1.FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM
1.INTRODUCTION
In the middle of the 1960s, market competition became more intense.
During 1960 to 1970 cost was the primary concern. Later quality became a priority. As
the market became more and more complex, speed of delivery became something
customer also needed.
A new strategy was formulated: Customizability. The companies have to adapt to the
environment in which they operate, to be more flexible in their operations and to satisfy
different market segments (customizability).
Thus the innovation of FMS became related to the effort of gaining competitive
advantage.
First of all, FMS is a manufacturing technology.
Secondly, FMS is a philosophy. "System" is the key word. Philosophically, FMS
incorporates a system view of manufacturing. The buzz word for today’s manufacturer is
"agility". An agile manufacturer is one who is the fastest to the market, operates with the
lowest total cost and has the greatest ability to "delight" its customers. FMS is simply one
way that manufacturers are able to achieve this agility.
An MIT study on competitiveness pointed out that American companies spent twice as
much on product innovation as they did on process innovation. Germans and Japanese
did just the opposite.
In studying FMS, we need to keep in mind what Peter Drucker said: "We must become
managers of technology not merely users of technology".
Since FMS is a technology, well adjusted to the environmental needs, we have to manage
it successfully.
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2.1.TRADITIONAL FMS:
A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is an arrangement of machines....
interconnected by a transport system. The transporter carries work to the machines
on pallets or other interface units so that work-machine registration is accurate,
rapid and automatic. A central computer controls both machines and transport
system.
The key idea in FMS is that the co-ordination of the flow of work is carried out by a
central control computer. This computer performs functions such as:
Scheduling jobs onto the machine tools
Downloading part-programs (giving detailed instructions on how to produce a
part) to the machines.
Sending instructions to the automated vehicle system for transportation.
Products to be produced are manually loaded onto pallets at a load station, and the
computer system takes over, moving the product to the various processing stations using
automatic vehicles, which may be rail-guided, guided by wires embedded in the floor or
free-roving. After having visited all necessary stations, usually only two or three, the job
is taken back to the load station, where it is removed from the pallet and passed to the
next process.
2.1.FLEXIBILITY:A modern Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is essentially an automated
manufacturing cell- a group of interconnected, numerically controlled machines with
automated material-handling capabilities and a shared control system. The automated
material-handling system must be capable of loading and unloading materials on the
Numerically Controlled (NC) machines, as well as transporting parts between them. An
FMS then is capable of making a wide variety of parts, even in small quantities, without
human intervention. Although flexible manufacturing systems are very expensive, they
can frequently be justified in the context of group technology. Without group
technology an FMS is likely to be underutilized and eventually to be removed.2
In a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) there is some amount of flexibility that allows
the system to react in the case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. Flexibility is
one of the benefits of small-batch manufacturing. It is the ability of a manufacturing
system to respond at a reasonable cost and at an appropriate speed, to planned and
unanticipated changes in external and internal environments. While a small-batch shop
may produce lower unit output than a shop dedicated to one or two lines, its strength is
that it can make a variety of different products in small volumes. The complexity of
coordinating manual small-batch production had, until the early 1980s, confined
automation of the manufacturing system as a whole to industries producing in large-
batches, with a small, slowly-changing range of products. Small-batch production relied
on stand-alone processing machines, which were coordinated by human operators and
schedulers. The complex nature of producing a wide-range of products brought what
were seen as necessary evils accommodated in the name of flexible manufacturing.
The flexibility is generally considered to fall into two categories, which both contain
numerous Sub-categories. The first category, machine flexibility, covers the system's
ability to be changed to produce new product types, and ability to change the order of
operations executed on a part. The second category is called routing flexibility, which
consists of the ability to use multiple machines to perform
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2.2.NUMERICALLY CONTROLLED (NC) MACHINES:When the positions or paths of cutter tools are under the control of a digital computer, we
have numerical control .The feedback control paths emanate from the basic positioning
controls of the tools or work tables that determine the position of the
positions or paths of cutter tools are under the control of a digital computer, we have
numerical control .The feedback control paths emanate from the basic positioning
controls of the tools or work tables that determine the position of the cutters relative to
the work. These feedback control loops continually compare the actual position with the
programmed position and apply correction when necessary.
