5ME5-15: Computer Integrated Manufacturing systems

B. Tech. in Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Tarun Kumar Aseri

Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
tarunaseri[at]ecajmer[dot]ac[dot]in
Syllabus
• Automation: definition and broad characteristics of flexible
manufacturing cells, systems, flexible transfer lines, place of
flexible manufacturing systems in CIM,
• Economics and technological justification for FMS,
• Design and planning, role of associated technologies such as GT,
JIT and Simulation,
• Operation and Evaluation,
• Scheduling Problems, FMS Hardware,
• Control Aspects of FMS, Flexible Machining Cells.
Need to Understand Manufacturing

• The full cycle of industrial activity

from understanding markets
through design, production and
service.
Manufacturing System: Definition & Examples
• A collection of integrated equipment and human resources,
whose function is to perform one or more processing and/or
assembly operations on a starting raw material, part, or set of
parts.

Single-station Manual assembly Automated

Machine clusters
cells lines transfer lines

Computer
Automated Machine cells Flexible
integrated
assembly (cellular manufacturing
manufacturing
systems manufacturing) systems
systems
Manufacturing System: Components

Material
Production
Handling
Machines
System

Computer Human
System Workers
Manufacturing Systems: Production Machines

• In virtually all modern manufacturing systems, most of the

actual processing or assembly work is accomplished by
machines or with the aid of tools.
• Types of Machines:

Manually operated Semi-automated Fully automated

machines. machines. machines.
Manufacturing Systems: Material Handling System

• Functions:

Loading work units at each station.

Positioning work units at each station.

Unloading work units at each station.

Transporting work units between stations in

Multi-station systems.

Temporary storage of work units.

Manufacturing Systems: Computer Control System

• Functions

Download part
Communicate
programs to Control material Schedule
instructions to
computer-controlled handling system production
workers
machines

Operations
management
Failure diagnosis Safety monitoring Quality control
(manage overall
operations)
Manufacturing Systems: Human Resource
• Functions

Part
Maintenance
Programming

Reporting the
status of
Monitoring
manufacturing
systems
 Automation
• Automation can be defined as a technology concerned with the
application of mechanical, electronics, and computer based
systems to operate and control task.
• In the past, automation meant the replacement of human effort
with machine effort, to save labor costs.
• Today, automation means integrating a full range of advanced
information and engineering discoveries into operations
processes for strategic purposes.
• Presently, automation is applied not only for labor cost savings,
but also for:
• Improved quality
• Faster production and delivery of products/services
• Increased flexibility
11
 Feasibility study Design
Design Analysis
Design Process
Design need with collecting conceptu-
specifications information alization model

Design
Design Design
analysis, Design
documentation evaluation
optimization
Manufacturing Process

Design
Process Production Order NC, CNC, DNC
procurement
planning planning material programming
of new tools

Quality
Marketing Shipping Packaging Production
control
12
Automated Manufacturing Systems
► Operates in the factory on the physical product
► Automated operations:
► Processing, Assembly, Inspection. Material Handling

► Automated: Reduced level of Human intervention

► 3 Basic Types:
► Fixed Automation
► Programmable Automation
► Flexible Automation

13
Three Type of Automation

A=?
B=?
C=?
A
Product
Variety
B

100 10k 10t

Production Quantity

14
Three Type of Automation

A=? Flexible Automation

B=? Programmable Automation
C=? Fixed Automation
A
Product
Variety
B

100 10k 10t

Production Quantity

15
Fixed Automation
• Fixed automation is a system in which the sequence of processing
operations is fixed by the equipment configuration.
• Typical features:
• High initial investment for custom-engineered equipment
• High production rate
• Relatively inflexible in accommodating product variety.
• The economic justification for the fixed automation is found in products
that are produced in very large quantities and at high production rates.
• The high initial cost of the equipment can be spread over a very large
number of units, thus making the unit cost attractive compared with
alternate methods of production.
• Example: Transfer lines, automated assembly lines
Programmable Automation
• Capability to change the sequence of operations through reprogramming
to accommodate different product configurations.
• Typical Features:
• High investment in general purpose equipment.
• Lower production rate than fixed automation.
• Flexibility to deal with variations and changes in product configuration.
• Most suitable in batch production.
• Programmable automation production systems are used in low and
medium volume production.
• The parts are typically made in batches.
• Examples:
• Numerical machine tools (NC)
• Industrial Robots
• Programmable logic controllers.
Flexible Automation
• A flexible automated system is capable of producing a variety of parts
with virtually no time is lost over changeovers from one part style to the
next.
• There is no lost production time while reprogramming the system and
altering the physical set up.
• What makes flexible automation possible is that the difference between
the parts processed by the system are not significant (soft variety).
• Typical Features:
• High investment for a custom engineered system.
• Continuous production of variable mixture of parts.
• Medium production rates.
• Flexibility to deal with product design variations.
• Ability to adapt to engineering changes in parts.
• Increase in number of similar parts produced on the system.
• Ability to accommodate routing changes.
• Ability to rapidly change production set up.
Why Automation?
➢Relative strength of Human and Machine

