Digital twin technology applicability evaluation method for CNC machine tool

Digital twin (DT) technology, as one of the top strategic technology trends for 2020, has received widespread attention and has gradually been widely used in smart manufacturing equipment. However, there is a lack of systematic evaluation guidance, which accesses the applicability of DT technology for specific applications of smart manufacturing equipment. At the same time, CNC machine tool (CNCMT) as an essential part of smart manufacturing equipment also faces the above dilemma. Motivated by this need, a digital twin technology applicability evaluation method for CNCMT is proposed in this paper. This method firstly analyzes the application-oriented requirements of DT-based CNCMT to obtain the optimal evaluation index and structure model. And then, the DT technology applicability evaluation of CNCMT based on the optimal evaluation model as well as system engineering algorithms is researched. With this effort, DT technology applicability of CNCMT is quantified starting from the initial stage aiming at its specific application. Then, the applicability of DT technology to address specific applications of CNCMT can be clarified. At last, the applicability evaluation for DT-based CNCMT cutting tool life prediction is carried out as an application case to show the implementation flow of the proposed method and verify its operability and effectiveness.