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There are three levels of manufacturing flexibility.

1-Basic Flexibilities

Machine flexibility - the ease with which a machine can process

various operations

Material handling flexibility -a measure of the ease with

which different part types can be transported and properly positioned at the various machine tools in a system

Operation flexibility - a measure of the ease with which

alternative operation sequences can be used for processing a part type
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2-System flexibilities
Volume flexibility
Expansion flexibility Routing flexibility

Process flexibility
Product flexibility

3-Aggregate flexibilities
Program Flexibility Production Flexibility Market Flexibility

Introduction to Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS)

A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a highly automated GT machine cell, consisting of a group or processing workstations (usually CNC machine tools), interconnected by an automated material handling and storage system, and controlled by a distributed computer system. The reason the FMS is called flexible is that it is capable of processing a variety of different part styles simultaneously at the various workstations, and the mix of part styles and quantities of production can be adjusted in response to changing demand patterns. The FMS is most suited for the mid-variety, mid-volume production range

FMS PRIORITIES
Meeting due dates
Maximizing machine utilization Minimize throughput times

Minimize WIP levels

Tests of Flexibility
To qualify as being flexible, a manufacturing system should satisfy

several criteria. The following are four reasonable tests of flexibility in an automated manufacturing system:
Part variety test. Can the system process different part

styles in a non batch mode?

Schedule change test. Can the system readily accept

changes in production schedule, and changes in either part mix or production quantity.

Contd
Error recovery test. Can the system recover quickly

from equipment breakdowns, so that the production is not completely disrupted.

New part test. Can new part designs be introduced

into the existing product mix with relative ease.

If the answer to all of these questions is YES for a given

manufacturing system, then the system can be considered flexible.

Comparison of Four Criteria of Flexibility in a Manufacturing System and the Seven Types of Flexibility

Number of Machines
Flexible manufacturing systems can be distinguished according to the number of machines in the system. The following are typical categories: Single machine cell (Type I A) Flexible manufacturing cell (usually type II A, sometimes type III A) Flexible manufacturing system (usually Type II A, sometimes type III A)

Single Machine Cell (SMC)

A single machine cell consists of one CNC machining center

combined with a parts storage system for unattended

Completed parts are periodically unloaded from the parts

storage unit, and raw work parts are loaded into it

operation.

Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC)

A flexible manufacturing cell consists of two or three

processing workstations (typically CNC machining centers)

plus a part handling system. The part handling system is connected to a load/unload station.

Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS)

A flexible manufacturing system has four or more
processing workstations connected mechanically by a common part handling system and electronically by a

distributed computer system.

Some of the distinguishing characteristics of the three categories of flexible manufacturing cells and systems are summarized in figure below

Flexibility Criteria Applied to the Three Types of Manufacturing Cells and Systems

Level of Flexibility
Another classification of FMS is according to the level of flexibility designed into the system. Two categories are distinguished here: Dedicated FMS Random-order FMS A dedicated FMS is designed to produce a limited variety of part styles, and the complete universe of parts to be made on the system is known in advance. A random-order FMS is more appropriate when the part family is large, there are substantial variations in part configurations, there will be new part designs introduced into the system and engineering changes in parts currently produced, and the production schedule is subjected to change from day-today.

A comparison of dedicated and random-order FMS types

Flexibility Criteria Applied to Dedicated FMS and Randomorder FMS

Components of FMS
There are several basic components of an FMS: Workstations. Material handling and storage systems. Computer control system. People are required to manage and operate the system

Workstations
Following are the types of workstations typically found in an FMS: Load/Unload Stations. Machining Stations. Other processing Stations. (punching, shearing, welding, etc.) Assembly Station. Other Stations and Equipment. (Inspection, Vision, etc)

Material Handling and Storage System

Functions of the Handling System 1. Independent movement of workparts between stations. 2. Handle a variety of workpart configurations. 3. Temporary storage. 4. Convenient access for loading and unloading workparts. 5. Compatible with computer control. Material Handling Equipment The material handling function in an FMS is often shared between two systems: Primary handling system establishes the basic layout of the FMS and is responsible for moving workparts between stations in the system. (Conveyor)

