The DIH for digital twins of logistics systems and
manufacturing processes and systems was established within the Laboratory for
Handling, Assembly and Pneumatics (LASIM) of the Faculty of Mechanical
Engineering (UL FME) in Ljubljana. The Faculty is a member of the University of
Ljubljana (UL) and is the largest educational and research institution with the
highest international standards in the field of mechanical engineering in
Slovenia and the wider region of Central and South-Eastern Europe. The
Laboratory for handling, assembly and pneumatics is part of the Department of
Manufacturing, Technologies and Systems of FME, UL. The research and
development priorities of the LASIM laboratory are closely related to the DIH's
focus: digital twins of logistics processes and systems, digital twins of
manufacturing processes and systems, smart factories and Industry 4.0. The
related theme of the laboratory is smart manufacturing, supported by digital
technologies to increase the efficiency of SMEs. The other research areas of
the laboratory are: High Performance Computing (HPC), Cloud Computing, Edge
Computing, Human Centered Production, AI in Manufacturing, Zero Defect
Manufacturing, Distributed Cyber-Physical Systems, Networked Factory, Digital
LEAN, etc.
The main focus of the DIH_DiTMaPS is to support companies in increasing their competitiveness by improving their business and production processes as well as their products and services with the use of digital technologies, especially digital twins. Digital twins are one of the enabling technologies for digital transformation of manufacturing in Industry 4.0 and value chain processes in general. The digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical product or process that serves to understand and predict the performance characteristics of its physical counterpart. Digital twins are used throughout the product lifecycle to simulate, predict and optimize the product and production system before investing in physical prototypes and resources. The DIH will accelerate technology transfer at regional, national and international level, the joint use of research and mobility infrastructures, the support of smart and sustainable entrepreneurship in the field of intelligent factories and the promotion of human capital growth.
Over the years, LASIM has expanded the use of Discrete Event Simulation to include Digital Twins, which are the backbone of Smart factories and I4.0. With the knowledge of cutting-edge technologies and approaches, LASIM has very strong links with industrial partners with R&D projects and activities. Here are some industry partners who are market leaders from different business sectors: Yaskawa Ristro, Yaskawa Europe Robotics, Knauf Insulation, Kolektor, ECOLAB, Danfoss, Krka, Intersocks, Gorenje, Scania, GoodYear, Hidria, Skaza Smart Plastic, Polycom, RIKO, MTZ, LTH Castings, Iskra Mehanizmi, Agromehanika, etc.