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Flexible manufacturing systems—The myth and reality

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Abstract

In recent years the worldwide development and use of automated systems within the manufacturing industry has led to a proliferation of system designs, mainly involving the integration of a wide range of suitable computerised machine tools and material handling equipment. This customisation of system design has given rise to some disquiet in respect of the limitations of such systems, and their realised as opposed to theoretical capabilities. Accordingly this paper presents an assessment of the current characteristics of Flexible Manufacturing Systems based on a series of field visits and an extensive literature survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, CF1 3XE, Cardiff, UK

    J. S. Edghill & A. Davies

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  1. J. S. Edghill
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  2. A. Davies
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Edghill, J.S., Davies, A. Flexible manufacturing systems—The myth and reality. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 1, 37–54 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02601581

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