When two dimensions are controlled, we have position control, illustrated by the drilling
holes that must be positioned accurately. The drill tool can be moved in two dimensions
to achieve the desired position, after which the tool does the work to produce the hole.
Such a system can be programmed to drill a series of accurately positioned holes.
When position control is carried one step further, by controlling three dimensions , we
have contour control, controlling the actual path of the cutter. Contour control involves a
much more complex programming problem because curves and surfaces must be
specified. Contour control systems have great flexibility in terms of the part shapes that
can be produced as well as in the change of shapes from job to job. Instead of the part
being processed through a sequence of machines or machine-centers, it is often possible
to perform all the required operations with a single set-up because the cutter can be
programmed to make cuts along any path needed to produce the required configuration.
Very complex parts can be produced with a single set-up.
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2.3.ADVANTAGES OF NC MACHINES:
One of the great advantages of numerically controlled systems is that the machine tool is
not tied up for long periods during set-up because practically all the preparation time is
in programming, which does not involve the actual machine tool. In addition, repeat
orders require virtually no set-up time. Thus, the field of applicability includes parts that
are produced in low volumes. Therefore, through numerically controlled processes,
automation is having an important impact on process technology for both high- volume,
standardized types of products and low- volume products(even custom designs).
2.4.COMPUTER NUMERICALLY CONTROLLED MACHINES:
The abbreviation CNC stands for computer numerical control, and refers specifically to a
computer "controller" that reads G-code instructions and drives a machine tool, a
powered mechanical device typically used to fabricate components by the selective
removal of material. CNC does numerically directed interpolation of a cutting tool in the
work envelope of a machine. The operating parameters of the CNC can be altered via a
software load program. CNC was preceded by NC (Numerically Controlled) machines,
which were hard wired and their operating parameters could not be changed. NC was
developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s by John T. Parsons in collaboration with the
MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory. The first CNC systems used NC style hardware, and
the computer was used for the tool compensation calculations and sometimes for editing.
3.0 THE INTERNAL WORKING OF FMS.
An Industrial Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) consists of robots, Computer-
controlled Machines, Numerical controlled machines (CNC), instrumentation devices,
computers, sensors, and other stand alone systems such as inspection machines. The use
of robots in the production segment of manufacturing industries promises a variety of
benefits ranging from high utilization to high volume of productivity. Each Robotic cell
or node will be located along a material handling system such as a conveyor or automatic
guided vehicle. The production of each part or work-piece will require a different
combination of manufacturing nodes. The movement of parts from one node to another is 5
done through the material handling system. At the end of part processing, the finished
parts will be routed to an automatic inspection node, and subsequently unloaded from the
Flexible Manufacturing System.
The FMS data traffic consists of large files and short messages, and mostly come from
nodes, devices and instruments. The message size ranges between a few bytes to several
hundreds of bytes. Executive software and other data, for example, are files with a large
size, while messages for machining data, instrument to instrument communications,
status monitoring, and data reporting are transmitted in small size.
There is also some variation on response time. Large program files from a main computer
usually take about 60 seconds to be down loaded into each instrument or node at the
beginning of FMS operation. Messages for instrument data need to be sent in a periodic
time with deterministic time delay. Other type of messages used for emergency reporting
is quite short in size and must be transmitted and received with almost instantaneous
response.
