An integrated suite of tools that work with products definition data to support tool design, visualization, modeling and simulation, data analytics, and other analysis necessary to optimize the manufacturing process.

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The Three Aspects of Digital Manufacturing

It can be broken down into three main areas; product life cycle, smart factory, and value chain management.

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Each of these relates to a different aspect of manufacturing execution, from design and product innovation to the enhancement of production lines and the optimization of resources for better products and customer satisfaction.

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The product life cycle begins with engineering design before moving on to encompass sourcing, production, and service life. Each step uses digital data to allow for revisions to design specifications during the manufacturing process.

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The smart factory involves the use of smart machines, sensors and tooling to provide real time feedback about the processes and manufacturing technology. By uniting operations technology and information technology, this digital transformation allows for greater visibility of factory processes, control, and asondiaon to improve performance.

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The value chain management focuses on reducing resources to create an optimal process with decreased inventories while maintaining product quality and customer satisfaction.

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What are the Advantages of Digital Manufacturing?

There are several benefits by uniting manufacturing processes across different departments while reducing the potential for errors by creating an automated exchange of data.

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Increased efficiency is accomplished by a joined-up manufacturing process which eliminates errors due to lost or misinterpreted data which is common for paper-based processes.

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With a quicker turnaround across all levels of the value chain, digital manufacturing offers reduced costs, while allowing for design changes to be implemented in real time and lowering maintenance costs.

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The real-time manufacturing visibility afforded by digital technologies provides improved insights for critical decisions and a faster pace of innovation.

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Furthermore, it allows an entire manufacturing process to be created virtually so that designers can test the process before investing time and money into the physical implementation.

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Reference: What is Digital Manufacturing? (a definitive guide). TWI. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-digital-manufacturing

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