19
Human & Machines
➢Relative strength of Human and Machine

Aoccdnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde

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ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmtoant tihng
is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit
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can sitll raed it wouthit porbetm. Tìhs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by isttef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
20
Human & Machines
➢Relative strength of Human and Machine

According to a research at Cambridge University,

it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a
word are, the only important thing is that the first
and last letter be at the right place. The rest can
be total mess and you can still read it without
problem. This is because the human mind does
not read every letter by itself, but the word as a
whole.
21
Why Automation?
1. To increase labor productivity
2. To reduce labor cost
3. To mitigate the effects of labor shortages
4. To reduce or remove routine manual and clerical tasks
5. To improve worker safety
6. To improve product quality
7. To reduce manufacturing lead time
8. To accomplish what cannot be done manually
9. To avoid the high cost of not automating
Human & Machines
➢Relative strength of Human and Machine
HUMANS MACHINES
➢ Sense unexpected Stimuli ➢ Perform repetitive tasks
➢ Develop new solutions to problems ➢ Store large amount of data
➢ Adapt to changes ➢ Retrieve data from memory
➢ Cope with abstract problems ➢ Perform multitasks simultaneously
➢ Generalize from observations ➢ Apply high forces & power
➢ Learn from experience ➢ Perform simple computations quickly
➢ Make difficult decisions based on ➢ Make routine decisions quickly
incomplete data

23
 CIM
High Transfer Systems
line
Volume of Parts

Flexible line

Medium
Flexible
Manufacturing System

Manufacturing Cell

Low Stand-alone CNC machines

Low Medium High

Product Variety
Flexible Manufacturing System
• Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) is a manufacturing
philosophy based on the concept of effectively controlling material
flow through a network of versatile production stations using an
efficient and versatile material handling and storage systems.

• A Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is a set of numerically

controlled machine tools and supporting workstations connected by
an automated material handling system and controlled by a central
computer.
25
Flexible Manufacturing System
• An FMS is a “reprogrammable” manufacturing system capable of
producing a variety of products automatically.
• Conventional manufacturing systems have been marked by one of two
distinct features:
• The capability of producing a variety of different product types, but at a high cost
(e.g., job shops).
• The capability of producing large volumes of a product at a lower cost, but very
inflexible in terms of the product types which can be produced (e.g., transfer lines).

• An FMS is designed to provide both of these features.

• The reason the FMS is called flexible is that it is capable of processing a
variety of different part styles and quantities of production can be adjusted
in response to changing demand patterns.
Flexible Manufacturing System
• Shorter lead times, meeting demand fluctuations, handling
volume and variety, reduction in space and people and obtaining
better control due to automation.

• The main disadvantage is that the initial installation cost and

operational costs are high and it is necessary to have enough
volumes to the use of FMS.

27
Automated Manufacturing Systems
► Operates in the factory on the physical product
► Automated operations:
► Processing, Assembly, Inspection. Material Handling

► Automated: Reduced level of Human intervention

► 3 Basic Types:
► Fixed Automation
► Programmable Automation
► Flexible Automation

28
Why Study Flexible Manufacturing
System?
• Reason 1： Flexible manufacturing systems are regarded as one of the most efficient
methods to employ in reducing or eliminating problems in manufacturing industries.

• Reason 2： FMS originated in London, England, in the 1960s when David Williamson
came up with a flexible machining system call System 24 to operate unmanned 24 hours a
day under computer control. Broader applications developed and continue to be
developed in the areas of injection molding, metal forming and fabricating, and assembly;
they’re by broadening the name to flexible manufacturing systems.

• Reason 3： Definitions of FMS vary depending on industry type and the user’s point of
view.
Why Study Flexible Manufacturing
System?
• Reason 4： Many FMS principles and practices apply regardless of industry type,
business objectives, or line of product.

• Reason 5： FMS brings flexibility and responsiveness to the manufacturing floor.

