Flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing systems paradigms

Abstract

Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) is a new manufacturing systems paradigm that aims at achieving cost-effective and rapid system changes, as needed and when needed, by incorporating principles of modularity, integrability, flexibility, scalability, convertibility, and diagnosability. RMS promises customized flexibility on demand in a short time, while Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMSs) provides generalized flexibility designed for the anticipated variations and built-in a priori. The characteristics of the two paradigms are outlined and compared. The concept of manufacturing system life cycle is presented. The main types of flexibility in manufacturing systems are discussed and contrasted with the various reconfiguration aspects including hard (physical) and soft (logical) reconfiguration. The types of changeability and transformability of manufacturing systems, their components as well as factories, are presented along with their enablers and compared with flexibility and reconfigurability. The importance of having harmonized human-machine manufacturing systems is highlighted and the role of people in the various manufacturing paradigms and how this varies in pursuit of productivity are illustrated. Finally, the industrial and research challenges presented by these manufacturing paradigms are discussed.

Dynamic self-organization in holonic multi-agent manufacturing systems: The ADACOR evolution

“…RMS is a concept that suggests the rapid change in the factory's structure using changes in hardware and/or software to adjust the production capacity and functionality quickly [8]. A RMS system should exhibit the following characteristics [4]: modularity, integrability, customization, convertibility and diagnosability.…”

Intelligent products: The grace experience

“…However, worldwide markets are imposing strong requirements in terms of cost, quality, customization and responsiveness (ElMaraghy, 2006). These requirements create new needs related to the introduction of new manufacturing paradigms and methods, and especially decentralized approaches, being manufacturing companies forced to adopt more modular, flexible, adaptive and reconfigurable systems aiming to remain competitive in this severe context.…”

Multi-Agent System for On-demand Production Integrating Production and Quality Control

“…This reality is aligned with the strategic research agenda made by the Manufuture European Technology Platform [1] that points out the need for enabling technologies, oriented to flexible and intelligent processes, to address the strong market pressures in terms of cost, quality, customization and time to market. In this emergent and very volatile environment, responsiveness is one of the main challenges on which every manufacturing company stands to be/remain competitive [2]. Under these circumstances, manufacturing companies may consider structures that guarantee the dynamic re-configurability and adaptability at the factory level with a strong emphasis on the goal of realizing faultfree products, fully compliant to specifications, with the aim of improving customer satisfaction.…”