Ch.

#1
Introduction to Flexible Manufacturing
Systems (FMS)

March 2024
Outline:
√ History of FMS
√ The Principal objectives of FMS
√ Basic Components of FMS
√ Flexibility in Manufacturing
√ Types of FMS
√ Types of FMS layouts
√ Adv. and Disadv. of FMS
√ Application areas of FMS
1.1. History of Flexible Manufacturing System

In the beginning, there was not much competition and so FMSs

were not needed.

After WWII, market focused on consumer (not manufacturer).

The first FMS was patented in 1965 by Theo Williamson who

made numerically controlled machines.

 Cont’d…

Change in Manufacturing over time:

60’s - Efficiency in manufacturing

70’s - Efficiency and Quality

80’s - Efficiency, Quality and Flexibility.

Thus, companies are forced to adapt itself to:

Increased international competition via producing quality

products

The need to reduce manufacturing cycle time

Pressure to cut production costs

 Cont’d…

A new strategy was formulated (Customizability). The

companies have to adapt to the environment in which they

operate, to be more flexible in their operations and to

satisfy different market segments.

Thus the innovation of FMS became related to the effort of

gaining competitive advantage.

 Cont’d…

FMS is considered as a natural evolution of the technology

of CAD/CAM which by itself evolved by the integration of

CAD and CAM.

MIT - USA is credited with pioneering the development in

both CAD and CAM.

The need to meet the design and manufacturing

requirements of aerospace industries after the WWII

 Cont’d…

The first major innovation in machine control is the Numerical Control

(NC), demonstrated at MIT in 1952.

Early NC Systems were all basically hardwired systems, since these

were built with discrete systems. Every NC machine was fitted with a

tape reader to read paper tape and transfer the program to the memory

of the machine tool block by block.

Mainframe computers were used to control a group of NC machines

by mid 60's. This arrangement was then called Direct Numerical

Control (DNC) as the computer bypassed the tape reader to transfer the
 Cont’d…

By late 60's mini computers were being commonly used to

control NC machines. At this stage NC became truly soft wired

with the facilities of mass program storage, offline editing and

software logic control and processing. This development is called

Computer Numerical Control (CNC).

A further development to this technology is the distributed

numerical control (DNC) in which processing of NC program is

carried out in different computers operating at different

 Cont’d…

Robots were introduced to automate several tasks like machine

loading, materials handling, welding, painting and assembly.

All these developments led to the evolution of flexible

manufacturing cells and flexible manufacturing systems in late

70's.

A manufacturing cell in its broadest sense implies the logical

arrangements of standalone manual or NC equipment into

groups or clusters of machines to process parts by part family.

 Cont’d…

Processing parts in the manufacturing cell includes completing

as much as the work piece processing as possible within the cell

before moving it to the next sequential processing stock

inspection or assembly station.

Today the term “manufacturing cell is much broader and further

implies some level of automated part loading, unloading,

delaying or exchange to the clustered machines.

Thus, these advancements in manufacturing led to the

 1.2. FMS – Defn.

A FMS is multiple machines that are integrated by an automated

material handling system whose operation is managed by a

computerized control system.

FMS consists of a group of processing work stations interconnected by

means of an automated material handling and storage system and

controlled by computer control system.

# FMS is called flexible due to the reason that it is capable of processing a

variety of different part styles simultaneously at the workstation and

 Cont’d…

• An Industrial FMS consists of robots, computer-controlled

machines, computers, sensors, and other stand-alone systems
such as inspection machines as shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 1 Illustrations of FMS

 Cont’d…

The FMS is most suited for the mid-variety & mid-volume

production.

Fig 3. Application Characteristics of FMS

What are the features of FMS?

 An FMS is distinguished from an automated production

line by its ability to process more than one product style

simultaneously.

 At any moment, each machine in the system may be

processing a different part type.

 FMS can let us make changes in production schedule in

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 Differences between
FMS and FMC
FMC FMS

 Has two or three machines  Has four or more machines

 Lack central computer for  Larger and more

control, rather controlled sophisticated computer
by cell controller control system

 Higher effect of machines  Minimized effect of machine

failurity breakdowns

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 1.3. Objectives of FMS
The principle objectives of FMS are
1. To 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 the dependence of human communication.

2. To reduce direct labor:

Removing operators from the manufacturing site

Eliminating dependence on highly skilled machines

Providing a catalyst to introduce and support unattended or lightly

attended machining operation.

