Low-cost construction of digital twins using administration asset shell in augmented reality guide service for machine tool operators

The recent necessity of digital twins for various applications such as monitoring and data analysis of machine tools has prompted active research on adaptive system integration using Administration Asset Shell. In particular, Augmented Reality is effectively utilized in various applications, such as worker training and monitoring of multiple devices, by combining the physical components of the manufacturing site and digital elements into an intuitive and unified interface. However, the cost of constructing and maintaining the content of virtual reality is high, preventing its practical introduction in small and medium-sized enterprises. This is because each applications is accompanied by re-programming and re-design such as interface codes and instruction items. This paper proposes an approach to construct and manage a digital twin for augmented reality using neutral data representation which is Administration Asset Shell. This allows for less updates and small modifications when new application is added with relative low cost than legacy method.The comparison conducted with two applications for three different machine tools. Using the proposed method, we were able to confirm the reduction of programming work at the initial construction and the application of environmental changes without reprogramming. This is expected to be particularly useful in heterogeneous multi-vendor equipment operation environments of small and medium-sized enterprises with different interfaces and operating methods.