The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) signed an agreement with the investment arm of one of the largest distributors of industrial automation products in China to develop “Electrically-Assisted Free Forming (EAFF) Technology” and create its Digital Twin in the industrial metaverse, enabling the first smart production solution in Hong Kong based on a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) with real-time data exchange between physical and virtual production processes.
The industrial metaverse eliminates geographic limitations, allowing enterprises to optimize their production processes and train technical personnel. It also enables real-time remote maintenance and troubleshooting from different locations, reducing downtime and maintenance costs.
This collaboration supports enterprises in exploring new opportunities and innovating their business models, while also advancing HKPC’s mission to promote smart manufacturing, drive new industrialization in Hong Kong, and create value for the industry.
The industrial automation control equipment supplier and system integrator, offers smart production line design, artificial intelligence, and industrial robots. The jointly developed EAFF Technology, funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Innovation and Technology Commission, is a patented technology by HKPC and the supplier.
The innovation has won awards at various international and prestigious technological R&D events. The technology employs a virtualisation technology to perform dieless forming by analysing the 3D model provided and using two cooperating 6-axis robot arms.
The simulation of the dieless forming process imitates the robot movement and performs finite element analysis of the stress distribution, heat transfer and electrical effect of deformed material which is invaluable for process optimisation and product realisation.
Under the new agreement, the two will integrate the EAFF technology into the industrial metaverse by creating a Digital Twin of the physical EAFF unit located at HKPC. A Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a physical object created through IIoT, simulation technology, 3D modelling technology, and VR, mapping various attributes of the physical system to a virtual space and reflecting the real-time status of the actual machinery and equipment.
Digital Twin technology enables enterprises to optimise their production processes and simulate product conditions in virtual space, regardless of time or location. It also enables real-time remote maintenance and repair of equipment, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. This eliminates the need for on-site inspections and parts replacement, as well as the associated delays and high costs, when equipment is not located on-site or needs to be shipped to another location.
In addition, Digital Twin technology provides a virtual platform for multi-party collaboration among technical personnel and for training purposes, further enhancing enterprise competitiveness. HKPC will showcase its Digital Twin technology in the newly established “Celesphere,” leveraging its internationally renowned industrial metaverse technology capabilities and comprehensive facilities.
The demonstration in Celesphere will showcase a smart production line by integrating relevant software and hardware and providing the supplier with end-to-end support services, including design, operation, technical personnel training, and equipment optimization.
HKPC is committed to providing industrial metaverse technology services to the industry and promoting its widespread adoption. Through the power of industrial metaverse technology, this collaboration aims to build a new ecosystem for industrial development with the participation of enterprises.
HKPC’s Chief Digital Officer said that the two have partnered to leverage industrial metaverse technology and integrate the patented EAFF technology into the virtual space, creating a Digital Twin of the physical unit at HKPC. This collaboration aims to solve the industry’s long-standing pain points of high investment costs and low operating efficiency by connecting physical production lines with the metaverse for building, testing, and optimisation, reducing energy consumption and other resource inputs.
Furthermore, the collaboration supports enterprises to train technical personnel in the metaverse, helping to achieve sustainable development and identify new business models, paving the way for the transition to becoming smart factories of the future. With the first industrial metaverse smart production line underway, HKPC will continue to promote and apply industrial metaverse technology in the local industry, contributing to the development of new industrialisation.