The demands for reliable FMS protocol that support all the FMS data characteristics are
now urgent. The existing IEEE standard protocols do not fully satisfy the real time
communication requirements in this environment. The delay of CSMA/CD is unbounded
as the number of nodes increases due to the message collisions. Token Bus has a
deterministic message delay, but it does not support prioritized access scheme which is
needed in FMS communications. Token Ring provides prioritized access and has a low
message delay; however, its data transmission is unreliable. A single node failure which
may occur quite often in FMS causes transmission errors of passing message in that node.
In addition, the topology of Token Ring results in high wiring installation and cost.
A design of FMS communication protocol that supports a real time communication with
bounded message delay and reacts promptly to any emergency signal is needed. Because
of machine failure and malfunction due to heat, dust, and electromagnetic interference is
common, a prioritized mechanism and immediate transmission of emergency messages
are needed so that a suitable recovery procedure can be applied. A modification of
standard Token Bus to implement a prioritized access scheme was proposed to allow
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transmission of short and periodic messages with a low delay compared to the one for
long messages.
4.0 ADVANTAGES: Productivity increment due to automation
Preparation time for new products is shorter due to flexibility
Saved labor cost, due to automation
Improved production quality, due to automation
Faster, lower- cost changes from one part to another which will improve capital
utilization
Lower direct labor cost, due to the reduction in number of workers
Reduced inventory, due to the planning and programming precision
Consistent and better quality, due to the automated control
Lower cost/unit of output, due to the greater productivity using the same number
of workers
Savings from the indirect labor, from reduced errors, rework, repairs and rejects
The real strength of these FMS lay in the fact that they brought tremendous benefits in
inventory reduction (often 85%), quality improvement and lead time. In many
installations, the inventory reduction alone was sufficient to justify the investment in
hardware, software and system design effort.
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5.0 DISADVANTAGES: Limited ability to adapt to changes in product or product mix (ex. machines are of
limited capacity and the tooling necessary for products, even of the same family,
is not always feasible in a given FMS)
Substantial pre-planning activity
Expensive, costing millions of dollars
Technological problems of exact component positioning and precise timing
necessary to process a component
Sophisticated manufacturing systems
5.1.NARROW PROCESS FOCUS:
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The types of manufacturing processes suitable for integration into traditional FMS remain
limited: turning, milling and sheet metal work dominate FMS processes while many
other, less well automated, processes remain unintegrated. This is mainly because they
are not computerized at the machine level and are hence not yet ready for computer
integration at the system level. Nevertheless, even in metal cutting, with much wider
application of Computer Numerical Control, comparatively little output is due to FMS.
5.2TECHNOLOGICAL UNCERTAINTY:
When FMS were first introduced, the novelty of the integration technology naturally
made many firms "wait-and-see" until the technology had settled. This was particularly
true in the smaller companies. The technology of FMS has, at least in the West, not
become mature and well understood and many companies would still consider FMS All-
or-Nothing
The monolithic all-or-nothing nature of FMS increases the risk of projects, causing
companies to shy away. This is particularly true of those companies whose products are a
little different from those for which FMS has already proven itself --- the scale of the
effort required, in conjunction with their less standard processes is sufficient to dissuade
them from undertaking the project.
6. ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 9
When it comes to robots, reality still lags science fiction. But, just because robots have
not lived up to their promise in past decades does not mean that they will not arrive
sooner or later. Indeed, the confluence of several advanced technologies is bringing the
age of robotics ever nearer – smaller, cheaper, more practical and cost-effective. Mr.
Norachai Nampring Mr. Sakol Punglae
6.1.BRAWN, BONE & BRAIN
There are 3 aspects of any robot:
Brawn – strength relating to physical payload that a robot can move.
Bone – the physical structure of a robot relative to the work it does; this
determines the size and weight of the robot in relation to its physical payload.
Brain – robotic intelligence; what it can think and do independently; how much
manual interaction is required.
Because of the way robots have been pictured in science fiction, many people expect
robots to be human-like in appearance. But in fact what a robot looks like is more related
to the tasks or functions it performs. A lot of machines that look nothing like humans can
clearly be classified as robots. And similarly, some human-looking robots are not much
beyond mechanical mechanisms, or toys.
