Digital Service Engineering


The Digital Service Engineering theme aims to apply modelling, simulation and visualisation techniques to help manufacturers and service providers to improve their design, manufacturing, in-service and training processes.

This research theme focuses on using digital technologies and processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in through-life engineering. Some of the key areas that we can support include:

  • Augmented reality applications for future manufacturing and maintenance systems

  • Virtual prototyping for products and services

  • Modelling and simulation of manufacturing and service and support in terms of costs, performance, risks and uncertainties

  • Factory layout optimisation

  • Uncertainty quantification for manufacturing and in-service design and delivery

  • AI and machine learning for through-life applications

 

Projects can range from small studies investigating the feasibility of new ideas to meet industrial requirements, to large projects developing and validating new or improved modelling, simulation or visualisation methods.

 

We focus on collaborative R&D projects that aim to develop new, improved and more accurate modelling, simulation and visualisation for decision making at varying levels such as component, process, (sub)system, business unit, enterprise, and/or supply network.

 

Our Capabilities:

 

The theme has over 10 years of experience through EPSRC, Innovate UK, EU and direct industry funded projects. The Digital Service Engineering theme has capabilities in:

 

Modelling and simulation for manufacturing and through-life engineering:

  • Risk and uncertainty quantification at the early stage of long life contracts/ equipment

  • Whole life cost modelling

  • Manufacturing layout optimisation including discrete event in an immersive environment

  • Optimising maintenance and repair delivery including agent based and discrete event simulation, and system dynamics applications
    AI and machine learning for diagnosis, maintenance and repair, and remaining useful life

  • Obsolescence management

  • Servitization and organizational transformation

  • Visualisation:

    • Augmented reality applications have been developed for deskilling complex tasks, remote collaboration, and training delivery.

    • Digital Twins related projects have aimed to build a representation of the physical product and processes in a digital format. This focuses on providing guidance with predicted costs, and may contain real time data about equipment health.

    • Virtual reality related projects that we have been involved in have focused on visualising ‘big data’ and for delivering training for assembly and disassembly activities

 

Related Areas

The Digital Service Engineering theme works closely with the ‘Degradation Studies’ theme

 

For more information, contact Dr John A. Erkoyuncu, Director of Through-life Engineering Services Centre – Digital Service Engineering.