A multi-objective approach for RMT design

Abstract

A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is designed for rapid adjustment of manufacturing capacity and functionality in response to market changes. An RMS consists of a number of reconfigurable machine tools (RMTs) which can process different jobs by quickly changing processing modules. The potential benefits of an RMS may not be achieved if an RMS is not properly designed. Most of the related studies focus on a few individual technical issues, in particular on modularity or configurability of individual RMTs. Other important concerns such as cost and processing accuracy have not been adequately addressed. As a result, many highly reconfigurable manufacturing systems turn out to be unprofitable. For the above reason, this study focuses on optimization of RMT design, including the design of modules and module warehouse, with consideration of three factors: configurability, cost and accuracy. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)