DESIGN OPTIMIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF

FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

A PROJECT REPORT (PHASE I)

Submitted by

MUHAMMED UVAIS (LADR19ME100)

MANUKRISHNAN H (LADR19ME098)

MUHAMMED JASIM M V (LADR19ME099)

ANURAG V K (ADR19ME028)

To

The APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of

Bachelor of Technology

In

Mechanical Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering

College of Engineering Adoor,

December 2022
 DECLARATION

We undersigned hereby declare that the project report “DESIGN

OPTIMIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING
SYSTEM”, submitted for partial fulfilment of the requirements for the

award of degree of Bachelor of Technology of the APJ Abdul Kalam

Technological University, Kerala is a bona fide work done by us under
supervision of Dr. JOSE MATHEW Associate professor, college of
engineering Adoor. This submission represents our ideas in our own
words and where ideas or words of others have been included we have
adequately and accurately cited and referenced the original sources. We
also declare that we have adhered to ethics of academic honesty and
integrity and have not misrepresented or fabricated any data or idea or fact
or source in our submission. We understand that any violation of the above
will be a cause for disciplinary action by the institute and/or the University
and can also evoke penal action from the sources which have thus not been
properly cited or from whom proper permission has not been obtained.
This report has not been previously formed the basis for the award of any
degree, diploma or similar title of any other University.

Place: Adoor MUHAMMED UVAIS :

Date: MANUKRISHNAN H :

MUHAMMED JASIM M V :

ANURAG V K :

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

On the very outset of this report, I would like to extend my sincere & heartfelt
obligation towards all the personages who have helped me in this endeavour. Without
their active guidance, help, cooperation & encouragement. I would not have made
headway in the project.

We sincerely thank Dr. SURESH KUMAR.N, Head of the Department,

Mechanical Engineering for his encouragement and constant support in making
seminar successful.

We would like to thank Dr. VENKITARAJ K P, Assistant Professor, Mechanical

Engineering Department , for giving me support and valuable guidance, without we
could never have been able to complete the work in time.

We also wish to thank Dr. JOSE MATHEW Associate Professor, Mechanical

Engineering Department, providing timely instruction and coordination for our
project preparation.

MUHAMMED UVAIS

MANUKRISHNAN H

MUHAMMED JASIM M V

ANURAG V K

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 ABSTRACT

As current market competition evolves, most companies intend to increase their

options for product customisation and accelerate their product upgrading.
Correspondingly, manufacturers have to face the increasing size of product family,
shortened product life cycle or rapid product/process change. Therefore, Flexible
Manufacturing Systems (FMS) have been introduced that uses advanced machines and
efficient transport systems to produce multiple products at the same time. This project
aims to develop a software to simulate and optimise FMS. This work will integrate
Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and multi-objective optimisation approach to
address the complexity and flexibility within a manufacturing environment.
Considering this objective a comprehensive literature review is conducted. It is
observed that, most current FMS optimisation research has engaged with FMS
production problems separately without considering other inter-related problems in the
same system such as dealing with operation sequence problems and Level of
Flexibility (LoF), thus it is hard for the solution to provide a prospective impact for
the whole system. There are very few real-world FMS implementations that are
available to literatures, making it difficult to build and verify the models within a
complete ecosystem. Consequently, most of the models in the research are
oversimplified. Therefore, this work aims to develop a method to optimise FMS
production considering the overall system, by having access to an FMS
industrial implementation. A preliminary design of the work is done and is presented
in this report.

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 1 CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1

1.1 FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM .......................................................... 1

1.2 FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM LAYOUTS ...................................... 2

1.2.1 In-line FMS Layout .......................................................................................... 3

1.2.2 Loop FMS Layout ............................................................................................ 3
1.2.3 Ladder FMS Layout ......................................................................................... 4
1.2.4 Open Field FMS Layout................................................................................... 4
1.2.5 Robot Centred FMS Layout ............................................................................. 5
1.3 SEQUENCING OF JOBS ........................................................................................ 6

1.4 SIMULATION MODELING................................................................................... 7

1.5 OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................ 8

2 LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 9

2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 9

2.2 INTRODUCTION TO FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS .................. 9

2.2.1 Definition Of FMS ........................................................................................... 9

2.2.2 Types of FMS................................................................................................. 10
2.2.3 Main Subsystems of FMS ............................................................................. 10
2.3 PROBLEMS IN DEVELOPING FMS .................................................................. 13

