Virtual monitoring system for a robotic manufacturing station in intelligent manufacturing based on Unity 3D and ROS

In the present work, a digital twin system has been developed for a small-scale robotic manufacturing station, typically for realization of intelligent additive manufacturing. This system consists of: (1) virtual model and space construction (in Unity 3D), (2) operating simulation of robot movement (in Robot Operating System, ROS) and the pick-and-place action, (3) data communication and transmission between the physical manufacturing station and the virtual model, and (4) real-time dynamic display of the operating status of the robot arm (display of joint angle variations with time), etc. By establishing dual-direction data communication between the physical equipment and virtual environment, real-time data drives the movement of the virtual model which enables remote, real-time visualization and monitoring of the entire working process of the physical additive manufacturing station. It is expected the digital twin model can be extended to more sophisticated additive manufacturing applications such as 3D printing for not only monitoring but also control and optimization of the relevant process parameters.