Digital twins in manufacturing: A unified conceptual framework

Digital Twins (DTs) have the potential to transform how manufacturers conceive, design, manage, and optimize products, manufacturing systems, and services. However, their rapid evolution has led to a fragmented landscape in terms of conceptualization, applications, maturity levels, and enabling technological capabilities, creating a misalignment between academic research and industrial implementation. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing a unified conceptual framework for DTs in manufacturing, which integrates DT applications and maturity levels across product, production, and service domains and derives a theory-driven DT definition. To this end, two complementary frameworks are developed: the Digital Twin Application-based Framework and the Digital Twin Technological Capabilities Framework, which together classify DT applications, maturity levels, and technological capabilities within the three manufacturing domains. To establish conceptual clarity and account for the evolving, adaptive, and granular nature of DTs, the framework introduces a definition grounded in Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) Theory, framing DTs as dynamic, interconnected systems that evolve in complexity and functionality based on domain-specific needs. Overall, this research contributes to promote an alignment between academia and industry by providing a structured analysis and comprehensive conceptualization of DTs in manufacturing.