Reconfigurable
Manufacturing
Systems
Dr K Mpofu
mpofuk@tut.ac.za
INSPIRATION-WHIRLPOOL GALAXY
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years away.
• NGC 5194
• NGC 5195
OUTLINE
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a. Introduction & Reconfigurable Products
b. Reconfigurable Strategy
c. Reconfigurable Issues & Design
d. Reconfigurable Control
e. TUT Activities
f. The future…
Introduction - Discussion
What do you know of the history of
manufacturing systems?
Think about –
Investment cost
Life cycle
Capacity scalability
Flexibility/Convertability
Introduction
• Flexible
manufacturing
manufacturing
systems
systems
(DMS)
(FMS)
have
and
been
dedicated
the
major
manufacturing paradigms in the machine tool industry in the
Table 1
past.
Requirement
Dedicated
Flexible
Investment Cost
Low
High
Life Cycle
Low
Reasonable
Productivity
High
Low
Capacity Scalability
No
Yes
Flexible/Convertibility
No
Yes
Summary of the characteristics of these manufacturing paradigms
5
Introduction (contd.)
Market place bombarded
by constant change both
locally and internationally.
6
Introduction (continued..)
Short window
opportunities for
new products
Product demand
is unstable and
rapidly changes
Variety of
products
increase
TURBULENT
MARKET
Rapidly changing
customer needs
World –wide
competition
7
Introduction (contd.)
Change
characteristic
in
products requires adaptable
hardware, software and people
at all levels of an organisation.
8
Factory structure levels
1
Production
network
2
Production
locations
3
Production
segments
4
Production
systems
5
Production
cells
6
Workplaces
Machines
7 Process chains
reconfiguration of
production
structure
reconfiguration of
factory layouts and
system configuration
reconfiguration of
facilities and
processes
9
Factory structure levels
1
Production
network
2
Production
locations
3
Production
segments
4
Production
systems
5
Production
cells
6
Workplaces
Machines
7 Process chains
reconfiguration of
production
structure
reconfiguration of
factory layouts and
system configuration
reconfiguration of
facilities and
processes
10
Introduction (contd.)
The RMS emanates from the
dynamic nature of the
manufacturing environment
and the global competition
that now exists among
nations.
Reconfigurable Products
Toy House
Cell phone-TV-Camera-laptop
Gripper for Packing
Rock, Roll & Ride
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Requirements of RMS environment
• Short lead time-bit competition, maximum
profits, retain large market share
• More variants-versatile and customerized
• Fluctuating & Low volumes-limited market
niches, shorter life cycles, fragmentation of
market due to customisation
• Low prices-globalized market offers customers
with more windows to purchase low-price
products
STRATEGIES TO MEET REQUIREMENTS
Manufacturing System Model, Bi et al.
•A manufacturing system is
functioned to meet
customer requirements
(CR) by producing required
products (RP).
•The final product is an
assembly of a set of basic
parts.
•Design-defines system
components and
assemblies thereof based
on CR.
•Manufacturingfabrication of the basic
parts.
•Assembly-put all the
basic parts together to
create final products for
customers.
STRATEGY TO REDUCE TIME
• Lead time is referred to
as time required to
meet customer
requirements.
1. Reduce or eliminate
indirect activities such
as transferring and
buffering.
2. Increase the system
capacity and reduce
system ramp-up time.
3. Operate the system
concurrently.
STRATEGY TO INCREASE VARIANTS
• Variation of a product can be by using varying different types of
parts and/or different assemblies.
1. Balance manufacturing and assembly activities and resources
for efficient use.
2. Manufacturing resource variants can be increased or made
more versatile. Ability to produce varying parts is enhanced.
3. More variants of assembles can be increased by increasing the
variants and versatility of the assembly resources.
Active Learning
Think of a product with a lot of variety that is in
the market, how can the strategy to increase
variants be applied to this product?
• VARIANT
INCREASE
STRATEGY FOR LOW & FLACTUATING
VOLUMES
• Product platform is a set of subsystems and interfaces that
form a common structure for efficiently developing a stream of
related products.
• A good product platform may reduce system sensitivity to
change on product volume;
• Change of the product volume has a great impact on the
required manufacturing capability.
1. Modularise the product platform.
2. Reconfigure resources (manufacturing & assembly)
dynamically to adapt to new products.
STRATEGY FOR LOW & FLACTUATED
VOLUME
STRATEGY TO REDUCE COST
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
Organisation of activities and resources has an impact on cost
Reduce or eliminate cost caused by indirect activities.
Reduce cost caused by direct activities.
Reduce the cost by system integration.
The increase of the market returns can alleviate the cost
burden.
Requirements, Strategies, Domains
and Production Paradigms
Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems
A RMS is a system designed at the outset for rapid changes in
structure, as well as in its hardware and software components, in
order to quickly adjust production capacity and functionality (within
a part family) in response to market changes. (Koren)
The comparison of three kinds of manufacturing systems
(Source: ASME, 1992).
23
Reconfigurable manufacturing systems
A RMS is a system designed at the outset for rapid changes in
structure, as well as in its hardware and software components, in
order to quickly adjust production capacity and functionality
(within a part family) in response to market changes. (Koren)
The comparison of three kinds of manufacturing systems
(Source: ASME, 1992).
24
OTHER RMS DEFINITIONS
• Liles and Huff-A system capable of tailoring the configuration of a manufacturing
system to meet the production demands placed on it dynamically.
• Other similar concepts to the RMS paradigm are;
• Modular manufacturing
• Component-based manufacturing system
• Modular product system
• Modular flexible manufacturing
• The primary goal of all these is to meet the changes and uncertainties of the
manufacturing environment.
• Considering the fact that reconfiguration varies from the low levels of system
organisation to the high levels an extension of Korens definition
“An RMS has an ability to reconfigure hardware and control resources at all of the
functional and organisational levels, in order to quickly adjust production capacity
and functionality in response to sudden changes in market or in regulatory
requirements.”
RMS DESIGN ISSUES
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN-involved at phase of system design
Determines system components and their interactions. The components are
encapsulated in modules.
Interactions are the options when the modules are assembled.
Has to be designed to produce as many system variants as possible, so system can deal
with changes and uncertainties cost effectively.
CONFIGURATION DESIGN-involved at the phase of system application
Determines system configuration under a given system architecture for a specific task.
A configuration is an assembly of the selected modules; it can fulfill the given tasks
optimally.
CONTROL DESIGN-involved at phase of system operation
Determines appropriate process variables (joint displacement, velocities, joint module)
Configuration is operated to fulfill the task satisfactorily
ARCHITECTURE DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
• Modularity-both hardware and software elements are modular.
• Scalability-the system is scalable in terms of volume.
• Integrability-system and the system components are designed for ready
system integration and future introduction of new technology.
• Convertibility-allows quick changeover between existing products and quick
system adaptability for future products.
• Diagnosability-ability to quickly identify the sources of quality and reliability
problems that occur in large systems.
APPLICATIONS OF AN RMS SCENARIO
RMS HARDWARE SYSTEMS
• Reconfigurable machining systems-modular machines have been defined
since the 70s. Projects have been implemented to customised the
configuration of modular tools. Parallel Kinematic Machines (PKM) also fall
into this catergory of the RMS.
• Reconfigurable fixturing systems – It is composed of basic modules
including locators, clampers and connectors, specialised materials or
adjustable components are utilised in the changeable fixtures.
• Reconfigurable assembly systems- these are usually robotised. This can be
improved if the robot system itself has been modularised. Use of robots to
calibrate reconfigurable assembly systems automatically will reduce ramp-up
time.
• Reconfigurable Handling systems- the main components are autonomous
robots. Reconfigurable conveyor systems have also been developed allowing
real-time volume change of the product. Programmable conveyors have also
been developed.
• Higher reconfigurable systems –These are the system level aspects of the
RMS in a shop floor like for instance five machine cells, each cell including
two or three workstations devoted to particular tasks.
CONFIGURATION DESIGN IN RMS
• The system architecture determines the available types and
assembly options of system components.
• It thus determines what configuration variations a system can
produce.
CONTROL DESIGN IN RMS
• There two main variables to be manipulated:
• reconfigurable variables-change the mechansim eg MT or
ROBOT configuration
• process variables –change the end effector motion
CONTROL DESIGN IN RMS
• DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
• Control system should be autonomous
• Control system should be distributed and
modularised
• Control system should be open
• Control system should be scalable and upgradeable
• Control system should be self reconfigured
• Control system should be able to identify changes
of task specifications.
RECONFIGURABLE SYSTEM CONTROL
REQUIREMENTS
TUT-RVS
Reconfigurable Vibrating Screen
(RVS)
TUT-RBPM
Reconfigurable Bending Press
Machine
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