The transition towards digital and smart manufacturing is creating new opportunities for startups to develop innovative industrial solutions without requiring large investments in physical production facilities. In this context, the fabless startup model, already well established in sectors such as semiconductors, can increasingly be applied to advanced manufacturing.
Fabless startups focus their resources on product design, engineering, software and innovation, while manufacturing activities are carried out by specialised external partners. However, working without direct access to production facilities can make prototyping, testing and validation more challenging. This is where Digital Twin technology can play an important role.
A Digital Twin creates a virtual representation of a product, process or production system using real or simulated data. Startups can use these virtual environments to test product designs, analyse production scenarios, identify potential problems and optimise solutions before investing in physical prototypes or manufacturing.
For young companies with limited resources, this approach can significantly reduce development costs and shorten the time needed to bring innovative products to market. Digital Twins can also facilitate collaboration between startups, technology centres, vocational education and training (VET) institutions and manufacturing companies. Different partners can work on the same virtual model, contributing expertise and validating solutions before physical implementation.
The Digital Twin on Smart Manufacturing project contributes to this emerging ecosystem by strengthening knowledge and skills related to Digital Twin technologies and their practical industrial applications. By bringing education, technology and industry closer together, the project can help future technicians, entrepreneurs and innovators understand how virtualisation can support new manufacturing business models.
Digital Twins therefore represent more than a technological tool. They can become an enabler of fabless entrepreneurship, allowing innovative ideas to move from concept to industrial application with lower barriers to entry, reduced risks and greater opportunities for collaboration.