Many early robots were big machines, with significant brawn and little else. Old
hydraulically powered robots were relegated to tasks in the 3-D category – dull, dirty and
dangerous. The technological advances since the first industry implementation have
completely revised the capability, performance and strategic benefits of robots. For
example, by the 1980s robots transitioned from being hydraulically powered to become
electrically driven units. Accuracy and performance improved.
6.2.INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS ALREADY AT WORK
The number of robots in the world today is approaching 1,000,000, with almost half that
number in Japan and just 15% in the US. A couple of decades ago, 90% of robots were
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used in car manufacturing, typically on assembly lines doing a variety of repetitive tasks.
Today only 50% are in automobile plants, with the other half spread out among other
factories, laboratories, warehouses, energy plants, hospitals, and many other industries.
Robots are used for assembling products, handling dangerous materials, spray-painting,
cutting and polishing, inspection of products. The number of robots used in tasks as
diverse as cleaning sewers, detecting bombs and performing intricate surgery is
increasing steadily, and will continue to grow in coming years.
6.3.ROBOT INTELLIGENCE
Even with primitive intelligence, robots have demonstrated ability to generate good
gains in factory productivity, efficiency and quality. Beyond that, some of the "smartest"
robots are not in manufacturing; they are used as space explorers, remotely operated
surgeons and even pets – like Sony's AIBO mechanical dog. In some ways, some of these
other applications show what might be possible on production floors if manufacturers
realize that industrial robots don't have to be bolted to the floor, or constrained by the
limitations of yesterday's machinery concepts.
With the rapidly increasing power of the microprocessor and artificial intelligence
techniques, robots have dramatically increased their potential as flexible automation
tools. The new surge of robotics is in applications demanding advanced intelligence.
Robotic technology is Mr. Norachai Nampring Mr. Sakol Punglae converging with a
wide variety of complementary technologies – machine vision, force sensing (touch),
speech recognition and advanced mechanics. This results in exciting new levels of
functionality for jobs that were never before considered practical for robots.
The introduction of robots with integrated vision and touch dramatically changes the
speed and efficiency of new production and delivery systems. Robots have become so
accurate that they can be applied where manual operations are no longer a viable option.
Semiconductor manufacturing is one example, where a consistent high level of
throughput and quality cannot be achieved with humans and simple mechanization. In
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addition, significant gains are achieved through enabling rapid product changeover and
evolution that can't be matched with conventional hard tooling.
6.4.BOOSTING COMPETITIVENESS
As mentioned, robotic applications originated in the automotive industry. General
Motors, with some 40-50,000 robots, continues to utilize and develop new approaches.
The ability to bring more intelligence to robots is now providing significant new strategic
options. Automobile prices have actually declined over the last two to three years, so the
only way that manufacturers can continue to generate profits is to cut structural and
production costs.
When plants are converted to new automobile models, hundreds of millions of dollars
are typically put into the facility. The focus of robotic manufacturing technology is to
minimize the capital investment by increasing flexibility. New robot applications are
being found for operations that are already automated with dedicated equipment. Robot
flexibility allows those same automated operations to be performed more consistently,
with inexpensive equipment and with significant cost advantages.
6.5.Robotic Assistance
A key robotics growth arena is Intelligent Assist Devices (IAD) – operators manipulate a
robot as though it were a bionic extension of their own limbs with increased reach and
strength. This is robotics technology – not replacements for humans or robots, but rather
a new class of ergonomic assist products that helps human partners in a wide variety of
ways, including power assist, motion guidance, line tracking and process automation.
IAD’s use robotics technology to help production people to handle parts and payloads –
more, heavier, better, faster, with less strain. Using a human-machine interface, the
operator and IAD work in tandem to optimize lifting, guiding and positioning
movements. Sensors, computer power and control algorithms translate the operator's
hand movements into super human lifting power.