2.3.1 Design Problems ............................................................................................ 13

2.3.2 Planning Problems ......................................................................................... 14
2.3.3 Scheduling Problem ....................................................................................... 15
2.3.4 Controlling Problem ....................................................................................... 16
2.4 OPTIMISATION OF FMS .................................................................................... 17

2.5 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 17

2.6 MODELLING ........................................................................................................ 19

2.7 SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................. 21

3 METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................... 22
3.1 QUESTIONNAIRE................................................................................................ 22

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 3.1.1 Product Details ............................................................................................... 22
3.1.2 Production Facility Details ............................................................................. 23
3.1.3 Financial Parameters ...................................................................................... 23
3.2 SEQUENCING OF JOBS ...................................................................................... 24

3.3 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT ................................................................... 25

3.4 MODELLING OF FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM ......................... 28

3.5 SIMULATION ....................................................................................................... 29

4 SCHEDULE AND BUDGET ...................................................................................... 30

4.1 PROJECT SCHEDULE ......................................................................................... 30

4.2 BUDGET ESTIMATION ...................................................................................... 31

REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 32

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 LIST OF NOTATIONS

Fini No. of product can be produced

i No. of machines

n Total no. of machines

T Time

UTii Utilization

Wi Work load

X1 Distance preferred

X2 Arrival time (min)

X3 No. of carts

X4 Speed of carts (feet/min)

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 LIST OF FIGURES

NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.

1.1 In line FMS layout 10
1.2 Loop FMS layout 11
1.3 Ladder FMS layout 12
1.4 Open Field FMS layout 13
1.5 Robot centred FMS layout 13

LIST OF TABLES

NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE NO

4.1 Project schedule 30
4.2 Budget estimation 31

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 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

FMS Flexible manufacturing system

CNC Computer numeric control
AGV Automated guided vehicle
FMC Flexible manufacturing cell
FCFS First-Come, First-Serve
SPT Shortest Processing Time
EDD Earliest Due Date
CRR Critical Ratio rule
MHS Material handling system
MMFMS Multi-Machine FMS
MCFMS Multi-Cell FMS
WIP Work-In-Process
CAD Computer aided drawing

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
In today's competitive global market, manufacturers have to modify their operations
to ensure a better and faster response to needs of customers. The primary goal of any
manufacturing industry is to achieve a high level of productivity and flexibility which
can only be done in a computer integrated manufacturing environment. A flexible
manufacturing system (FMS) is an integrated computer-controlled configuration in
which there is some amount of flexibility that allows the system to react in the case of
changes, whether predicted or unpredicted [1]. FMS consists of three main systems.
The work machines which are often automated CNC machines are connected by a
material handling system to optimize parts flow and the central control computer
which controls material movements and machine flow [1]. An FMS is modelled as a
collection of workstations and automated guided vehicles (AGV). It is designed to
increase system utilization and throughput of system and for reducing average work in
process inventories and many factors affects both system utilization and throughput of
system in this research system utilization and throughput of system has been optimized
considering factors, which is discussed in next sections [2].

1.1 FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

A system that consists of numerous programmable machine tools connected by an
automated material handling system and can produce an enormous variety of items. A
FMS is large, complex, and expensive manufacturing in which Computers run all the
machines that complete the process so that many industries cannot afford traditional
FMS hence the trend is towards smaller versions call flexible manufacturing cells.
Today two or more CNC machines are considered a Flexible Manufacturing Cell
(FMC), and two or more cells are considered a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS).

“Flexible manufacturing system is defined as a computer controlled manufacturing

system, in which numerically controlled machines are interconnected by a material
handling system and a master computer controls both NC machines and material
handling system” [1].

The primary goal of any manufacturing industry is to achieve a high level of

throughput, flexibility and system utilization. System utilization is computed as a
percentage of the available hours (Number of the machines available for production
multiplied by the number of working hours), it can be increased by changing in plant
layout, by reducing transfer time between two stations and throughput, defined as the
number of parts produced by the last machine of a manufacturing system over a given
period of time. If the no of parts increases throughput also increases and also system
utilization increases. Flexible manufacturing system consist following components
[2].

Work station: work station consists computer numerical controlled machines that
perform various operations on group of parts. FMS also includes other work station
like inspection stations, assembly works and sheet metal presses.