 Cont’d…

3. To improve short run responsiveness consisting of:

Engineering changes

Processing changes

Machining downtime

Cutting tool failure

Late material delivery

4. To improve long-run accommodations through quicker and easier

assimilation of:
Changing product volumes
New product additions and introductions
Increase machine utilization by:
Eliminating machine setup
Utilizing automated features to replace manual intervention
Providing quick transfer devices to keep machines in the production cycle
1.4. Rigid (Conventional) vs Flexible Systems
1.5. Basic Components of FMS

• The basic components of FMS are:

1) Workstations
2) Automated Material Handling and Storage
system
3) Computer Control System.
i. Workstations
In present day application, these workstations are typically computer numerical control

(CNC) machine tools that perform manufacturing operation on families of parts.

The various workstations are:

i. Machining centers

ii. Load and unload stations

iii. Assembly work stations

iv. Inspection stations

v. Forging stations

vi. Sheet metal processing, etc.

 ii. Automated Material Handling and Storage
System
The various automated material handling systems are used to transport work

parts and subassembly parts between the processing stations.

It consists of power vehicles, robots, conveyers, automated guided vehicles

(AGVs), and other systems to carry parts between workstations.

The various functions of automated material handling and storage system are:

Random and independent movement of work parts between workstations

Handling of a variety of work part configurations

Temporary storage

Convenient access for loading and unloading of work parts

iii. Computer Control System (CCS)
It is used to control the activities of the processing stations and
the material handling system in the FMS.
The various functions of CCS are:
√ Control of each machine tools
√ Production control
√ Work piece and tool control
√ Traffic control
√ Work handling system and monitoring
√ System performance monitoring and reporting.
1.6. Types of Flexibility in Manufacturing
Flexibility in manufacturing means the ability to deal with slightly

or greatly mixed parts, to allow variation in parts assembly and

variations in process sequence and change the production volume.

There are three levels of manufacturing flexibility.

1) Basic flexibilities

2) System flexibilities

3) Aggregate flexibilities
(a) 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.

(b) System flexibilities
Volume flexibility :A measure of a system’s capability to be operated

profitably at different volumes of the existing part types.

Expansion flexibility: The ability to build a system to expand it

incrementally.

Routing flexibility: It can define as capacity to produce parts on

alternative workstation in case of equipment breakdowns, tool failure,

and other interruptions at any particular station.

Process flexibility: A measure of the volume of the set of part types that a

system can produce without incurring any setup.

(c) Aggregate flexibilities

Program flexibility: The ability of a system to run for reasonably

long periods without external intervention.

Production flexibility: The volume of set of part types that a

system can produce without major investment in capital

equipment.

Market flexibility: The ability of a system to efficiently adapt to

changing market conditions.

 1.7. Flexibility test

 Flexibility has three primary capabilities in the FMS; it must have the capability:

to identify and distinguish among the different incoming part or product styles

processed by the system; of performing a quick changeover of operating

instructions; and of performing a quick changeover of physical set-up.

 These capabilities are expressed in various ways in the FMS, which can best be seen

from an example such as is provided in Figure next. This figure depicts an

automated manufacturing cell with two machine tools and robot.

 The question arising from this figure is: is it a flexible cell?

 To be considered flexible there are four reasonable tests that can be applied to the

system to determine its level of flexibility.

 Cont’d…

Flexibility test:
1) Part variety test— can the system process different part styles?
2) Schedule change test— can the system readily accept changes in the
production schedule, either in the product mix or the expected production
volume?
3) Error recovery test— can the system recover gracefully from equipment
malfunctions and breakdowns, so that production is not completely disrupted?
 Cont’d…
 The system is flexible if we can answer “yes” to all of these questions, with the

most important criteria for flexibility being numbers 1 and 2. Numbers 3 and 4 are
softer criteria that may be implemented at various levels.
 In Figure, the automated manufacturing cell with two machine tools and robot

shall be considered flexible if it:

1) can machine different part mixes taken from the carousel by the robot;

2) allows for changes in the production schedule, without affecting the

operation of the robotic arm and the two machine tools;

3) is able to carry-on operating even if one machine tool breaks down; and

4) can accommodate new part designs if the numerical control programme to

do so is written off-line and then downloaded by the system for execution.
 1.8. Types of FMS

 FMS can be distinguished by how they perform, as either processing

operations or assembly operations.

 FMS are custom-built so that we may expect to find a wide range of types

have been implemented to suit differing projects.

 Each FMS is customized and unique; however, we can still define a

typology for FMS depending on:

1) the number of machines it contains; or

2) Level of flexibility (whether it is a dedicated or random-order FMS,

 i. Based on the Number of Machines:

1. Single machine cell:

> It contains one machine (often a CNC

machining centre) connected to parts

storage system, which can load and

unload parts to and from the storage

system .