6.6.NEW ROBOT CONFIGURATIONS 12
As the technology and economic implications of Moore's law continue to shift computing
power and price, we should expect more innovations, more cost-effective robot
configurations, more applications beyond the traditional “dumb-waiter” service emphasis.
The biggest change in industrial robots is that they will evolve into a broader variety of
structures and mechanisms. In many cases, configurations that evolve into new
automation systems won't be immediately recognizable as robots. For example, robots
that automate semiconductor manufacturing already look quite different from those used
in automotive plants.
Mr. Norachai Nampring Mr. Sakol Punglae We will see the day when there are more of
these programmable tooling kinds of robots than all of the traditional robots that exist in
the world today. There is an enormous sea change coming; the potential is significant
because soon robots will offer not only improved costeffectiveness, but also advantages
and operations that have never been possible before.
6.7.ENVISIONING VISION
Despite the wishes of robot researchers to emulate human appearance and intelligence,
that simply hasn't happened. Most robots still can't see – versatile and rapid object
recognition is still not quite attainable. And there are very few examples of bipedal,
upright walking robots such as Honda’s P3, mostly used for research or sample
demonstrations.
A relatively small number of industrial robots are integrated with machine vision
systems – which is why it's called machine vision rather than robot vision. The early
machine vision adopters paid very high prices, because of the technical expertise needed
to “tweak” such systems. For example, in the mid-1980s, a flexible manufacturing system
from Cincinnati Milacron included a $900,000 vision guidance system. By 1998 average
prices had fallen to $40,000, and prices continued to decline.
Today, simple pattern matching vision sensors can be purchased for under $2,000 from
Cognex, Omron and others. The price reductions reflect today's reduced computing costs,
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and the focused development of vision systems for specific jobs such as inspection.
6.8.ROBOTS ALREADY IN USE EVERYWHERE
Sales of industrial robots have risen to record levels and they have huge, untapped
potential for domestic chores like mowing the lawn and vacuuming the carpet. Last year
3,000 underwater robots, 2,300 demolition robots and 1,600 surgical robots were in
operation. A big increase is predicted for domestic robots for vacuum cleaning and lawn
mowing, increasing from 12,500 in 2000 to almost 500,000 by the end of 2004. IBot’s
Roomba floor cleaning robot is now available at under $200.00.
In the wake of recent anthrax scares, robots are increasingly used in postal sorting
applications. Indeed, there is huge potential to mechanize the US postal service. Some
1,000 robots were installed last year to sort parcels and the US postal service has
estimated that it has the potential to use up to 80,000 robots for sorting.
Look around at the “robots” around us today: automated gas pumps, bank ATMs, self-
service checkout lanes – machines that are already replacing many service jobs.
Fast-forward another few decades. It doesn't require a great leap of faith to envision how
advances in image processing, microprocessor speed and human-simulation could lead to
the automation of most boring, low-intelligence, low-paying jobs.
Marshall Brain (yes, that's his name) founder of HowStuffWorks.com has written a
couple of interesting essays about robotics in the future, well worth reading. He feels that
it is quite plausible that over the next 40 years robots will displace most human jobs.
According to Brain's projections, in his essay "Robotic Nation", humanoid robots will be
widely available by 2030. They will replace jobs currently filled by people for work such
as fast-food service, housecleaning and retail sales. Unless ways are found to compensate
for these lost jobs, Brain estimates that more than 50% of Americans could be
unemployed by 2055 – replaced by robots.
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6.9. PRODUCTIVITY:
In many applications, the productivity of the prospective system --- in terms of its output
with respect to its capital input --- is insufficient. Practical experience has also shown that
the utilization of the systems may be much lower than predicted when they were
designed, further reducing productivity. While productivity may not be the manufacturing
performance criterion most closely associated with the competitive focus of the system,
there are bare minima to be exceed in any industry. Without a reasonable level of
practical productivity (and hence return) from capital, the project will founder, perhaps
rightly, in the capital investment procedures of the firm.