Automated Material Handling and Storage system: Work parts and subassembly
parts between the processing stations are transferred by various automated material
handling systems. Many automated material handling devices are used in flexible
manufacturing system like automated guided vehicle, conveyors, etc. there are two
types of material handling system [3].

Primary handling system - establishes the basic layout of the FMS and is responsible
for moving work parts between stations in the system.

Secondary handling system - consists of transfer devices, automatic pallet changers,

and similar mechanisms located at the workstations in the FMS.

Computer Control System: It is used to control the activities of the processing stations
and the material handling system in the FMS

1.2 FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM LAYOUTS

Flexible manufacturing system has different layouts according to arrangement of
machine and flow of parts. According to part flow and arrangement of machine, layout
of flexible manufacturing system are discussed below [2-5].

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1.2.1 In-line FMS Layout

The machines and handling system are arranged in a straight line. In Figure 1.1. Parts
progress from one workstation to the next in a well-defined sequence with work always
moves in one direction and with no back-flow. Similar operation to a transfer line
except the system holds a greater variety of parts. Routing flexibility can be increased
by installing a linear transfer system with bi-directional flow, as shown in Figure 1.1.
Here a secondary handling system is provided at each workstation to separate most of
the parts from the primary line. Material handling equipment used: in-line transfer
system; conveyor system; or rail-guided vehicle system [5].

Fig. 1.1 In line FMS layout[5]

1.2.2 Loop FMS Layout

Workstations are organized in a loop that is served by a looped parts handling system.
In Figure 1.2, parts usually flow in one direction around the loop with the capability
to stop and be transferred to any station [5].

Fig.1.2 Loop FMS layout[5]

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Each station has secondary handling equipment so that part can be brought-to and
transferred from the station work head to the material handling loop. Load/unload
stations are usually located at one end of the loop [2,3]

1.2.3 Ladder FMS Layout

This consists of a loop with rungs upon which workstations are located. The rungs
increase the number of possible ways of getting from one machine to the next, and
obviate the need for a secondary material handling system. It reduces average travel
distance and minimizes congestion in the handling system, thereby reducing transport
time between stations [4]. See Figure 1.3.

Fig. 1.3 Ladder FMS layout[5]

1.2.4 Open Field FMS Layout

It consists of multiple loops and ladders, and may include sidings also. This layout is
generally used to process a large family of parts, although the number of different
machine types maybe limited, and parts usually routed to different workstations
depending on which one becomes available first [3]. See Figure1.4

4
 Fig.1.4 Open Field FMS layout[5]

1.2.5 Robot Centred FMS Layout

This layout uses one or more robots as the material handling system. See figure 1.5.

Fig. 1.5 Robot centred FMS layout[5]

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1.3 SEQUENCING OF JOBS
The machines are arranged in a typical layout in a given FMS environment. The set of
jobs are processed, those have different operations. According to their processing time,
due dates these jobs scheduled to minimize make span. There are following rules
selected from many existing priority scheduling rules to obtain optimum sequence [5].

First-Come, First-Serve (FCFS) - the job which arrives first, enters service first
(local rule). It is simple, fast, “fair” to the customer. And disadvantage of this rule is,
it is least effective as measured by traditional performance measures as a long job
makes others wait resulting in idle downstream resources and it ignores job due date
and work remaining (downstream information).

Shortest Processing Time (SPT) - the job which has the smallest operation time
enters service first (local rule). Advantages of this sequencing rule is simple, fast,
generally a superior rule in terms of minimizing completion time through the system,
minimizing the average number of jobs in the system, usually lower in-process
inventories (less shop congestion) and downstream idle time (higher resource
utilization), and usually lower average job tardiness and disadvantages is, it ignores
downstream, due date information, and long jobs wait (high job wait-time variance).

Earliest Due Date (EDD) - the job which has the nearest due date, enters service first
(local rule) and it is simple, fast, generally performs well with regards to due date, but
if not, it is because the rule does not consider the job process time. It has high priority
of past due job and it ignores work content remaining.

Critical Ratio (CR) Rule - sequences jobs by the time remaining until due date
divided by the total remaining processing time (global rule). The job with the smallest
ratio of due date to processing time enters service first. The ratio is formed as (Due
Date-Present Time)/Remaining Shop Time where remaining shop time refers to:
queue, set-up, run, wait, and move times at current and downstream work centres. it
recognizes job due date and work remaining (incorporates downstream information)
but in this sequencing, past due jobs have high priority, does not consider the number
of remaining operations [5-7].

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Slack Per Operation - is a global rule, where job priority determined as (Slack of
remaining operations) it recognizes job due date and work remaining (incorporates
downstream information)

Least Changeover Cost (Next Best rule) - sequences jobs by set-up cost or time (local
rule).it is simple, fast, generally performs well with regards to set-up costs. it does not
consider the job process time, due date and work remaining [7].

1.4 SIMULATION MODELING

“Simulation is the process of designing a model of real system and conducting
experiments with this model for the purpose either of understanding the behaviours of
the system or of evaluating various strategies (within the limits imposed by criterion
or set of criteria) for the operation of the system”. We simulate rather than experiment
with the real world system because the system as yet does not exist and
experimentation with the system is expensive, too time consuming, too dangerous[8].
Experimentation with the system is appropriate is inappropriate. A system is defined
as a group of objects that are joined together some regular interaction or
interdependence toward the accomplishment of some purpose. A system that does not
vary with time is static whereas another one varies with time is dynamic system[9]. A
system consist following components:

• Entity: An entity is an object of interest in the system.

• Attribute: AN attribute is a property of an entity. A given entity can process many
attributes.
• Activity: An activity represents a time period of specified length
• State of a system: it is defined to be that collection of variables necessary to
describe the system at any time, relative to the objectives of the study
• Event: An event is defined as an instantaneous occurrence that may change the
state of the system
• Progress of the system: The progress of the system is studied by following the
changes in the state of the system.

Simulation is a powerful problem solving technique. It can be used to experiment with

systems which are not yet in existence, or with existing systems without actually

7
altering the real system; and therefore offers valuable reductions in terms of time, cost,
and risk involved in modelling systems, designing experiments and playing scenario
analysis games.

Although simulation analysis is limited in some aspects, its popularity as a decision

making aid is increasing in direct relation to the capability and accessibility of today's
high speed digital computers [10]. Computer simulations are assuming the role of
traditional experiments in many areas of business and scientific investigations as
coding and running simulation models of large, complex real life systems (both in the
manufacturing and service sectors) is becoming more and more profitable with the
improving technology.

Generally, the real life systems we analyse are composed of closely interconnected
sub-systems. There are various -seemingly independent- sources of information and
multiple points of decision making. What is more, randomness is a very important,
non-negligible factor in life: real systems are usually hierarchical, distributed, and
contain a large number of relatively independent, but still implicitly coordinated
decision makers operating under great uncertainty [9-11]. The complexity of real
world problems are in lot of cases, the simplifying assumptions made by the
corresponding analytic model might not be realistic, or the appropriately formulated
model cannot be solved analytically.

When the uncertainty encountered in a system is sufficiently small, existing analytical

methods can be suitably modified to cope with them: In fact, many of the algorithms
dealing with stochastic systems are closely related to their counterparts in deterministic
systems. However, when uncertainty is large, modifying existing algorithms is not
enough: new paradigms have to be considered to take care of the random environment,
and simulation modelling is a very promising alternative to capture the real stochastic
behaviour of the system under study [12].

1.5 OBJECTIVE
Objective of this work is

To optimize the performance characteristics of a flexible manufacturing system

by simulation.

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 2 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this literature review is to study the existing related research on
manufacturing operation for FMSs and study the potential application of the
optimisation and simulation techniques in order to improve the manufacturing
performance of FMS.

The aim of the literature review is to review the manufacturing simulation and
optimisation techniques related to FMS. This literature review will investigate the
simulation and optimisation methods applied to optimise the manufacturing
production processes, specifically implemented within FMSs.

2.2 INTRODUCTION TO FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

Technological advancements, new competitors, global sourcing and industry
restructuring have resulted in significant challenges for the manufacturing industry.
The transition of the manufacturing industry from mass production to mass
customisation is based on the need for a more customised product to be produced,
providing many variants, with the use of fewer resources and materials, in the shortest
time possible [1]. To solve these new challenges and to satisfy the growing demands,
an FMS has been proposed to replace the traditional manufacturing systems

2.2.1 Definition Of FMS

FMSs have been defined in a number of ways, but there is not a standard acknowledged
definition for the general term of FMS. Most of the definitions are on the hardware
used in the system[1]. listed and summarised the popular definitions:

“A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a manufacturing system in which groups

of numerically controlled machines (machine centres) and a material handling system
work together under computer control” [2].“A group of workstations connected
together by a material handling system (MHS) producing or assembling a number of

9
different part types under the central control of a computer” [3]. Other definitions are
based on the capability or performance of the system. “Flexible manufacturing systems
(FMS) are highly automated production systems, able to produce a great variety of
different parts by using the same equipment and the same control system” [4],

“FMS is designed to combine the efficiency of a high-production line and the

flexibility of a job shop to best suit the batch production of mid-volume, and mid-
variety of products” [5].

More definitions can be found in the literature, Despite the range of definitions, it is
accepted that an FMS consists of three primary subsystems:

• A machine/workstation subsystem that at least can provide machine flexibility.

• A material handling and storage system that at least can provide routing flexibility.
• A computer control system which can dynamically manage all subsystems

2.2.2 Types of FMS

Different authors classify different types of FMS [1]. FMSs classified into four types:
flexible machining cell; flexible machining system; flexible transfer line; and flexible
transfer multi-line. This classification was based on process attributes and captures the
principal attitudes of system design and operation such as the equipment selection,
layout, capacity decisions, and other issues. Extended the classification scheme to
include the type of material handling system as a further descriptor. This classification
scheme was based on the flow pattern of parts through the system and emphasises
routing flexibility[5]. Another classification of FMS into four types: a single flexible
machine, a Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC), a Multi-Machine FMS (MMFMS),
and a Multi-Cell FMS (MCFMS). Then they discussed the relationships and
boundaries between these four types of FMS. The approach considered the number of
characteristics of the material handling devices as well as the configuration of the
processing elements [6].

2.2.3 Main Subsystems of FMS

The basic subsystems of an FMS are

• workstations,

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• material handling and storage systems,
• computer control system,
• operators and supervisors
1. FMS Workstations: FMSs have various workstations which are designed for
different tasks, but in general they can be classified into five types according to
their functions: load/unload, machining, assembly, supporting and others
• Load/Unload: physical interface between the FMS and the rest of the factory; it is
where new parts enter the system, and temporarily or completely exit the system
after the operation is finished. Loading and unloading can be performed manually
or handled by a material handling system, which should be designed to permit the
safe movement of parts and may be supported by various mechanical devices (e.g.
cranes, forklifts). The station includes a data entry unit and monitors as the
communication interface between the operator and computer system, regarding
parts both to enter and exit the system. In some FMSs, various pallets or fixtures
may have to be put in place at nearby load/unload stations[7].
• Machining: the most common FMS application uses machining centres. These are
usually Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machine centres with appropriate
automatic tool changing and tool storage features, to facilitate quick changeover
as necessary. The machine centre may able to automatically change pallets or
fixtures, and normally would normally be integrated with the material handling
system.
• Assembly: the assembly operation usually consists of a number of workstations
with industrial robots that sequentially attach components to the base part. They
can be programmed to perform tasks with variations in sequence and motion
pattern to accommodate the different product styles assembled in the system.
Usually, there would also be some assembly operations conducted manually, and
not connected to the material handling system. Whether the manual assembly is
inside of the FMS depends on how the border of the FMS is defined. One definition
of the border of the FMS is when the whole shop floor is within same facility, the
other definition of the border of the FMS is when only includes the automated
subsystems, which separate the manually assembly and manually inspection
processes outside of the FMS[8-10].

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• Supporting: supporting subsystems may include various quality inspection
stations. Co-ordinated measuring machines, special inspection
• FMS computer control systems: Due to the high complexity levels of FMSs, the
system controlling tasks are critical, so any fault in the controlling system may lead
to production stoppage or product damage. As this research also aims to better
manage and control the FMS, it is necessary to have a solid understanding about
FMS computer control systems. The FMS computer control systems have been
defined into the following subcategories: workstation control, distribution of
control instructions to workstations, production control, traffic control, workpiece
monitoring, tool control, performance monitoring and reporting, and diagnostics.
The detail is described as below [11,12]:
• Workstation control: fully automated FMSs use some form of workstation control
at each station, often in the form of CNC control.
• Distribution of control instructions to workstations: a central computer is required
to handle the processing occurring at disparate workstations; this involves the
dissemination of part programmes to individual workstations, based upon an
overall schedule held by the central computer.
• Production control: management of the mix and rate at which various parts are
launched into the system is essential; alongside data input of a number of essential
metrics, such as daily desired production rates, number of raw work parts available,
work-in-progress, etc.
• Traffic control: management of the material handling system is essential so that
parts arrive at the right location at the right time and in the right condition.
• Workpiece monitoring: the computer must monitor the status of each part or pallet
in the primary and secondary material handling systems, to ensure that the manager
know the location of every element in the system.
• Tool control: this is concerned with managing tool location (keeping track of the
different tools used at different workstations, which can be a determinant of where
a part can be processed), and tool life (keeping track on how much usage the tool
has gone through, so as to determine when it should be replaced).

