Hymmen, a German family-owned specialist in panel manufacturing and finishing solutions, is demonstrating how “digital twins” can enhance project efficiency. The ideal scenario is one in which a production plant runs flawlessly even before commissioning.

However, on-site commissioning often reveals unexpected challenges that must be resolved under significant time constraints. By simulating the production process in advance on a 1:1 scale and factoring in all relevant variables, digital twin technology enables timely intervention at critical points.

As the plant project enters its final phase, the machinery is delivered and assembled on-site, while Hymmen’s automation experts in Bielefeld initiate virtual commissioning. Creating a digital twin of the physical material, product, process, or system allows assessment early in the development cycle – checking whether the planned plant meets specifications, components and drives are correctly configured, and control systems function as intended.

Entire production processes can be visualized through animated simulations, offering both a bird’s eye perspective of the entire plant and detailed close-ups of individual machine components. Augmented reality (AR) glasses further enhance the experience, allowing immersive, lifelike inspection. For example, a roller coating machine can be virtually projected in a meeting room, with internal details accessible to the AR user.

Hymmen leverages digital twins to identify logical errors in programming, detect mechanical interference contours, document scalable learning effects, and significantly reduce travel and commissioning times.

This ensures optimized plant projects, timely final acceptance, and high customer satisfaction. Process optimization is also supported: throughput times can be calculated in advance, enabling improvements before delivery.

For more information, contact Anke Pankoke (A.Pankoke@hymmen.com)

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