Production Technology IV

Module 5: Flexible Manufacturing Systems

Sections
1. What is a Flexible Manufacturing System?
2. FMS Components
3. FMS Applications and Benefits
4. FMS Planning and Implementation Issues
5. Quantitative Analysis of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

Where to Apply FMS Technology

• The plant presently either:
o Produces parts in batches or
o Uses manned GT cells and management wants to automate the cells
• It must be possible to group a portion of the parts made in the plant into part families
o The part similarities allow them to be processed on the FMS workstations
• Parts and products are in the mid-volume, mid-variety production range

Flexible Manufacturing System – Defined

A highly automated GT machine cell, consisting of a group of processing stations (usually CNC machine tools),
interconnected by an automated material handling and storage system, and controlled by an integrated computer
system.
• The FMS relies on the principles of GT
o No manufacturing system can produce an unlimited range of products
o An FMS is capable of producing a single part family or a limited range of part families

Flexibility Tests in an Automated Manufacturing System

To qualify as being flexible, a manufacturing system should satisfy the following criteria (“yes” answer for each
question):
1. Can it process different part styles in a non‑batch mode?
2. Can it accept changes in production schedule?
3. Can it respond gracefully to equipment malfunctions and breakdowns?
4. Can it accommodate introduction of new part designs?

Automated Manufacturing Cell

Automated manufacturing cell with two machine tools and robot. Is it a flexible cell?

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Is the Robotic Work Cell Flexible?
1. Part variety test
a. Can it machine different part configurations in a mix rather than in batches?
2. Schedule change test
a. Can production schedule and part mix be changed?
3. Error recovery test
a. Can it operate if one machine breaks down?
i. Example: while repairs are being made on the broken machine, can its work be temporarily
reassigned to the other machine?
4. New part test
a. As new part designs are developed, can NC part programs be written off-line and then downloaded
to the system for execution?

Types of FMS
1. Kinds of operations
a. Processing vs. assembly
b. Type of processing
i. If machining, rotational vs. non-rotational
2. Number of machines (workstations):
a. Single machine cell (n = 1)
b. Flexible manufacturing cell (n = 2 or 3)
c. Flexible manufacturing system (n = 4 or more)

Single-Machine Manufacturing Cell

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Flexible Manufacturing Cell

Features of the Three Categories

FMS Types- Level of Flexibility

1. Dedicated FMS
a. Designed to produce a limited variety of part styles
b. The complete universe of parts to be made on the system is known in advance
c. Part family likely based on product commonality rather than geometric similarity
2. Random-order FMS
a. Appropriate for large part families
b. New part designs will be introduced
c. Production schedule is subject to daily changes

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Dedicated vs. Random-Order FMSs

System Type Part variety Schedule change Error recovery New part
Dedicated FMS Limited, all parts Limited changes can Limited by sequential No. New part
known in advance. be tolerated. processes. introductions difficult.

Random-Order Yes. Substantial part Frequent and Machine redundancy Yes. System designed
FMS variation possible. significant changes minimizes effect of for new part
possible. machine breakdowns introductions.

FMS Components
1. Workstations
a. Load and unload station(s)
i. Factory interface with FMS
ii. Manual or automated
iii. Includes communication interface with worker to specify parts to load, fixtures needed, etc.
b. CNC machine tools in a machining type system
i. CNC machining centers
ii. Milling machine modules
iii. Turning modules
c. Assembly machines
2. Material handling and storage system
a. Functions:
i. Random, independent movement of parts between stations
ii. Capability to handle a variety of part styles
1. Standard pallet fixture base
2. Work-holding fixture can be adapted
iii. Temporary storage
iv. Convenient access for loading and unloading

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v. Compatibility with computer control
b. Primary handling system establishes basic FMS layout
c. Secondary handling system - functions:
i. Transfers work from primary handling system to workstations
ii. Position and locate part with sufficient accuracy and repeatability for the operation
iii. Reorient part to present correct surface for processing
iv. Buffer storage to maximize machine utilization
3. Computer control system
4. Human labour

Five Types of FMS Layouts

1. The layout of the FMS is established by the material handling system
2. Five basic types of FMS layouts:
a. In‑line
b. Loop
c. Ladder
d. Open field
e. Robot‑centred cell
FMS In-Line Layout
1. Straight line flow, well-defined processing sequence similar for all work units.
2. Work flow is from left to right through the same workstations.
3. No secondary handling system.

