Digital Transformation in the Ornamental Stone Industry: Case Studies on Industry 4.0 and Digital Twins

Funding program "LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-046083" for this R&D scholarship.The rapid evolution of Industry 4.0 technologies has ushered in a new era in manufacturing systems, with Digital Twins leading the way. These virtual replicas offer invaluable opportunities for simulating and optimizing new manufacturing processes, and their most transformative impact may lie in the creation of these digital models. This research unifies the main key concepts of four separate studies, all of which explore the application of Digital Twins in the ornamental stone industry. Industry 4.0 systems and their technologies have directly influenced the ornamental stone industry, addressing both the effects on mineral resources and energy consumption in daily operations. In addition, research and development initiatives seek to make this industry more efficient and sustainable, addressing crucial issues such as economic growth, environmental impact, and social welfare. The increasing digitization of manufacturing systems and their integration with digital models has played a key role in this process, enabling the replication of shop floor operations and the optimization of material use. The application of Digital Twins, which are virtual replicas of physical systems, has been explored in an ornamental stone manufacturing company. These digital models have demonstrated the ability to save time and resources during prototype design, as well as offering continuous diagnostics and optimization throughout production. It is important to note that the implementation of Digital Twins requires care due to technical challenges, but their adoption promises to significantly impact business value, despite the initial complexities. Managing stone cutting devices with Digital Twins presents real challenges in the ornamental stone industry, but it also paves the way for greater precision, efficiency, and cost savings. These digital models enable real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and virtual simulations. This study explores different approaches to connecting physical cutting machines to their respective Digital Twins, evaluating criteria such as communication speed, security, scalability, and cost. The results of this analysis provide valuable information for implementing Digital Twins in the stone cutting industry