NODE. OF A CELLULAR MANUFACTURING SYSTEM WITH RECONFIGURABLE CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

The last few decades have witnessed a sea change in the design of manufacturing systems, as the traditional job shops and flow lines etc. can not effectively handle the demands of a dynamic and uncertain market. To cope with the uncertain markets, several new concepts such as reconfigurable, holonic, bionic, agent-based manufacturing etc. have emerged in recent years. Implementation of these manufacturing strategies has been made possible by advances in automation, information technology, soft computing etc. Cellular Manufacturing (CM) based on the concept of Group Technology (GT) was proposed in the sixties. Although the benefits of implementing CM are manifold, the rigidness of the system towards variation in part mix and demand is its major drawback. Hence, incorporation of part mix and demand flexibility in Cellular Manufacturing System (CMS) is an issue that needs to be seriously addressed to adapt CMS to the needs of modern manufacturing environment. Unfortunately, once the machines are grouped (by any means of clustering) for a particular set of parts and demands, it is not feasible to physically relocate them to respond to change in the set of parts. Thus, an existing machine cell may not remain optimal under the changed production parameters. The solution to this problem can greatly enhance the scope and acceptability of CMS. As already mentioned, unpredictable market changes marked by large fluctuations in product demand and mix, increase in introduction of new products, frequent modifications in existing products and regulations etc. render the traditional manufacturing approaches unproductive. In recent times, Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) has been proposed as one of the solutions to these problems. A RMS is designed at the outset for rapid change in structure, both in hardware and software components, in order to quickly adjust production capacity and functionality in response to sudden changes in market.