Over the past 25 years, Wingquist Laboratory has established itself as a leading center in virtual product and production system development. Building on early investments in simulation and close collaboration with industry, the center has developed methods to manage increasingly complex products and production systems. At the same time, its research continues to evolve in response to new demands related to sustainability and artificial intelligence.
When Wingquist Laboratory was founded in the early 2000s, virtual product realization was still an emerging research field. The ambition was to develop methods for simulating and analyzing products and their production systems digitally, without relying on physical prototypes. For ten years, the center was funded as a Vinnova VINN Excellence Centre, laying the foundation for long-term research in collaboration with industry.
“Advanced simulation is now spreading to more industries, but our close collaboration with the automotive sector has been particularly important. That is where these methods were adopted early on due to intense competition,” says Rikard Söderberg, Director of Wingquist Laboratory.
Close collaboration with industry
Collaboration with industry has been a cornerstone of the center since the very start. Every research project is based on both a concrete industrial need and a scientific research question.
“What we contribute is helping companies become faster and better at developing complex products. Much of the development happens incrementally, and that is also how industry normally evolves, but sometimes new disruptive technologies come along that changes the arena completely,” says Rikard Söderberg.
Despite major changes in the external environment, the center’s four core research areas, Geometry Assurance & Robust Design, Systems Engineering Design, Geometry & Motion Planning, and Automation, have remained relevant since the beginning, while applications have evolved in line with industry needs.
“The underlying theories and deep expertise have been refined and applied to new areas that influence how products are manufactured. Today, for example, additive manufacturing and megacasting, where large aluminium components are cast in a single piece instead of being welded together, are becoming increasingly important.”
The research has also led to tangible outcomes, including software now used by around 200 companies worldwide, as well as several spin-off companies where new technologies have been commercialized.
Sustainability transition places new demands on simulation
In recent years, research has increasingly been shaped by industry’s transition towards more resource-efficient and circular production systems. Questions related to electrification, remanufacturing, traceability, and material use are driving the development of new models and simulation methods.
“More companies are exploring how products can be taken back, disassembled, and reused. This places new demands on traceability and simulation to understand how components age and how they can be safely remanufactured and reused.”
At the same time, access to large volumes of data and the rise of artificial intelligence have created new opportunities and become an increasingly integrated part of the research.
“AI is now part of many projects, but it is not about replacing existing methods. Instead, combining physics-based models with AI can strengthen both and enable better and faster analyses.”
The vision of fully virtual product development
The original vision, to carry out the entire product realization process virtually without the need for physical prototypes, remains central to the center’s work. Despite significant progress, some challenges remain.
“We have come a long way, but there are still stages where physical testing is needed. At the same time, the need for simulation continues to grow as products become more and more complex, making the questions we work on increasingly important,” says Rikard Söderberg.
25th Annual Seminar on Digital Product Realization
The anniversary year will be marked by the annual seminar, focusing on digital product realization.
- Head of Department, Mechanical Engineering