Digital Twin and Flow Simulation for Improved Materials Processing

Abstract

This article demonstrates how particle-based (meshless) digital-twin simulation can accelerate materials development by replacing costly trial-and-error experimentation. In powder bed fusion additive manufacturing, simulations of blade-type recoater spreading showed that powder surface energy and particle shape/friction—not just average powder feed—control the uniformity (standard deviation) of spread-film thickness, while blade speed affects both thickness and evenness. In a second application, simulated wall shear stress was used to compare a vertical column-type biofilm reactor against a proposed horizontal stirred-tank design, enabling selection of an impeller speed that reproduces the shear environment of the validated column reactor while allowing many more coupons to be tested simultaneously. The authors emphasize that the real value of a digital twin lies not in simulation alone but in a closed feedback loop between virtual and physical experimentation.