If the hype of Industry 4.0 is to be believed, digital twins have been looming on the horizon for a while now, with the promise of a brave new world of simulation-based design, predictive maintenance and real-time system monitoring.
You can read more about digital twins in this article if you need to get up to speed on the concept.
Is it just hype, though? Or is it simply a case of marketing departments putting the cart before the horse?
This may have been true 12 months ago, but in the last year we have seen an increase in software releases aimed at turning that hype into reality.
The latest release of Simcenter Amesim is the most recent offering from Siemens aiming at doing just that.
Simcenter Amesim 2019.1 is promising to allow easier creation of digital twins by democratizing access to system simulation. Systems engineering is a fairly complex task anyway, and so offering a simplified workflow for creating digital twins that integrates between the 3D world and the more abstract world of systems is surely a good thing.
Among other enhancements, the latest release focuses on four main areas of interest to those wishing to build a twin:
- Vehicle electrification
- Aircraft systems performance engineering
- Controls engineering
- System simulation efficiency and ease of use
You can see a short video below on how Amesim is being used to presize a hybrid aircraft propeller, complete with a “what-if” scenario demonstration.
Additionally, Simcenter Amesim 2019.1 contains a whole bunch of new libraries and tools aimed at the shipbuilding industry.
Due to increased pressures from the marine engineering sector on the importance of environmental factors, along with the demands of companies to lower OPEX and CAPEX, shipbuilders are seeking new ways of innovating that will help them to penetrate various marine segments.
Siemens, having long partnerships with Hyundai Heavy Industries, MAN Diesel & Turbo, Siemens Marine, and Wärtsilä, was perfectly positioned to respond to the requirements of the industry by providing new tools for that sector.
The new tools allow simulation of ship propulsion architecture, including fuel cell, alternative fuel engines, batteries and hybrid systems, and like aircraft performance tools, allow for simulation over many different mission profiles.
If you’d like to read more about how companies are using Simcenter Amesim to accelerate their shipbuilding development time to stay competitive, you can do so right here on the Siemens blog.
And if you’d like to read more about Simcenter Amesim in general, or learn how to obtain a copy for yourself, you can find details at the product page over here.