today, just to watch us conduct a "digital trial production" for the shell of a new military communication device. When the simulation on the big screen showed the entire process from material melting to extrusion and molding, along with the prediction of three possible defects and their solutions, Dr. Chen, who led the team, turned to his team and said: "This is what I call Industry 4.0 - eliminating all risks before actual production in the digital world."

This scene reminded me of those difficult times two years ago. At that time, we received an order from an Israeli client to produce a device shell that could work in extreme desert environments. The first three batches of samples all passed the tests, but when it came to mass production, problems arose - the clasps on the shell would slightly deform under high temperatures, making assembly difficult. We spent three weeks investigating and finally found that the problem lay in the temperature difference between day and night in the injection molding machine: with the same parameters, the products produced at night had 0.2% more deformation than those produced during the day.

"What if we could simulate the performance in different environments before production?" That night, engineer Xiao Li, who was in charge of simulation, proposed a bold idea. We began to develop the "digital twin" system: creating precise three-dimensional models of each set of molds down to micrometers, and establishing constitutive equations for each material that include multiple variables such as temperature, humidity, and time, and then conducting countless injection molding tests in the virtual space.

The first challenge for the system was from DJI. They needed a batch of drone gimbal shock-absorption components that needed to maintain stable damping characteristics within a temperature range of minus twenty degrees to sixty degrees Celsius. The traditional process required making more than ten trial molds and repeated adjustments. We only used the digital system for 247 virtual trials, and found the optimal process window. When the first prototype samples passed all temperature tests, the engineers at DJI were incredulous: "Normally, it takes three months to test mold, but you only used three weeks."

The most convincing case was the cooperation with China's CRRC. They were developing the next-generation high-speed rail window frame, which was required to withstand aerodynamic loads at a speed of 400 kilometers per hour. The traditional method required making real molds for wind tunnel tests, with a single cost exceeding 500,000 yuan. Our digital twin system simulated 96 working conditions in the virtual environment and found a design solution that could meet the strength requirements and be the lightest. The chief engineer of CRRC said at the acceptance meeting: "You helped us shorten the research and development cycle by four months, and the cost savings from the mold testing is enough to build another production line."

I still remember the scene when the system first performed its duty. It was producing a door handle base for an automotive company. The digital simulation showed that a short-shot defect might occur at a certain wall thickness transition point. The mold worker, based on traditional experience, thought it was impossible, but the actual trial mold showed that the defect did occur. Even more miraculously, the system also provided three solutions: adjusting the gate position, modifying the wall thickness gradient curve, or replacing the material batch. We chose the second option, only modifying 0.3 millimeters on the mold, and the problem was perfectly solved. Now, this system has conducted over 8,000 virtual production trials, accumulating data equivalent to that of a master craftsman with 200 years of injection molding experience. Whenever a new order arrives, we no longer rush to create molds but instead let the product "emerge" hundreds of times in the digital world, finding the optimal production path. Some customers have commented: "What you sell is not just plastic parts, but also the countless virtual trial-and-error sessions as a bonus."

This story is about the power of foresight. When each product can first experience a complete life cycle in the virtual world, the failure rate in the real world naturally has nowhere to hide. From speculation to calculation, from experience to data, this quiet revolution is redefining what "reliable manufacturing" means.

Creating perfection in the virtual world and then replicating it in reality - the Golden Eagle digital twin system makes every production the optimal solution.