People often group digital thread and digital twin technologies when in fact, they perform two distinct functions. Digital twin technologies depend on digital threads to function accurately and benefit a business or agency.
Digital thread vs. digital twin: Understanding these technologies’ significant differences and intertwining aspects will allow your enterprise to advance efficiently.
What Is a Digital Thread?
This is the traceability of all the product’s digital artifacts across the product lifecycle. “Threads” are traced from system to system, division to division, silo to silo, from concept to production to end of life. A digital thread allows everyone in the manufacturing and testing processes to access the same universal data set.
Integration and federation of existing systems is the best practice. It encourages collaboration, as everyone has access to all of the data.
Digital threads receive real-time updates, so any user can access the most current information and discover new insights and ideas they previously couldn’t see without a centralized data hub.
What Is a Digital Twin?
Multiple digital twins, for engineering, manufacturing, and service Multiple digital twins, for engineering, manufacturing, and service.
A successful digital twin can’t function properly without establishing a digital thread. The unification of accurate data sets is necessary before creating a digital twin.
With a twin’s creation, operators can identify flaws, test theories, discover new applications, and improve the overall quality of the object or system.
A digital twin decreases the need for expensive physical tests by allowing operators to experiment with the digital model. In the long run, this saves money, time, and resources.
Choose PROSTEP
PROSTEP offers digital thread and digital twin solutions to improve your teams’ coordination and efficiency. Contact PROSTEP now to enable your digital thread and digital twin technologies.