6.10..SHALLOW LEARNING CURVE:
It takes a long time for an organization to learn about FMS technology. Much of the
technology is embodied in software integration, and software engineering is not a skill
which many manufacturing companies acquire quickly.
Second, the highly interdependent and specialized nature of the technology means that
integration is best handled by a very tight nucleus of people . While this might get the
job done at the outset (once these scarce people have been found), it often means that just
a few people hold the key competencies. This concentration of knowledge inhibits
learning in the organization as a whole.
The nature of the skills required means that these skilled people have often been imported
from outside the firm and owe it only fleeting allegiance. When they leave, they take
their skills with them, which further flatten the learning curve of the company.
6.11.LEVEL OF INVESTMENT:
The investment in FMS (as characterized by Ingersoll Engineers is often in the range of
$10 to 15 million). The amount of money needed to finance an FMS is thus a significant
barrier to its introduction, particularly in smaller companies. Smaller firms currently
perform most of the small batch work, so it is here where FMS would be most
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appropriate. However, for most small firms, an investment in FMS would mean "betting
the farm". Quite reasonably, given the plethora of other difficulties, they choose not to.
6.12 INFLEXIBILITY:
The main disadvantage with FMS technology lies, paradoxically, in its inflexibility. FMS
are flexible in that they can, in the short-term, produce a range of known products.
However, the complexity necessary to automatically achieve short-term flexibility makes
it difficult to introduce new families of products into the system, and certainly much
more difficult than in a manual shop. Similarly, when new machines are to be added (or
old ones updated) it can be very costly. Changes in system configuration require time-
consuming, expensive alteration to software particularly in complex, Western systems.
These six reasons, in concert, marshal against the diffusion of current FMS technology.
This is not to say however, that these are sound reasons why FMS should not be
embraced. Many argue that the difficulties described above are the price one has to pay,
and that technologies such as FMS must be seen as a strategic investment --- the short-
term hurdles must be compared against the long-term strategic and intangible cost of
being ignorant of the technology. If this argument were truly compelling, one might
expect many more of the forward-thinking companies, whose competitiveness is tightly
linked to their small-batch effectiveness to have grasped the nettle, and to have adopted
FMS technology as a stepping-stone towards the future factory and as a strategic
investment in the flexible technology of the 21st-century plant
7.0 MASS CUSTOMIZATION MANUFACTURINGCompetition in the manufacturing industry over the next decade will be focused on the
ability to flexibly and rapidly respond to changing market conditions. With significantly
shortened product life cycles, manufacturers have found that they can no longer capture
market share and gain higher profits by producing large volumes of a standard product
for a mass market. Success in manufacturing requires the adoption of methods in
customer-acquisition and order-fulfillment processes that can manage anticipated change
with precision while providing a fast and flexible response to unanticipated changes
Many companies are confronted with the challenge of changing their strategic
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orientations to meet demands of the current market place. Mass customization
manufacturing (MCM) is a solution to this challenge.
7.1.THE DESIGN:The design of an MCM system is an extension of the customer-centered concept in
fabrication. The design goal is to achieve a balance between product standardization and
manufacturing flexibility. Success in mass customization manufacturing is achieved by
swiftly reconfiguring operations, processes, and business relationships with respect to
customers’ individual needs and dynamic manufacturing requirements. It is thus critical
to develop a manufacturing system that will achieve this goal. A competitive
manufacturing system is expected to be flexible enough to respond to small batches of
customer demand .Because the construction of any new production line is a large
investment, current production lines must be able to be reconfigured to keep up with
increased frequency of new product designs. In MCM, each unpredictable feature
demanded by customers is considered an opportunity, whereas current system capabilities
may not be able to support new customer requirements. The key to adjusting the
manufacturing capability successfully is to reconfigure the system, developing and
integrating new functions when necessary.
