Building a Certified Digital Twin with Data Spaces for Dimensional Quality Control Equipment
General Information
Challenge, Value & Description
Performance, Access & Contact
1 – General Information
Partners
Sectors addressed
Application categories covered
Lifecycle level covered
Digital Engineering
Planning & Commissioning
Smart Production & Operations
Smart Maintenance
Customer Service
Circularity
Boroa, Bizkaia, spain
Geographical Scope
- Worldwide
- Europe
- Southern Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece)
2 – Challenge, Value & Description
Challenge
TRIMEK, DATAPIXEL, and UNIMETRIK (Innovalia Metrology) form a strategic alliance of companies specialized in metrology. To deliver their services, they collaborate and exchange metrology-related data among themselves and with clients. Currently, however, this data remains isolated in departmental silos, managed through manual or semi-automated processes that create inefficiencies, compatibility issues, and limited integration across platforms. Moreover, analytical and simulation capabilities are restricted, reducing the potential to fully exploit valuable information. The central challenge is to enable seamless, secure, and trusted data sharing across systems, platforms, and organizations, while ensuring compliance with industry standards and strengthening the reliability of metrology data.
Value
The primary objective is to integrate a metrology data space that delivers enhanced efficiency through digital twins and secure data exchange. This involves adapting existing metrology software elements to ensure seamless compatibility with the data space, creating a straightforward, secure, and user-friendly environment for clients. By enabling proactive maintenance, zero-defect metrology production, and effective data management, the solution fosters significant improvements in efficiency and reliability. Ultimately, this connected and interoperable data space strengthens trust, promotes innovation, and increases the overall value of services, generating clear benefits for Innovalia Metrology and its clients while advancing industry-wide digital transformation.
Description
Data is grouped into Machine Definition, Machine Configuration, Machine Setup, and Machine Calibration, with all actors as both providers & consumers. And SQS as the Data Space Provider.
Exchange sequence: The Client buys a CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) from TRIMEK, eventually hires UNIMETRIK for a Calibration Service, and shares Machine configuration data. TRIMEK provides Machine definition data, DATAPIXEL supplies Sensor definition data, as manufacturers and installers of the Machine and Sensor, and with this, UNIMETRIK delivers calibration outputs (Machine Compensation File and Calibration Report) for the Client.
Data Value Chain Description
Infraestructure Elements
- Private Cloud
Platforms & Tools used
Acquisition: not applicable
Analysis: M3 software for metrology data capture and analysis
Preparation: not applicable
Storage: not applicable
Usage: not applicable
Sharing: D-spacer
Destruction: not applicable
Other platforms & tools: Metrinet tool by Unimetrik for Inventory of equipment.
3 – Performance, Access & Contact Info
Performance
The deployment of the Trimek, Unimetrik, and Datapixel data space, implemented by SQS, has been successful and has met the requirements for data transfer among parties (including the industrial client) for the calibration sequence of a metrology machine (CMM) sold to a client. The deployed infrastructure has been tested for this potential sequence and proven to be functional and operational, enabling secure and efficient data management, as well as facilitating the uploading and sharing of metrology-related data within the ecosystem. Additionally, it has successfully integrated various connectors, allowing dynamic interactions between participants and data sources. Prior to the SMARTENANCE project, Innovalia Metrology companies did not utilize a data space for data exchange, either internally or in interactions with external industrial customers. The pilot is still under development for implementing additional data exchange sequences related to regular operations and interactions among these companies, and the backend/frontend of the D-spacer is being improved in terms of user experience and management. Interoperability tests have been conducted between the connectors of the data space deployment implemented by SQS for Trimek, Unimetrik, and Datapixel, and the connectors deployed by other SM4RTENANCE partner. These tests confirmed that the connectors from separate data spaces are able to interact seamlessly, verifying the successful integration of the systems.
For the sequence of a Calibration Service for an Industrial Client, all data containers have been defined, prepared, and validated, standardizing and unifying their models, formats, and ontologies to ensure full interoperability. The software of the participating companies has been adapted to provide and consume all data containers, including the refinement of the digital twin of the machine. The data space has been deployed, organizations and users registered, data catalogs uploaded and exchanged, and data exchange tests successfully conducted, enabling seamless, secure, and efficient sharing, improving traceability, reducing manual effort, and increasing trust, efficiency, and reliability across all stakeholders.
Lessons Learned & Observations
The pilot is still in progress, and several valuable lessons have emerged. To enable the required functionalities, extensive testing and validation of the Trimek, Unimetrik, and Datapixel connectors was carried out to ensure compliance with the Proof of Concept (PoC) and guarantee seamless data uploading, sharing, and exchange. Cross-functional collaboration between the teams managing security, architecture, and data management has been crucial for aligning and securing all components and systems. This collaborative effort, combined with rigorous testing, has optimized the infrastructure for efficient data exchange, improving collaboration, security, and overall efficiency. The deployed infrastructure, implemented by SQS, has successfully supported secure data management, interoperability, and smooth data sharing across the ecosystem, integrating various connectors for dynamic interactions among participants.
Replication Potential & Feasibility Assessment
The pilot, a metrology data space, has significant replication potential across various sectors in the manufacturing industry, such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, and machinery manufacturing. Additionally, the approach to interoperability and communication between data spaces offers scalability and adaptability, allowing it to be extended to different companies, industries, and geographical regions while ensuring easy integration with existing manufacturing systems. The inclusion of Digital Twin technology further enables its application in various asset management use cases. The technical feasibility of replication relies on a scalable architecture, integration with existing systems, advanced data security, and automation and analytics, all of which ensure efficient and secure data exchange across organizations.