Development and implementation of a data structure for the digital twin in optics production

Keeping the balance between quality, production efficiency and costs has always been difficult in the manufacturing of precision optics. To make manufacturing data usable for these purposes by creating a digital twin along the production chain for quick optimization is therefore the goal of the “EverPro” research project at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen. The Aachen researchers have now published their findings on the development and implementation of a data structure that can fully describe digital twins of spherical and aspherical lenses in a new white paper, which is ready for free download.

The various measuring systems used during optics production each generate large volumes of data – in very different data formats. In order for this data to be analyzed consistently and to be used profitably in the further manufacturing process, it is necessary to combine the data in a common structure and relate them to each other. Only when the most precise possible digital twin of an optical component is available can machine learning algorithms identify all important interdependencies between the parameters in the production process and, if necessary, initiate optimization measures.

Digital twin improves product quality of optical components

In their white paper “Development of a data structure for the description of nominal and measurement properties of optical elements”, the Aachen researchers describe their approach to developing a data structure in JSON format and to implementing it in a database for process parameters used in optics production.

Such a data structure is the central element for describing a digital twin of optical components. The digital representation of the component allows, for example, to predict and track production quality more accurately and to improve manufacturing tolerances through adaptive assembly processes.

The basic idea of the research team is to make the data structure available to the optics industry as a suggestion for standardization, for example for a future ISO standard. The described data structure includes the nominal and tolerance values of an optical element as well as the corresponding measurement values based on the ISO 10110 standard. The measurement data export in JSON file format could then be offered by metrology suppliers directly in the measurement software. Manufacturers of production machines could also use the data structure to ensure seamless integration of new processes within the optical manufacturing chain and further improve the level of digitization in the optical industry.

Free download

The white paper “Development of a data structure for the description of nominal and measurement properties of optical elements“ is now available for download on the Fraunhofer IPT website:
www.ipt.fraunhofer.de/wp-datastructure

The research and development work on which the white paper is based was publicly funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in the “EverPro” project under the grant number 34.1-EFRE-0500061

Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

Cornelia Rojacher M.Sc.
Head of the business unit “Optics”

Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
Steinbachstr. 17
52074 Aachen, Germany
Phone +49 241 8904-169
cornelia.rojacher@ipt.fraunhofer.de
www.ipt.fraunhofer.de/en.html

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.ipt.fraunhofer.de/en/Press/Pressreleases/220210-white-paper-data-str…