FMS Loop Layout

1. One direction flow, but variations in processing sequence possible for different part types.
2. Secondary handling system at each workstation.

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FMS Rectangular Layout
1. Rectangular layout allows recirculation of pallets back to the first station in the sequence after unloading at
the final station.

Robot-Centred Cell
1. Suited to the handling of rotational parts and turning operations.

FMS Computer Functions

1. Workstation control
a. Individual stations require controls, usually computerized
2. Distribution of control instructions to workstations
a. Central intelligence required to coordinate processing at individual stations
3. Production control
a. Product mix, machine scheduling, and other planning functions
4. Traffic control
a. Management of the primary handling system to move parts between workstations
5. Shuttle control
a. Coordination of secondary handling system with primary handling system
6. Workpiece monitoring
a. Monitoring the status of each part in the system
7. Tool control
a. Tool location- Keeping track of each tool in the system
b. Tool life monitoring - Monitoring usage of cutting tools and determining when to replace worn tools
8. Performance monitoring and reporting
a. Availability, utilization, production piece counts, etc.
9. Diagnostics
a. Diagnose malfunction causes and recommend repairs

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Duties Performed by Human Labour
1. Loading and unloading parts from the system
2. Changing and setting cutting tools
3. Maintenance and repair of equipment
4. NC part programming
5. Programming and operating the computer system
6. Overall management of the system

FMS Applications
1. Machining – most common application of FMS technology
2. Assembly
3. Inspection
4. Sheet metal processing (punching, shearing, bending, and forming)
5. Forging

FMS at Chance-Vought Aircraft

(courtesy of Cincinnati Milacron)

FMS Benefits
1. Increased machine utilization
a. Reasons:
i. 24-hour operation likely to justify investment
ii. Automatic tool changing
iii. Automatic pallet changing at stations
iv. Queues of parts at stations to maximize utilization
v. Dynamic scheduling of production to account for changes in demand
2. Fewer machines required
3. Reduction in factory floor space required

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4. Greater responsiveness to change
5. Reduced inventory requirements
a. Different parts produced continuously rather than in batches
6. Lower manufacturing lead times
7. Reduced labor requirements
8. Higher productivity
9. Opportunity for unattended production
a. Machines run overnight ("lights out operation")

FMS Planning and Design Issues

1. Part family considerations
a. Defining the part family of families to be processed
i. Based on part similarity
ii. Based on product commonality
2. Processing requirements
a. Determine types of processing equipment required
3. Physical characteristics of work-parts
a. Size and weight determine size of processing equipment and material handling equipment
4. Production volume
a. Annual quantities determined number of machines required
5. Types of workstations
6. Variations in process routings
7. Work-in-process and storage capacity
8. Tooling
9. Pallet fixtures

FMS Operational Issues

1. Scheduling and dispatching
a. Launching parts into the system at appropriate times
2. Machine loading
a. Deciding what operations and associated tooling at each workstation
3. Part routing
a. Selecting routes to be followed by each part
4. Part grouping
a. Which parts should be on the system at one time
5. Tool management
a. When to change tools
6. Pallet and fixture allocation
a. Limits on fixture types may limit part types that can be processed

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Quantitative Analysis of FMS
FMS analysis techniques:
1. Deterministic models –do not permit evaluation of operating characteristics such as build-up queues and
other dynamics that impair system performance.
2. Queuing models –can be used to describe some of the dynamics not accounted for by deterministic
approaches by permitting inclusion of queues.
3. Discrete event simulation – operation of a system is represented as a chronological sequence of events.
4. Other approaches, including heuristics.
Deterministic models
1. Bottleneck model - estimates of production rate, utilization, and other measures for a given product mix
2. Extended bottleneck model - adds work-in-process feature to basic model

Bottleneck model Terminology & Symbols

1. Part mix – Mix of various part or product styles produced by a system is defined by pj where pj = fraction of
the total system output that is of style j.
a. Subscript j = 1,2, …P, where P = total number of different part styles made in the FMS.

