Intelligent Manufacturing in the Context of Industry 4.0: A Review

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ykoren/uploads/Assembly_System_Design_and_Operations.pdf

Assembly system design and operations for product variety

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs), which possess the advantages of both dedicated serial lines and flexible manufacturing systems, were introduced in the mid-1990s to address the challenges initiated by globalization. The principal goal of an RMS is to enhance the responsiveness of manufacturing systems to unforeseen changes in product demand. RMSs are costeffective because they boost productivity, and increase the lifetime of the manufacturing system. Because of the many streams in which a product may be produced on an RMS, maintaining product precision in an RMS is a challenge. But the experience with RMS in the last 20 years indicates that product quality can be definitely maintained by inserting in-line inspection stations. In this paper, we formulate the design and operational principles for RMSs, and provide a state-of-the-art review of the design and operations methodologies of RMSs according to these principles. Finally, we propose future research directions, and deliberate on how recent intelligent manufacturing technologies may advance the design and operations of RMSs.

/pdf/reconfigurable-manufacturing-systems-principles-design-and-2vunixrryi.pdf

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems: Principles, design, and future trends

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems: Literature review and research trend

Scalability planning for reconfigurable manufacturing systems

Rapid and cost-effective scalability of the throughput of manufacturing systems is an invaluable feature for the management of manufacturing enterprises. System design for scalability allows the enterprise to build a manufacturing system to supply the current demand, and upgrade its throughput in the future, in a cost-effective manner, to meet possible higher market demand in a timely manner. To possess this capability, the manufacturing system must be designed at the outset for future expansions in its throughput to enable growths in supply exactly when needed by the market. A mathematical method that maximises the system throughput after reconfiguration is proposed, and an industrial case is presented to validate the method. The paper offers a set of principles for system design for scalability to guide designers of modern manufacturing systems.

Value creation through design for scalability of reconfigurable manufacturing systems

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering University of British Columbia Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z4 Abstract Optimal line design seeks to identify the best configuration of resources and allocation of tasks to satisfy criteria such as maximum throughput or minimum cost. Coupling several levels of the problem together provides a more comprehensive solution but can be difficult because of problem formulation and computational complexities. In this paper we present an approach to coupling line-balancing, machine selection (including buffer) and throughput analysis for manufacturing lines that produce multiple parts. We utilize a Genetic Algorithm formulation to capture in string form the configuration and task allocation for a multiple parts line (MPL). Minimal ratio of cost to throughput is used as the criterion for the fitness function. An analytical throughput analysis engine is called during the evaluation of each solution to size and locate buffers, and to consider the effects of machine breakdown. This method is effectively used during the initial stages of line design to guide manufacturing engineering in evaluating different line design options.

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ykoren/uploads/Concurrent_line-balancing,_equipment.pdf

Concurrent Line-Balancing, Equipment Selection and Throughput Analysis for Multi-Part Optimal Line Design

Design Principles of Scalable Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

This paper examines the investment and operational cost differences between high-volume serial CNC-based machining lines and parallel CNC-based machining lines. With the progress of CNC technology and their descending cost, more CNC machines have been used in high-volume production systems. CNC machines increase the flexibility and machining capability of production lines, greatly increasing the number of line configurations. Parallel configurations improve system throughput and have the same effect as adding buffers to a pure serial line but without additional work-in-process inventory. This analysis is performed through a case study of a CNC-based automotive cylinder head machining line. Examining machine reliability, line balance, configuration throughput, and cost yields insight into the cost-benefit tradeoff of implementing parallelism. It is found that even with large increases in investment in automated material handling, parallel configurations can yield significant annual cost savings over pure s...

Wencai Wang

Papers

Scalability planning for reconfigurable manufacturing systems

Value creation through design for scalability of reconfigurable manufacturing systems

Concurrent Line-Balancing, Equipment Selection and Throughput Analysis for Multi-Part Optimal Line Design

Design Principles of Scalable Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

A case study in productivity-cost trade-off in the design of paced parallel production systems