As the demand for precision in the manufacturing industry grows, Digital Twin (DT) technology is gaining attention for its potential to enhance equipment performance and process reliability. However, existing research has primarily focused on specific stages of design or operation, leaving a gap in the literature concerning DT models that can be utilized throughout the entire equipment lifecycle. To address this gap, this study proposes a method for developing a DT that employs a consistent Finite Element (FE) model across all phases of the equipment lifecycle. We utilized actual measurement data to ensure high fidelity in the FE model of previous-generation equipment, which we refer to as the Pre-DT. This Pre-DT was instrumental in improving design during the new equipment development phase. Additionally, the DT model was implemented to predict equipment status in real time using the Reduced-Order Model (ROM) method, functioning as a virtual sensor during operation. This approach was applied to the equipment development process, aligned with the asset lifecycle concept of RAMI 4.0, and was tested on an MLCC cutting equipment to validate its effectiveness.

Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS), which pursue the implementation of machine intelligence in manufacturing systems, receive much attention as an advanced technology in Smart Factories. CPPS significantly necessitates the selflearning capability because this capability enables manufacturing objects to foresee performance results during their process planning activities and thus to make data-driven autonomous and collaborative decisions. The present work designs and implements a self-learning factory mechanism, which performs predictive process planning for energy reduction in metal cutting industries based on a hybrid-learning approach. The hybrid-learning approach is designed to accommodate traditional machine-learning and transfer-learning, thereby providing the ability of predictive modeling in both data sufficient and insufficient environments. Those manufacturing objects are agentized under the paradigm of Holonic Manufacturing Systems to determine the best energy-efficient machine tool through their self-decisions and interactions without the intervention of humans’ decisions. For such purpose, this paper includes: the proposition of the hybrid-learning approach, the design of system architecture and operational procedure for the self-learning factory, and the implementation of a prototype system.