Contd
Secondary handling system consists of transfer devices, automatic pallet changing, and similar mechanisms located at the workstations in the FMS. The function of the secondary handling system is to transfer work from the primary system to the machine tool or other processing station and to position the parts with sufficient accuracy and repeatability to perform the process or assembly operation. FMS Layout Configurations The material handling system establishes the FMS layout. Most layout configurations found in todays FMS are: 1. In-line layout 2. Loop layout 3. Rectangular layout

FMS LAYOUT

Computer Control System

The FMS includes a distributed computer system that is interfaced to the workstations, Material handling system, and Other hardware components. A typical FMS computer system consists of a central computer and microcomputers. Microcomputers controlling the individual machines and other components. The central computer coordinates the activities of the components to achieve smooth overall operation of the system

Human Resources
Human are needed to manage the operations of the FMS. Functions typically performed by human includes: Loading raw workparts into the system, Unloading finished parts (or assemblies) from the system, Changing and setting tools, Equipment maintenance and repair, NC part programming in a machining system, and Programming and operation the computer system.

FMS Benefits
Increased machine utilization.

FMSs achieve a higher average utilization than stand-alone machines in a conventional machine shop.

Reasons include: (1) 24 hour per day operation (2) automatic tool changing at machine tools (3) automatic pallet changing at workstations (4) queues of parts at stations (5) dynamic scheduling of production that takes into account irregularities from normal operations. It should be possible to approach 80% to 90% asset utilization.

 Fewer machines required. Because of higher machine utilization.

Reduction in factory floor space required. Compared to a job shop

of equivalent capacity, a FMS generally requires less floor area. Reductions in floor space requirements = 40% to 50%.
Greater responsiveness to change.

A FMS improves response capability to part design changes, introduction of new parts, changes in production schedule and product mix, machine breakdowns, and tool failures. Adjustments can be made in the production schedule from one day to the next to respond to rush orders and special customer requests.

 Reduced inventory requirements. Because different parts are processed together rather than separately in batches, WIP is less than in batch production. Inventories of starting and finished parts reduced also. Reductions = 60% to 80%.

Lower manufacturing lead times. Closely correlated with lower WIP is MLT. This means faster customer deliveries.

Reduced direct labor requirements and higher labor productivity. Savings = 30% to 50%

Opportunity for unattended production.

FMS Operational Issues

Scheduling and dispatching.

Scheduling of production dictated by the master production schedule. Dispatching = launching of parts into the system at the appropriate times.
Machine loading.

Allocating operations and tooling resources among the machines in the system to accomplish the required schedule.
Part routing.

Selecting routes to be followed by each part in the production mix so as to maximize use of workstation resources.

Contd
Part grouping.

Selecting groups of part types for simultaneous production, given limitations on available tooling and other station resources.
Tool management.

Managing available tools includes decisions on when to change tools, allocation of tools to stations, and similar issues.
Pallet and fixture allocation.

Allocation of pallets and fixtures to parts in the system.

A Real World Example

The Ford Motor Company

Fords Problem
At Ford Powertrain they faced the following challenges

- outdated cell controller - lack of flexibility because of it - causing loss of efficiency

Solution
Implemented a cell control based on an open architecture,

commonly available tools, and industry standard hardware, software, and protocols.

Benefits
Enabled Ford to mix and match machine tools from

different vendors Reduced the number of man-years required to implement the application

Benefits Continued
The budget for the fully automatic closed-loop

controller was less than 1/10th the cost for a system built in language.
No formal training was required for the floor shop

operators

In studying FMS, we need to keep in mind what Peter Drucker said: "We must become managers of technology not merely users of technology".

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CIM

Case of Mc Donalds

ARCH(Automated Restaurant Crew Helper) Industrial robot in service sector It weighs, cooks, shakes and dumps fries by itself Benefits
To reduce the labour
To reduce the time to fill an order and customer waiting

time It helps store manager in sales forecasting and production It also helps manager to plan inventory and staff planning

Hardware and Software Systems

Hardware systems NC(numerically controlled machines) Machining Centers Industrial robots Automated Material Handling(AMH) Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) Manufacturing Cells FMS

Contd
Software systems CAD(Computer Aided Design) Automated Manufacturing Planning and Control System(A MP&CS)

Basic payback formula for evaluating a robot investment

Robot should be purchased or not
P= I/(L-E+q(L+Z)) P=payback period in years I=investment required in robot L=annual labour costs replaced by the robot E=annual maintenance cost for the robot q= fractional speedup factor Z=annual depreciation

Definition
CIM is the integration of the total manufacturing enterprise through the use of integrated systems and data communications coupled with new managerial philosophies that improve organizational and personnel efficiency. (Singh 1996)

 It replaced the three major manufacturing functions

with automated technologies:

Product and process design Planning and control The manufacturing process itself

It also replaced traditional integration mechanisms of

oral and written communication with computer technology. It uses network and integrated database.