• Reason 6： Since the 1970s there has been explosive growth in system controls
and operational enhancements, which have allowed FMS to grow, develop, and
gain wider acceptance.

• Reason 7： FMS enables manufacturing to machine a wide variety of workpieces

on few machines with low staffing levels, productively, reliably, and predictably.
Why Study Flexible Manufacturing
System?
• Reason 8： FMS is made up of hardware elements (machine tools, movable
pallets, material- handling equipment, coordinate measuring machines, computer
hardware equipment, and the like) and software elements (NC programs,
inspection programs, work-order files, and FMS software).

• Reason 9： A true FMS can handle a wide variety of different parts, producing
them one at a time in random order.

• Reason 10： FMS is not an end in itself, but a means to an end and the natural
partner to integrate to existing CAD/CAM systems and progress toward CIM.
Why Study Flexible Manufacturing
System?
• Reason 11： Machine tools in many manufacturing industries are woefully
underutilized due to equipment not being used on second and third shifts, and
decreasing availability of skilled personnel, and day to day
disturbances.
Reason 12： FMS shortens the manufacturing process through improved
operational control, round-the-clock availability of automated equipment,
increased machine utilization and responsiveness, and reduction of human
intervention.
Basic FMS Elements
• Hardware elements are visible and tangible: • Software elements are invisible and intangible:
1. CNC machine tools 1. NC programs
2. Pallet queuing carrousels (part parking lots) 2. Traffic management software
3. Material handling equipment (robots or 3. Tooling information
automatic guided vehicles) 4. CMM program work-order files
4. Central chip removal and coolant systems
5. Sophisticated FMS software
5. Tooling systems
6. Coordinate measuring machines (CMM)
7. Part cleaning stations
8. Computer hardware equipment
True FMS
• True FMS can handle a wide variety of dissimilar parts, producing them one at a
time, in any order, as needed (very few so-called FMSs meet this strict definition).
It needs the flexibility to adapt to varying volume requirements and changing part
mixes, to accept new parts, and to accommodate design and engineering
modifications.
• FMS also requires the flexibility to cope with unforeseen and unpredictable
disturbances such as machine downtime problems or last minute schedule
changes; and the ability to grow with the times through system expansion and
configuration, improvements, and alterations.
• FMS is a business-driven solution to mid-volume, mid-variety manufacturers; it
offers the opportunity of predictable control to the manufacturing process. A full
FMS installation is one in which a process is put under total computer control to
produce a variety of products with the system's defined capability and with a pre-
determined schedule
Is there an optimum size of FMS?
At the present time the answer is no; size depends on user needs an resources.

The number of NC machines in a system can be as low as one or two.

Generally, the number of processing machines or machine tools is three to ten.

Thus, the cost an effort involved for planning, project engineering, installing,
implementing, and managing an FMS is high.
Need of FMS
The objective in manufacturing is to get the right raw materials or parts to the right machines at
the right time.

Too much or too soon creates backed up excess in-process inventory.

Too little or tool late caused delayed work schedules and idle machines.

The result in many cases is a poor use of capital, in the form of excess in-process inventory
and/or under utilization of equipment.

The analysis of 8760 available hours in a calendar year to a manufacturing operation

breakdown of the time spent by an average part in the shop.
The Principal Objectives of FMS
Improve operational control through

• Reduction in the number of uncontrollable variables

• Providing tools to recognize and react quickly to deviations in the manufacturing plan
• Reducing dependence on human communication

Reduce direct labor through

• Removing operators from the machining site (their responsibilities and activities can be
broadened)
• Eliminating dependence on highly skilled machinists (their manufacturing skills can be
better utilized in manufacturing engineering functions)
• Providing a catalyst to introduce and support unattended or lightly attended machine
operation
 The Principal Objectives of FMS
Improve short-run responsiveness consisting of:
• Engineering changes
• Processing changes
• Machine downtime or unavailability
• Cutting tool failure
• Late material delivery
Improve long-run accommodations through quicker and easier assimilation of:
• Changing product volumes
• New product additions and introductions
• Different part mixes
 The Principal Objectives of FMS

Increase Eliminating machine setup

machine Utilizing automated features to replace manual intervention
utilization by Providing quick transfer devices to keep machine in the cutting cycle

Reducing lot sizes

Reduce Improving inventory turnovers
inventory by Providing the planning tools for just-in-time manufacturing
 What are the problems facing
manufacturing industries today?
External pressures:
• Technological advancements
• Increased cost, quality, and delivery pressure as a result of intensifying
worldwide competition
• Fluctuating exchange rate (closer scrutiny of make versus buy
decisions)
• Uncertainty and instability of economic conditions
• Declining percentage of individuals choosing careers in manufacturing
 Internal problems and inefficiencies
• High levels of work-in-process inventories
• Complex material flow patterns
• Extremely long lead times
• Increasing product complexities
What are the • Excessive material handling and damaged parts
problems • Complex scheduling and machine capacity loading
• Low capital assert utilization
facing • Shop floor engineering changes
manufacturing • Bottlenecked machine groups as a result of multiple parts
competing for the same work center
industries • Aging capital equipment and inadequate allocation of
today? replacement funds
• Excessive expediting as a result of front-loaded lateness
• Excessive move, queue, and part setup time
• Misplaced parts resulting from part movement to unofficial
queue areas
• Out of control scrap and rework costs
Flexible Manufacturing System
Classified into:
─Flexible Manufacturing Module(FMM)
─Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC),
─Flexible Manufacturing Group (FMG)
─Flexible Production System (FPS)
─Flexible Manufacturing Line (FML)

FMM have high flexibility but handle less volume while FML have less
flexibility but can handle very large volumes.
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 Flexible
Flexible
Manufacturing
High Manufacturing
Line System
Flexible Production
Volume of Parts

System

Medium Flexible
Manufacturing
Group
Flexible
Manufacturing
Cell Flexible
Manufacturing
Low Module

Low Medium High

Product Variety
Flexible Manufacturing System
There are three levels of manufacturing flexibility.

1-Basic Flexibilities
➢Machine flexibility - the ease with which a machine can process various operations

➢Material handling flexibility -a measure of the ease with which different part types
can be transported and properly positioned at the various machine tools in a system

➢Operation flexibility - a measure of the ease with which alternative operation

sequences can be used for processing a part type

44
Flexible Manufacturing System
2-System flexibilities:
➢Volume flexibility
➢Expansion flexibility
➢Routing flexibility
➢Process flexibility
➢Product flexibility

45
Flexible Manufacturing System
3-Aggregate flexibilities
➢Program Flexibility
➢Production Flexibility
➢Market Flexibility

46
 Flexible Manufacturing Module
• A Numerically Controlled Machine Supported With a Parts
Inventory, a Tool Change, and A Pallet Changer
 Flexible Manufacturing Cell
• Several Flexible Manufacturing Modules Organized According to a
Particular Product’s Requirements
 Flexible Manufacturing Group
• A Combination of Flexible Manufacturing Modules and Cells
Located in the Same Area and joined by a Material Handling
System
 Flexible Production System
• Flexible Manufacturing Groups that Connect Manufacturing Areas

Automated Tool Automated

Storage warehouse

Flexible Machining Flexible Assembly

Group Cell
 Flexible Manufacturing Lines
• A Series of Dedicated Machines connected by AGV’s, robots, or
conveyors

Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station N

 FMS Example
• One Design + One Assembly Process = Multiple Models

• When different models are designed to be assembled in the same

sequence they can be built in the same plant.
• This maximizes efficiency and allows the company to respond
quickly to changing customer
 Computerized Manufacturing Support Systems
• Automation of the manufacturing support systems is aimed at
reducing the amount of manual and clerical effort in product
design, manufacturing planning and control, and the business
functions of the firm.
• Nearly all modern manufacturing support systems are
implemented using computers.
• Indeed, computer technology is used to implement automation
of the manufacturing systems in the factory as well.
• Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) denotes the
pervasive use of computer systems to design the products, plan
the production, control the operations, and perform the various
information processing functions needed in a manufacturing
firm.
 Computerized Manufacturing support systems
• True CIM involves integrating all of these functions in one
system that operates throughout the enterprise.
• Other terms are used to identify specific elements of the CIM
system; for example, computer-aided design (CAD) supports the
product design function.
• Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is used for functions
related to manufacturing engineering, such as process planning
and numerical control part programming.
• Some computer systems perform both CAD and CAM, and so
the term CAD/CAM is used to indicate the integration of the two
into one system.
 Computerized Manufacturing support systems
• Computer-integrated manufacturing involves the information-
processing activities that provide the data and knowledge
required to successfully produce the product.
• These activities are accomplished to implement the four basic
manufacturing support functions identified :
1) Business functions,
2) Product design,
3) Manufacturing planning, and
4) Manufacturing control.
 Reasons for Automating
• 1. Increase labor productivity.
• Automating a manufacturing operation invariably increases production
rate and labor productivity. This means greater output per hour of
labor input.
• 2. Reduce labor cost.
• Increasing labor cost has been, and continues to be, the trend in the
world’s industrialized societies. Consequently, higher investment in
automation has become economically justifiable to replace manual
operations.
• Machines are increasingly being substituted for human labor to reduce
unit product cost.
• 3. Mitigate the effects of labor shortages.
• There is a general shortage of labor in many advanced nations, and
this has stimulated the development of automated operations as a
substitute for labor.
Reasons for Automating
• 4. Reduce or eliminate routine manual and clerical tasks.
• An argument can be put forth that there is social value in automating
operations that are routine, boring, fatiguing, and possibly irksome.
Automating such tasks improves the general level of working conditions.
• 5. Improve worker safety.
• Automating a given operation and transferring the worker from active
participation in the process to a monitoring role, or removing the worker
from the operation altogether, makes the work safer. The safety and
physical well-being of the worker has become a national objective with the
enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1970. This
has provided an impetus for automation.
 Reasons for Automating

