Digital Tools

A virtual replica of your Medtech assembly system to reduce risk, cost, and late-stage redesign

DIGITAL TWIN ACCELERATES TIME TO PRODUCTION UP TO 40%

Digital twin allows teams to:

Validate earlier and more frequently
Synchronize mechanical, controls & process workstreams
Reduce risks of simultaneous development
Make project timelines more predictable

Faster implementation and early validation

Digital Twin Framework

The MedTech reality is that device designs evolve deep into the automation build. Launch success requires predictable execution

Stage 1

Concept & Feasibility

Early simulation, Throughput modeling, Risk scoring

Risk mitigation across design stages

Stage 2

Device Design + DFM/DFA

Validate manufacturability early, Identify constraints

Improved equipment & process design,
Faster implementation
Early validation

Stage 3

Automation Design & Build

System Twin, Virtual commissioning of motion & logic

Debug software before machine is built

Stage 4

FAT/SAT & Integration

Digital traceability, Virtual FAT activities

Reduced commissioning time

Stage 5

Production Ramp-Up

Smart maintenance, Feedback loops to design

Less waste and improved ROI across the lifecycle

How a Digital Twin Saves Project Development Time

Digital Twin allows teams to validate earlier and synchronize mechanical, controls & process workstreams

Stage 1

AUTOINJECTOR

Challenges

Late mechanical design changes
Limited tactile feedback modeling
Parallel equipment build timeline

Digital Tools Used

Simulation of mechanical interaction
Virtual commissioning of key modules

Results

40% reduction in design iterations
30% reduction in FAT deviations
Launch timeline maintained

Learn more

Benefits of Digital Validation Tools (DVTs)

Testing of Digital Twin

Pre-validate standard components and functions. Execute a variety of performance tests, analyze results, and adapt the system's controls and logic

Eliminate dependencies

on missing parts, quality issues, and build constraints

Verify functionality earlier

in a safe digital environment

Improve code validation

efficiency with repeatable test cycles

Reduce commissioning time

through parallel virtual commissioning

Enable operator training

& performance testing before equipment arrives

Digital Twin in Automated Manufacturing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a digital twin in manufacturing automation?

ATS Life Sciences Systems can create a virtual replica of entire manufacturing production systems, using the same designs the Mechanical team uses. A digital twin is not an animated representation of an assembly system but a virtual replica of a physical machine; the behaviors of every part are programmed into the model and predict how the system will operate in reality.

What is the value of using digital twin in the automated manufacturing process?

Creating a digital twin enables Engineering, Design and Production teams time to validate decisions earlier in the design and build process when risks are lower. DFM/DFA decisions are often made under intense schedule pressure, and downstream design changes are increasingly expensive. With a dynamic digital model of all elements, costly redesigns of equipment can be reduced or eliminated even before the physical machine exists.

ATS Life Sciences Systems will develop a machine digital twin in parallel to device design finalization and machine design. Insights from simulations in the virtual environment can be easily applied in the build environment to improve the machine and reduce surprises at power on.

A brief summary of the value of a digital twin from ATS Life Sciences Systems:

Risk mitigation across design stages
Improved equipment & process design
Debug software before machine is built
Faster implementation and early validation
Supports rapid iteration and change agility
Reduced commissioning time
Less waste and improved ROI across the lifecycle

How does digital twin affect the risks to product launches, costs, and timelines?

Launch risk increases when systems develop simultaneously; the more unknowns and variability to a user specification and a device design the greater the impact to cost and timelines. FAT/SAT delays jeopardize commercial timelines and product launches.

No two parts are ever the same and, in an R&D stage of prototyping, there is some level of agility. Once it’s time for commercialization and sellable product must be produced in volume, then costs and timelines are anchored to the sensitivity of the device’s reliability to variation, as well as the machine’s sensitivity to the stack up of tolerance variation. Digital tools from ATS turn uncertainty into more predictable, repeatable launch performance, from development to scale-up.

How do I use digital tools to get my medical devices to market faster?

ATS Life Sciences Systems can help you deploy a digital commissioning strategy to mitigate risks to timelines and project costs because of the parallel design, validation, and training benefits that digital commissioning offers. There are several parallel processes that can be executed enabling efficiencies and schedule compression in delivering sellable product to market more quickly. Digital tools allow teams to:

Validate earlier and more frequently
Synchronize mechanical, controls & process workstreams
Reduce risks inherent in simultaneous development
Make project timelines more predictable

What are some use cases to demonstrate ROI of a digital twin?

A digital twin is a full digital simulation of the real line during and after construction and can be utilized by multiple operational teams. ATS Life Sciences Systems helps you demonstrate value and ROI from your digital investment through use cases including: