Flexible Manufacturing System

 Hi readers! 

Today lets talk about some other subject we learn at NITIE. In the last week, I presented on Flexible Manufacturing System in Industrial Engineering & Productivity Management class. Prof. Narayana Rao is our faculty for IEPM & I am extremely thankful to him for providing me such a great opportunity to present above mentioned topic in front of the class in this digital era. 

Let's start with the definition of Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS)

A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is the production method that is designed to easily adapt to changes in the type and quantity of the product being manufactured. Machines and computerized systems can be configured to manufacture a variety of parts and handle changing levels of production.

The concept of flexible manufacturing was developed by Jerome H. Lemelson (1923-97), an American industrial engineer and the inventor who filed a number of related patents in the early 1950s. His original design was a robot-based system that could weld, rivet, convey, and inspect manufactured goods.

Working Principle:

A flexible manufacturing system may include a configuration of interconnected processing workstations with computer terminals that process the end-to-end creation of a product, from loading/unloading functions to machining and assembly to storing to quality testing and data processing. The system can be programmed to run a batch of one set of products in a particular quantity and then automatically switch over to another set of products in another quantity.

Flexibility Test:

Part variety test: Can the system process different part styles in a non-batch mode?

Schedule change test: Can the system readily accept changes in production schedule and changes in either part mix or production quantities?

Error recovery test: Can the system recover gracefully from equipment malfunctions and breakdowns, so that production is not completely disrupted'!

New part test: Can new part designs be introduced into the existing product mix with relative ease'!.

Types of FMS:

Based on Number of Machines

·         Single Machine Cell (1)
·         Flexible Manufacturing Cell (2-3)
·         Flexible Manufacturing System (4 or More) 

Based on Level of Flexibility

·         Dedicated FMS (Less flexible & Higher production rate)
·         Random-order FMS (More Flexible & Lower production rate)

Based on Kinds of Operations Performed

·         Processing Operations (rotational or Non-rotational part)
·         Assembly Operation

Advantages:

·         Reduced manufacturing cost
·         Lower cost per unit produced
·         Greater labour productivity
·         Greater machine efficiency
·         Improved quality

Challenges in Implementation:

·         Initial set-up cost is high
·         Substantial pre-planning
·         Requirement of skilled labour
·         Complicated system
·         Maintenance is complicated

This is just a brief about FMS, its advantages and challenges in application.

Stay tuned for more updates!!