Reconfigurable manufacturing system having a production capacity method for designing same and method for changing its production capacity
First Claim
1. A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) having an adjustable structure to quickly change from a first desired production capacity to a second desired production capacity to manufacture a desired mix of products from a family of products, the system comprising:
- a plurality of work stations including reconfigurable machines;
a control system including a plurality of reconfigurable controllers for controlling the reconfigurable machines; and
a reconfigurable material handling system in communication with the control system for transporting material or parts between the work stations, wherein the reconfigurable machines and controllers are modular to permit rapid and reliable integration of the machines and controllers during a change in the structure of the RMS so that the RMS will have the second desired production capacity.
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Abstract
A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) having an adjustable structure is designed based upon market demand and can be readily changed from a first desired production capacity to a second desired production capacity to manufacture a desired amount of products from a family of products. The RMS includes a plurality of workstations with reconfigurable machines and computerized numerically controlled (CNC) machines, a control system including a plurality of reconfigurable controllers, as well as a reconfigurable material handling system. The reconfigurable machines may be reconfigurable machine tools having reconfigurable hardware that enables conversion of the machines by, for example, relocating their spindle units. The RMS production capacity is quickly adjusted to market fluctuations in product demand. The RMS functionality is easily adapted to fabrication of new products of the same product family. The RMS possesses certain key characteristics (i.e., modularity, integrability, customization, convertability, and diagnosability) that are needed for rapid and cost-effective reconfiguration. A methodology for the design of an RMS, and a complementary methodology for changing the production capacity including reconfiguration and ramp-up of the RMS are also provided.
161 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) having an adjustable structure to quickly change from a first desired production capacity to a second desired production capacity to manufacture a desired mix of products from a family of products, the system comprising:
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a plurality of work stations including reconfigurable machines;
a control system including a plurality of reconfigurable controllers for controlling the reconfigurable machines; and
a reconfigurable material handling system in communication with the control system for transporting material or parts between the work stations, wherein the reconfigurable machines and controllers are modular to permit rapid and reliable integration of the machines and controllers during a change in the structure of the RMS so that the RMS will have the second desired production capacity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
storing a life cycle economic analysis program in a computer to obtain a programmed computer;
utilizing the programmed computer to determine whether an RMS is needed based on product information and market forecasts;
performing a system level design for the RMS if the RMS is needed to obtain requirements; and
performing a machine level design for the RMS based on the requirements to obtain a final design for the RMS.
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26. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the step of performing the system level design includes the step of designing the RMS to include subsystems that can be readily re-integrated into different RMS configurations.
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27. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the step of performing the machine level design includes the step of designing each subsystem to be modular, integratable, customized, convertable, and diagnosable.
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28. A computer-implemented method for changing the production capacity of the RMS of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:
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monitoring market conditions for the family of products to obtain market information;
determining if it is desirable to reconfigure the RMS;
if it is desirable to reconfigure the RMS, reconfiguring the RMS at system and machine levels, and ramping up the reconfigured RMS to obtain the second desired production capacity.
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29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the step of ramping up includes the steps of:
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measuring the reconfigured RMS at the machine level to obtain at least one machine measurement signal;
processing the at least one machine measurement signal to obtain a diagnostic signal; and
modifying the reconfigured RMS based on the diagnostic signal.
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30. The method as claimed in claim 29 wherein the step of ramping up further includes the steps of:
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operating the reconfigured RMS to obtain a product;
measuring the product to obtain at least one product measurement signal;
processing the at least one product measurement signal to obtain a second diagnostic signal; and
modifying the reconfigured RMS based on the second diagnostic signal.
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Specification