> When it operates in flexible mode, the

system satisfies three of the four tests

for flexibility—the exception being

error recovery, since, if the CNC

machine centre breaks down, the system

2. Flexible manufacturing cell: contains two or three processing workstations (often CNC

machining or turning centers), plus a parts handling system. This set-up can operate in

flexible mode and batch mode, as necessary, and can readily adapt to evolving production

schedule and increased production volumes. Since there is more than one machine, error

recovery is possible by re-routing the failed machine’s intended parts for processing to the

other two machines in the system; and new part designs can be introduced with relative ease

into the set-up. The flexible manufacturing cell satisfies all four flexibility tests.
3. Flexible manufacturing system (FMS)

> consists of four or more processing stations connected mechanically by a

common parts handling system and electronically by a distributed computer

system (as in Figure ).

> FMS is larger than the flexible manufacturing cell, not only in the number of

workstations it may contain, but also in the number of supporting stations in the

system, such as part/pallet washing stations, co-ordinate measuring machines,

storage stations and so on.

> Computer control is also more sophisticated; it includes functions not found in

the FMC such as diagnostics and tool monitoring.

 Cont’d…

Fig. Plan view of a seven-station flexible manufacturing

system
 Cont’d…

 A comparison of the three FMS types is illustrated in Figure ,

where the number of machines is plotted against metrics of
investment, production rate and annual volume.

Features of the three categories of flexible

cells and systems
 ii. Types of FMS based on level of flexibility:
1) Sequential FMS: It manufactures one-piece part batch type and then

planning and preparation is carried out for the next piece part batch type

to be manufactured. It operates like a small batch flexible transfer line.

2) Random FMS: It manufactures any random mix of piece part types at any

one time.

3) Dedicated FMS: It continually manufactures, for extended periods, the

same but limited mix of piece part batch types.

4) Engineered FMS: It manufactures the same mix of part types throughout

its lifetime.
1.9. Types of FMS layouts

I. Progressive or Line Type

II. Loop Type
III. Ladder Type
IV. Open field type and
V. Robot centered type
 i. Progressive or Line
type
The machines and handling system are arranged in a line as shown in the
Fig..
It is most appropriate for a system in which the part progress from one
workstation to the next in a well defined sequence with no back flow.
The operation of this type of system is very similar to transfer line type.
Work always flows in unidirectional path.
ii. Loop Type
The basic loop configuration is as shown in Fig..
The parts usually move in one direction around the loop, with the
capability to stop and be transferred to any station.
The loading and unloading station are typically located at one end
of the loop.
iii. Ladder Type

The configuration is as shown

in Fig..

The loading and unloading

station is typically located at

the same end.

The sequence to the

operation/transfer of parts from

 iv. Open Field Type
The configuration of the open field is as shown in Fig. The loading and

unloading station is typically located at the same end. The parts will go

through all the substations, such as CNC machines, CMMs and wash

station by the help of AGV’s from one substation to another.

 v. Robot Centered Type

Robot centered type is a relatively new form of flexible system in which

one or more robots are used as the material handling systems as shown in

Fig.. Industrial robots can be equipped with grippers that make them well

suited for handling of rotational parts.

 1.10. Adv. and Disadv. of FMS implementation
Advantages:

Faster and lower-cost changes from one part to another which will improve

machine utilization.

Lower direct labor cost due to the reduction in number of workers.

Fewer machines required—because existing machines are highly flexible, and

because of higher machine utilization

Reduced inventory due to the planning and programming precision.

Consistent and better quality due to the automated control.

Lower cost/unit of output due to the greater productivity using the same

number of workers.
 Cont’d…
Disadvantages:

Limited ability to adapt to changes in product or product mix (ex.

machines are of limited capacity and the tooling necessary for

products, even of the same family, is not always feasible in a given

FMS).

Substantial pre-planning activity

Expensive, costing millions of dollars

Technological problems of exact component positioning and precise

timing necessary to process a component

 1.11. Application areas of FMS
The ff chart shows various applications areas in an industry.
 Summary

Flexibility in manufacturing system is one of the most important issues of

present scenario, to fulfill the desired customer’s requirement & getting low

cost and high quality of product that enforced to adopting the FMS for various

modern manufacturing enterprises.

The basic of FMS is to convert & increases positivity throughout the

manufacturing process for achieving higher productivity and best quality of

product.

FMS consists of an integrated system of computerized numerically controlled

(CNC) machine tool , automated material handling system operating under the

controlled computer , workstation, storage etc.

Self-Assessment Questions

1) What is meant by a flexible manufacturing system?

2) What are the three primary capabilities of flexibility in the FMS?

3) What are the four tests for flexibility in FMS research?

4) How are different types of FMS specified?

5) What are the basic components of an FMS?

6) List the five categories of FMS layout.

7) What are the benefits of a successful FMS implementation?

8) Cite the main application areas of FMS.

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