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Framework for the design and evaluation of a reconfigurable production system based on movable robot integration

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Abstract

Enterprises now face a global, dynamic, and unpredictable economic environment. In response to quick changes of the demand, the production needs to have the ability to adapt rapidly to meet the production requirements. The Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) paradigm enables such capabilities. However, defining design and reconfiguration rules is highly challenging, as it requires a broad knowledge encompassing the inclusion of technological, production, and economic metrics, as well as an understanding of a reconfiguration strategy, determining the necessary reconfiguration frequency of the system. For now, no global methodology taking all those aspects into account has been proposed. This article presents an original framework for the design, evaluation, and reconfiguration of the Reconfigurable Production System (RPS). New metrics to measure reconfigurability are defined. The design approach consists in three main steps which are individually developed. The selection of the appropriated production system is based on the comparison of reconfigurability and productivity indicators. Finally, the reconfiguration strategy is presented. The methodology is applied on a case study from the automotive industry.

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Acknowledgements

This document is the result of a research project which took place in the framework of the OpenLab ’Materials and Processes’ combining ENSAM network, GeorgiaTech Lorraine and Groupe PSA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arts et Metiers Institute of Technology, LISPEN, HESAM Université, 8 boulevard Louis XIV, 59046, Lille, France

    Amélie Beauville dit Eynaud, Nathalie Klement, Lionel Roucoules & Olivier Gibaru

  2. Groupe PSA, Route de Gisy, 78943, Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex, France

    Amélie Beauville dit Eynaud & Laurent Durville

Authors
  1. Amélie Beauville dit Eynaud
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  2. Nathalie Klement
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  3. Lionel Roucoules
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Contributions

Amélie Beauville dit Eynaud carried out the experiment. Amélie Beauville dit Eynaud wrote the manuscript with support from Nathalie Klement and Lionel Roucoules. Olivier Gibaru and Laurent Durville supervised the project.

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Correspondence to Nathalie Klement.

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Glossary

DMS :

The Dedicated Manufacturing System is designed to be highly productive to manufacture a specific type of product at a high, fixed throughput by means of automation and fixed manufacturing facilities [2].

FMS :

The Flexible Manufacturing System is designed to produce a pre-defined range of products variants, using intrinsic hardware or software capabilities [2, 41].

RMS :

The Reconfigurable Manufacturing System aims to cover production demand in a turbulent economic environment, by means of rapid structure changes of the system. The RMS is made of modular sub-entities (hardware and software components), that can be quickly and easily rearranged or replaced [31, 37, 41].

RAS :

The Reconfigurable Assembly System refers to a modular and quickly changeable assembly system [10]. The term is similar to RMS but refers to assembly lines instead of manufacturing centers.

RPS :

The Reconfigurable Production System is a generic term grouping RMS and RAS definitions.

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Beauville dit Eynaud, A., Klement, N., Roucoules, L. et al. Framework for the design and evaluation of a reconfigurable production system based on movable robot integration. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 118, 2373–2389 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-08030-1

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