2. Workstations and servers – each w/s may have one or more servers, which means that it is possible to have
two or more machines capable of performing the same operation.
a. Let si = number of servers at w/s i, where i = 1, 2, ... n.
b. We include the load/unload station as one of the stations in the FMS.
3. Process routing – defines the sequence of operations, the workstations where operations are performed, &
associated processing times
a. Sequence include loading operation at the beginning of process and unloading at the end
b. Let tijk = processing time, where i refers to station, j is part or product, & k refers to the sequence of
o/ps in the process routing
4. Work handling system – system used to transport parts within FMS.
a. Also considered as a special case of w/s
b. Let’s designate it as station n+1, and the number of carriers in the system (conveyor, AGVs etc) is
analogous to number of servers
c. Let sn+1 = number of carriers in the FMS handling system
5. Transport time – Let tn+1 = mean transport time required to move a part from one w/s to the next station in
the process routing
a. This value could be computed for each individual transport based on transport velocity and distances
between stations in the FMS
b. It is convenient to use average transport time for all moves in the FMS
6. Operation frequency – is the expected number of times a given operation in the process routing is
performed for each work unit
a. e.g. an inspection might be performed once every 4 units (therefore fijk = 0.25)
b. Let fijk = operation frequency for operation k in process plan j at station i.

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FMS Operational Parameters
Average workload for a given station is defined as the mean total time spent at the station per part

where WLi = average workload for station i, min

tijk = processing time for o/p k in process plan j at station i. fijk = operation frequency for operation k in part j at
station i. pj is part mix fraction for part j.
• Workload of handling system is the mean transport time X average number of transports required to
complete the processing of a work-part
• Average no. of transports = mean no. of o/ps in the process routing minus 1 i.e.

where nt is mean number of transports

• Workload of handling system is

where WLn+1 = workload of the handling system

nt = mean number of transports
tn+1 = mean transport time per move, min

System Performance Measures

1. Important measures for assessing performance of FMS include:
a. Production rate for all parts
b. Production rate for each part style
c. Utilization of different workstations
d. No. of busy servers at each work station
2. These measures are calculated assuming the FMS is producing at its maximum possible rate
3. This rate is constrained by the bottleneck station, which is the station with highest work load per server
4. Workload per server is (WLi / si) (si = no. of servers)
5. Bottleneck is identified by finding the max value of ratio among all stations.
6. The comparison must include the handling system since it might also bottleneck the system
7. Let WL* and s* equal the workload for bottleneck and no. of servers respectively for bottleneck station
8. Max production rate (limited by bottleneck) of all parts of FMS is ratio of s* to WL*

where Rp* is max production rate of all part styles produced by the system, pc/min.
9. Individual part production rates can be obtained by multiplying Rp* by the respective part mix ratios i.e.

where Rpj* = max production rate of part style j, pc/min and pj= part mix fraction for part style j.

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10. A more useful measure of overall FMS utilization is the weighted average, where the weighting is based on
the no. of servers at each station for the n regular stations in the system, and the transport system is omitted
from the average i.e.

11. Mean utilization, Ui of each workstation is the proportion of time that the servers at the station are working
and not idle i.e.

12. Average station utilization, Ū

13. All the servers at the bottleneck station are busy at the maximum production rate, but the other servers are
idle some of the time.

where BSi = no. of busy servers on average at station i and WLi = workload at station i.

What the Equations Tell Us

1. For a given part mix, the total production rate is ultimately limited by the bottleneck station.
2. If part mix ratios can be relaxed, it may be possible to increase total FMS production rate by increasing the
utilization of non-bottleneck stations.
3. As a first approximation, bottleneck model can be used to estimate the number of servers of each type to
achieve a specified overall production rate.
4. The number of parts in the FMS at any one time should be greater than the number of servers (processing
machines) in the system.
a. Ratio of two parts per server is probably optimum
b. Parts must be distributed throughout the FMS, especially in front of the bottleneck station
c. If WIP is too low, production rate is impaired
d. IF WIP is too high, MLT increases

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