• 6. Improve product quality.

• Automation not only results in higher production rates than manual operation, it also
performs the manufacturing process with greater consistency and conformity to
quality specifications.
• 7. Accomplish processes that cannot be done manually.
• Certain operations cannot be accomplished without the aid of a machine.
• These processes require precision, miniaturization, or complexity of geometry that
cannot be achieved manually.
• Examples include certain integrated circuit fabrication operations, rapid prototyping
processes based on computer graphics (CAD) models, and the machining of complex,
mathematically defined surfaces using computer numerical control.
• These processes can only be realized by computer-controlled systems.
 Reasons for Automating

• 8. Reduce manufacturing lead time.

• Automation helps reduce the elapsed time between customer order and product
delivery, providing a competitive advantage to the manufacturer for future orders.
By reducing manufacturing lead time, the manufacturer also reduces work-in-
process inventory.
• 9. Avoid the high cost of not automating.
• There is a significant competitive advantage gained in automating a manufacturing
plant.
• The advantage cannot always be demonstrated on a company’s project
authorization form.
• The benefits of automation often show up in unexpected and intangible ways, such
as in improved quality, higher sales, better labor relations, and better company
image.
• Companies that do not automate are likely to find themselves at a competitive
disadvantage with their customers, their employees, and the general public.
 Automation Principles And Strategies

THE USA PRINCIPLE TEN STRATEGIES FOR AN AUTOMATION

AUTOMATION AND MIGRATION STRATEGY
PROCESS
IMPROVEMENT
 The USA Principle
• The USA Principle is a commonsense
approach to automation and process
improvement projects.

• USA stands for:

1) Understand the existing

process,

2) Simplify the process, and

3) Automate the process.

 The USA Principle: Understand the existing process
• The first step in the USA approach is to comprehend the current
process in all of its details.
• What are the inputs?
• What are the outputs?
• What exactly happens to the work unit between input and output?
• What is the function of the process?
• How does it add value to the product?
• What are the upstream and downstream operations in the
production sequence, and can they be combined with the process
under consideration?
 The USA Principle: Simplify the Process
• Once the existing process is understood, then the search begins for ways to
simplify.
• This often involves a checklist of questions about the existing process.
• What is the purpose of this step or this transport?
• Is the step necessary?
• Can it be eliminated?
• Does it use the most appropriate technology?
• How can it be simplified?
• Are there unnecessary steps in the process that might be eliminated without
detracting from function?
• Some of the ten strategies for automation and process improvement can help
simplify the process.
• Can steps be combined?
• Can steps be performed simultaneously?
• Can steps be integrated into a manually operated production line?
The USA Principle:
Automate the Process

• Once the process has been reduced to its

simplest form, then automation can be
considered.
• The possible forms of automation include
those listed in the ten strategies discussed
in the following slides.
• An automation migration strategy might be
implemented for a new product that has not
yet proven itself.
 Automation Principles And Strategies

THE USA PRINCIPLE TEN STRATEGIES FOR AN AUTOMATION

AUTOMATION AND MIGRATION STRATEGY
PROCESS
IMPROVEMENT
 1.Specialization of operations

2. Combined operations

3. Simultaneous operations

4. Integration of operations

Ten Strategies 5. Increased flexibility

for 6. Improved material handling and storage
Automation 7. On-line inspection
and Process
8. Process control and optimization
Improvement
9. Plant operations control

10. Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM)