Mitsubishi Electric Develops Edge Digital Twin Technology for Real-time Compensation of Errors in CNC Machine Tools

Reduces machining errors by up to 50% for improved productivity and reduced environmental impact

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that in collaboration with RWTH Aachen University in Germany, it has developed a technology that uses a digital twin to correct machine-tool errors in real time on machine tools equipped with computer numerical control (CNC¹). Tests showed that the technology can reduce errors caused by slight deformation of machined parts due to the force of a cutting tool by up to 50%.² This results in fewer mistakes during the cutting process, thereby lowering the number of defective parts for improved productivity and reduced environmental impact.

From April 2023 to March 2026, Mitsubishi Electric and RWTH Aachen University, which is renowned for its digital twin expertise, conducted joint research on online edge computing with a high-speed processing unit. As a result, they developed digital twin technology for CNC machine tools that can accurately estimate machining errors and feed the results back into the control system in real time. The digital twin’s proprietary compact physical model, which is composed of a minimum number of equations, was created using large amounts of data, including axis positions, currents and cutting forces. The data are acquired at a high sampling rate,³ and only information necessary for estimating machining errors is extracted. Real-time testing on a CNC machine tool confirmed that errors in machining due to a tool inadvertently deforming the part being cut can be reduced by up to 50%. By reducing defective parts and stabilizing surface quality, the technology improves productivity while reducing environmental impact.

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