E.g.: CAD systems linked to CAM and NC

Why should Integration be considered as core of CIM?

To integrate

Man, Business and Technology Material flow, Information flow and Capital flow

Levels of Integration
The AMICE (European Computer Integrated

Manufacturing Architecture) identifies three levels of integration

Business Integration
Application Integration Physical Integration

Contd
Business integration Integrates functions that manage ,control and monitor business processes It provides supervisory control and coordinates the activities at the application level Application integration Providing a sufficient information technology infrastructure Physical system integration Interconnection of manufacturing and data processing facilities

Benefits of integration manufacturing

Mistake-proofing

Information Gathering
Increased Capacity Flexibility

Policy Enforcement

Contd
Mistake proofing
Ensure Correct Profile, Material, Length, Quantity,

etc. Delivered to the Customer When Promised Information gathering Order Completions, Material Consumption, Runtime and Downtime, Good and Scrap Production, Production Rate, Data Dimensions: (Machine, Shift, Operator, Order, Material, Profile, Punching, Coil) Increased capacity Flexibility

In a CIM system functional areas such as design, analysis, planning, purchasing, cost accounting, inventory control, and distribution are linked through the computer with factory floor functions such as materials handling and management, providing direct control and monitoring of all the operations.

 As

a method of manufacturing, three components distinguish CIM from other manufacturing methodologies:
Means for data storage, retrieval, manipulation and

presentation; Mechanisms for sensing state and modifying processes Algorithms for uniting the data processing component with the sensor/modification component.

SME CIM wheel

 CIM

is an example of the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in manufacturing. Some factors involved when considering a CIM implementation are;
The production volume
The experience of the company or personnel to make the

integration The level of the integration into the product itself and the integration of the production processes

Components Of CIM
CAD CAE GT DFM IGES, PDES, DMIS TQM Bar codes, EDI MRP JIT/ kanban DSS/ES/ AI Manufacture LAN, TOP, satellites

Product design

CAD/CAM

CAPP

Systems management

CIM

Process planning
Cellular manufacturing MAP, STEP

NC/CNC/ DNC

FMS

Robotics

AGV, ASRS

Automated inspection

Cells and centers

Key challenges
There are three major challenges for the development of a smoothly operating computerintegrated manufacturing system:
Integration of components from different suppliers Data integrity Process control

 INTEGRATION OF COMPONENTS FROM DIFFERENT SUPPLIERS: When different machines, such as CNC, conveyors and robots, are using different communications protocols. In the case of AGVs, even differing lengths of time for charging the batteries may cause problems.

Data integrity: The higher the degree of automation, the more critical is the integrity of the data used to control the machines. While the CIM system saves on labor of operating the machines, it requires extra human labor in ensuring that there are proper safeguards for the data signals that are used to control the machines.

 Process control: Computers may be used to assist the human operators of the manufacturing facility, but there must always be a competent engineer on hand to handle circumstances which could not be foreseen by the designers of the control software.

Why CIM?
To meet competitive pressures To reduce lead times To reduce costs To reduce inventory To coordinate and organize data Functional about organization Product about parts Operational plan or instructions Performance reporting performance

Contd
Others To eliminate paper To automate communication

Potential Benefits of CIM

Improved customer service Improved quality Shorter time to market with new products Shorter flow time Shorter vendor lead time Reduced inventory levels Improved schedule performance Greater flexibility and responsiveness Improved competitiveness Lower total cost Shorter customer lead time Increase in manufacturing productivity Decrease in work-in process inventory

Advantages
Responsiveness to shorter

Disadvantages
Unfamiliar technologies

product life cycles Better process control emphasizes product quality and uniformity. Supports and co-ordinates exchange of information Designs components for machines. Decreases the cost of production and maintenance

used. Requires major change in corporate culture. Reduction in short term profit. Perceived risk is high. High maintenance cost and expensive implementation.

Thank you