Published on July 28, 2023
Virtual first – Optimizing construction planning with a digital twin
Software for calculation and project management, document management and digital construction files, as well as tools for 2D and 3D planning of construction objects – these are just a few examples of how digitization is no stranger to the construction industry. In fact, digital applications are an urgent necessity in order to meet increasing quality and safety requirements, rising building material prices and scarce human resources. In the DigiFab4KMU project (Digital Factory for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises), KIT researchers together with the project participants WIBU-SYSTEMS AG, archis Architekten + Ingenieure GmbH, and ARNOLD IT Systems GmbH & Co. KG go one step further by using a virtualization system during the construction phase based on research work at the KIT Institute for Information Management in Engineering (IMI). Using a digital twin of the planned production hall of Wibu-Systems, premises, production facilities, and processes are virtually tested and optimized.
Digital construction
In the construction industry, holistic, networked systems – known as Building Information Modeling (BIM) – are already in use in many construction projects. Dr. Michael Grethler, Head of Industry 4.0 and Digital Twin at IMI, explains: "With a BIM, a building can be modeled in 3D right from the start. Whether specialist planning, building owner or subcontractor: All parties involved have access to all information relevant to the building from the very beginning. Both on the construction site and in the planning office, everyone accesses the same database for analysis and planning." Although, according to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers International (PwC), a large proportion of German construction companies are convinced of the opportunities offered by digitization, the leap to virtualization is still too great for many. Dr. Victor Häfner from IMI, who played a leading role in the DigiFab4KMU project, describes the problem: "There is a whole range of software tools that can create VR models. However, what they all have in common so far is that a certain level of expertise is required to operate them. If this expertise is lacking, the technical effort required to build the three-dimensional building objects is too great of a hurdle."
Grethler adds: "Another problem is that the virtual image is often not based directly on the planning data, but on a three-dimensional reproduction of the model. In practice, this often results in discrepancies between the theoretical 3D model and its realization." The research team at IMI has set itself the task of making the virtualization of CAD planning data low-threshold. In the field of BIM, they say, the goal is to bring together all the planning data for a new building in a virtual model, for example by combining 3D scans of the construction progress with CAD plans. For this purpose, the PolyVR system is used, which VR expert Häfner built up during his PhD at KIT.
VR in the blink of an eye
PolyVR is a virtual reality authoring system that allows the user to dynamically create immersive and interactive virtual worlds. "Our claim here is that visualization is possible automatically based on the planning data at hand. We want to offer a turnkey solution that can be integrated into the ecosystem of SMEs and construction planners and then generate such virtual images precisely at the push of a button," says Häfner. PolyVR features a graphical user interface that facilitates the creation of complex virtual scenes and worlds. The software offers common virtual reality functions such as clustering, tracking and scenegraph operations.
The special feature, however, is that mechanics, kinematics and cabling can also be mapped virtually. This makes it possible not only to virtualize a production line, but also to simulate the mechanical processes of the machines. Häfner makes it clear: "The point is to map and validate planning data and the interaction of the planned components and material flows very realistically – right through to virtual commissioning. In the process, a large number of information levels are incorporated into the system: from construction, electrics and cabling, through hydraulics and pneumatics, sensors and actuators, to automation and PLC programming. In the background, the tool works with knowledge bases to read, process and integrate all of this data, right up to the virtual machine with its realistic behavior."
In the project, factory and production planning became an immersive experience with the help of a digital twin. In addition to building data, value streams and logistics were also virtualized in the production line. (Institute for Information Management in Engineering / KIT)
In the project, factory and production planning became an immersive experience with the help of a digital twin. In addition to building data, value streams and logistics were also virtualized in the production line. (Institute for Information Management in Engineering / KIT)
Building virtual factories
With WIBU-SYSTEMS AG as the user of the visualization system, the practical relevance of the project was very high. Oliver Winzenried, one of the founders of the technology company, gives an insight into the prehistory: "We decided around 2018 that we wanted to invest in the Karlsruhe location. In addition to the company headquarters and a 'House of IT-Security' as an innovation space, production was also to be located at the site. Even before the new production facility was fully built, thanks to the cooperation we were able to virtually immerse ourselves in the production hall to be built and experience the manufacturing processes immersively. That was really very impressive." Wibu-Systems is a provider of software protection, licensing and security solutions and, with the new building, established its own manufacturing facility for the so-called CodeMeter dongles – small USB sticks in model variants on which customer-specific authorizations and license information are secured. Highest quality and single-unit traceability are of elementary importance for customers such as manufacturing companies for medical devices, industrial controls or banking. Häfner describes: "We transferred the production area, where the CmDongles are practically produced and made functional, into a digital twin before it was physically built. This allowed the builders to walk through and intervene in the virtual production with all the machines and automatic testing equipment." The simulation also took into account future topics, such as the use of driverless transport systems and human-machine interfaces.
Validate planning data
The digitization of the production facility was not an end in itself, but helped to optimally design the production chain. Winzenried confirms: "By being able to digitally set up and virtually run through production, including plant technology, we were able to detect and correct construction and planning errors at an early stage. For example, we were able to determine the best positioning of two large lift racks with the necessary ceiling openings using the virtual image. After all, these openings are not a piece of furniture that I can move around, so it was important to play through the overall picture with the associated logistics, such as passageways, plant modules and doors."
Up to a certain point, even the machines and value streams were digitized. Especially for work preparation and the machine workstations with gluing and ultrasonic welding, the simulation offered the chance to optimally design paths and value streams. "In the digital twin, we just positioned everything and considered possible storage locations. With the available production and plant data, we did a detailed value stream analysis. In other words, we looked at how changes in the process chain affect the paths and sequences in production, the cycle times and the quantities in production," reports Winzenried. In the simulation, planning errors were very clearly visible and could therefore still be eliminated. Everyone involved is proud of the fact that large numbers of CmDongles are now being produced in a sophisticated, smooth-running production line. The production facilities at the Karlsruhe site have been running since 2021.
View 1: The virtual factory has become reality in the meantime: The finished production facility of Wibu-Systems at the Karlsruhe site. (Image: WIBU-SYSTEMS AG)
View 2: As part of the DigiFab4KMU project, it was possible to digitally optimize manufacturing infrastructure and processes while still in the construction phase, such as the positioning of the lift racks (right at the edge of the picture). (Image: WIBU-SYSTEMS AG)
View 3: With the help of the production line simulation, the machine workstations and value streams could be ideally arranged to achieve the required cycle times and quantities. (Image: WIBU-SYSTEMS AG)
Prospects of virtualization
The expertise from IMI was instrumental in configuring the production line at Wibu-Systems: "We were able to use our virtualization system in the project to improve the construction project and factory planning. However, the technology can also add value in other use cases, such as construction validation, product development as well as design, production planning, or service and training," Häfner said. The developed solution allows high-end visualizations to be used as a modern working environment in an uncomplicated way. "The use in the industrial environment enables interactive, immersive work with virtual prototypes in the generation, validation and optimization of development results in connection with Industry 4.0," Grethler is certain.
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