7.2.CHALLENGES:The revolutionary MCM system is characterized by four challenging characteristics:
degrees of flexibility, production capability adjustments, modularization methods, and
dynamic network-control system structure.
7.3. DEGREES OF FLEXIBILITYThe traditional flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is based on numerically controlled
machines in addition to other value-added, automatic, material handling facilities. A
degree of flexibility within FMS serves to satisfy demands for a relatively diverse range
of products with a small to medium batch size production. Compared with FMS, more
part varieties are produced in a mass-customized production environment, and
manufacturing requirements are often dynamically changed. In addition, customer orders
come through more randomly with different delivery dates. Thus, an MCM system must
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possess sufficient flexibility and rapid response capability to deal with complex
manufacturing situations.
7.4. PRODUCTION CAPABILITY ADJUSTMENTSThe expandability of production capability for traditional FMS is limited by the scope of
product families during design stages. It is usually a difficult task to renovate a FMS to
accommodate new features demanded by market changes. MCM requires rapid
adjustment of production capability based on customer demands. To accommodate ever-
changing manufacturing requirements, an MCM system needs to be equipped with rapid,
production-plan-configuration and resource-allocation capabilities. Since one of the
MCM philosophies is to face a certain level of unknown customized demands, a key
objective for the development of an MCM system is continuous satisfaction of customer
demand.
7.5. MODULARIZATION METHODSModularization methods in traditional manufacturing systems are often product-oriented,
where modules are grouped in teams with intercross functions. It is difficult for such a
system to change structures when products need to be changed and production capability
needs to be adjusted. In addition, the old modularization method is likely to cause inner
frictions when adjustments are performed. In an MCM system, it is more desirable to
categorize modules based on their functionalities: the greater the diversity of module
classifications, the better the system’s potential to satisfy different customized demands.
7.6.DYNAMIC-NETWORK-CONTROL SYSTEM STRUCTUREControl system structures in FMS are often constructed in a hierarchical mode. Modules
assigned at various closely interactive layers result in the limitation of the capability for
system reconfiguration, reliability, and system expandability. Moreover, the complexity
of this type of system structure will increase as the scope of the system increases. Stand-
alone technologies may not be sufficient to satisfy the operation of a highly complex
MCM system. Dynamic network control is needed to maximize the optimal potential
benefit. Because of the complexity in ever-changing manufacturing requirements and
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flexible process routing, fixed and centralized control is almost impossible in a MCM
system. Dynamic and flexible network utilizations in MCM functional modules can
maximize the strength of each empowered resource, and hence, the overall risk and costs
are reduced.
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CONCLUSION
FMS is a revolution in the field of manufacturing technology.FMS can be designed to
meet the specific demand of each company.FMS is used for multitask operation..FMS
required substantial investement of time and resources.FMS systems which deliver
directly into warehouse, and do not require labor . The use of robots that have vision, and
tactile sensing to replace human labor · Technology will make 100% inspection feasible.
Thus making faster process adjustment possible. · Computer diagnosis will improve
estimation of machine failure, and guide work crews repairing failures. · International
coordination and control of manufacturing facilities. · Customers have completely
custom orders made immediately, and to exact specifications, and at a lower cost ·
Networks will tend to eliminate the barriers caused by international borders · Standards
will be developed which make installation of a new machine trivial · Networking
between manufacturers and suppliers will streamline the inventory problems · Marketing
will be reduced, as customer desires are met individually, and therefore do not need to be
anticipated by research. · Finished goods inventories will fall as individual consumer
needs are met directly. · Better management software, hardware, and fixturing techniques
will push machine utilization towards 100% · The task of Design and Process Planning
will become highly automated, therefore reducing wasted time on repetitious design, and
discovering careless mistakes. · Simplification of systems overall - MRP, MPCS, etc. ·
More front end simulation · Computing power increases - more sophisticated tools
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