Loading and control policies for a flexible manufacturing system

TLDR

The study investigates operating strategies for a computer‑controlled flexible manufacturing system. Using a real nine‑machine system with an inspection station and automated material handling, the authors evaluated loading and real‑time flow‑control policies through detailed simulation. The simulations show that performance depends on loading and control strategies, with the proposed methods significantly increasing production rate compared to prior approaches.

Abstract

Abstract An experimental investigation of operating strategies for a computer-controlled flexible manufacturing system is reported. The system is a real one, consisting of nine machines, an inspection station and a centralized queueing area—all interconnected by an automatic material-handling mechanism. The operating strategies considered involve policies for loading (allocating operations and tooling to machines) and real-time flow control. A detailed simulation was employed to test alternatives. The results are different from those of classical job shop scheduling studies, showing the dependence of system performance on the loading and control strategies chosen to operate this flexible manufacturing system. Loading and control methods are defined that significantly improve the system's production rate when compared to methods which were previously applied to the system. Finally, some conclusions are presented concerning the control of these automated systems.