A digital twin-based approach for dynamic clamping and positioning of the flexible tooling system

The process preparation time for complex parts accounts for more than 20% of the parts manufacturing cycle, which is the main factor restricting the improvement of production efficiency. To shorten the process preparation time, we propose an approach for dynamic clamping and positioning of flexible tooling system based on the digital twin technology. Three core technologies embodied in the proposed method are illustrated in details as follows: (1) real-time acquisition, organization, and management of the geometry data of the machining parts; (2) digital twin data driven decision of the clamping forces and positioning position; (3) construction of the digital twin-based flexible tooling system. To elaborate how to apply the proposed approach to the reality, we present detailed implementation process of the proposed approach in the diesel engine cylinder head production line. Meanwhile, the future work to completely fulfill digital twin-based smart flexible tooling system is discussed. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.