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Logical Cell Formation in FMS, Using Flexibility-Based Criteria

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Abstract

Flexible manufacturing systems often are organized into a cellular architecture for ease of operation. The formation of these cells sometimes has been treated as an extension of the conventional cell-formation problem. This paper argues that, owing to the existence of flexible routing and transfer capabilities, the cell-formation problem in FMSs should be treated as quite distinct from that in conventional manufacturing systems and shows that a flexibility-based procedure is apt for overcoming the deficiencies of earlier forays into this area. Manufacturing cell flexibility is defined as a composite of three flexibility measures: producibility,processivity , and transferability. The problem of cell formation is modeled as flexibility maximization, and a procedure is developed for the simultaneous formation of machine cells and part families, while heuristically maximizing within-cell flexibility.

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Authors
  1. Vivekanand P. Kochikar
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  2. T.T. Narendran
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Kochikar, V.P., Narendran, T. Logical Cell Formation in FMS, Using Flexibility-Based Criteria. International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems 10, 163–181 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008049515026

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008049515026

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