Multisensor Data Fusion-Driven Digital Twins in Computer Numerical Control Machining: A Review

As key equipment in the manufacturing industry, computer numerical control (CNC) machines need to meet the ever-increasing demands for high automation, intelligence, and integration. Since its introduction in 2003, digital twin (DT) has seen its broad applications in various areas, such as product design, process monitoring, quality control, and fault diagnosis. A DT creates a virtual replica of the physical system by integrating real-time data with simulation technologies, providing new possibilities to make CNC machining more intelligent. In the past decade, extensive research has been conducted on the implementation of CNC machining DTs (CNCDTs). This paper focuses specifically on multisensor data fusion-driven CNCDTs by introducing key technologies including sensors, data fusion, and CNCDT architecture. A comprehensive survey is conducted on existing studies of CNCDTs according to their application areas, followed by critical analysis on existing challenges. This review summarizes the current progress of CNCDTs and provides guidance for further development.