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• Performance monitoring and reporting: the computer must collect data on the
various operations ongoing in the FMS and present performance findings based on
these data.
• Diagnostics: the computer must be able to diagnose, to a high degree of accuracy,
where a problem may be occurring in the FMS[12].

2.3 PROBLEMS IN DEVELOPING FMS

Starting from the design of an FMS to the FMS going alive, there are several stages.
Each stage has specific problems and the decisions made in the early stages may have
a consequential impact on following the stages. In terms of optimisation, the problems
and selected solutions in the early stages could become the constraints of the following
optimisation tasks. Consequently, it is hard to deliver realistic optimisation results
unless having full understanding for the problems of FMSs in all stages.

In general, when a company plans to build an FMS, it should be targeted as a design

and should implement an advanced manufacturing system to handle the market
challenge and maximise productivity. These targets are difficult to achieve unless all
of the following stages have been conducted successfully:

• System Designing;
• Production planning;
• Scheduling;
• Controlling.

2.3.1 Design Problems

Designing FMS is similar to a series of checklists. It starts more like to selecting the
best business strategy to fit current market and future markets, rather than to selecting
the best manufacturing engineering solutions. Once the high-level management board
has a good understanding of its market and has defined a certain business strategy, the
operations manager and manufacturing department should start the initial assessment
to check whether an FMS would appropriately suit that business strategy. For example,
if the market demand is stable, requests high volume and a product family, the

13
dedicated manufacturing systems, such as the transfer production line applied Lean
Manufacturing principle, would be a better choice than an FMS[14-16].

A set of questions relevant to manufacturing engineering should be considered during

the FMS designing stages:

• Types of workstation: Workstation choices have to be made depending on

manufacturing processing requirements. The shop floor layout and utilisation of
transportation should also be considered.
• Variations in process routings and FMS layout: If part processing variations are
minimal, the manager may decide to use more linear links in the process flow; if
part processing variations are high, it may operate more like the job shop which
maximises the routing flexibility.
• Material handling system: The manager must select an appropriate primary and
secondary material handling system to suit the layout chosen.
• Work-In-Process (WIP) and storage capacity: Determining an appropriate level of
WIP is important, as it affects the level of utilisation and efficiency of the FMS. It
is necessary to define enough physical space on the shop floor to store these
WIPs[14].
• Tooling: The number and type of tools required at each workstation must be
determined. Enough number of spare tools should be prepared by considering
enabling routing flexibility in the system, or to couple with unplanned breakdowns
• Pallet fixtures: Selection of the type and number of pallet fixtures is important.
Factors that influence the decision include levels of WIP chosen and differences in
part style and size.

A design approach for FMS, is also drawn with the respecting of the data acquisition
and constraint definitions such as manufacturing strategy, production requirements.
This approach also shows a lack of analysis and evaluation tools which could be used
in the designing stage[15].

2.3.2 Planning Problems

The planning problems for FMSs:

14
• Part type selection: from a set of part types that have production requirements,
determine a subset for immediate and simultaneous processing.
• Part family considerations: a choice has to be made regarding group technology
and the part family to be produced on the FMS, with all possible physical attributes
of the parts that may be processed in the FMS.
• Processing requirements: once the entire range of possible parts to be processed is
known, this information would help choose associated processing requirements for
each part, furthermore, decide the type of equipment that is associated with the
process.
• Machine grouping: the decision on how to group the machine associated with the
process group or the product groups. In dedicated manufacturing systems, machine
grouping is normally associated with the product group; in FMSs, it is more desired
to associate with the progress group.
• Production rate: determine the relative production rate for each product.
Production rate would also determine the inter-arrive time of the material feeding
and the strategy of the supply chain.
• Resource allocation: confirm the limits and constraints of the manufacturing
capacity, allocate the number of pallets and fixtures among the selected part types.
• Loading problem: define the collection of rules about how to consume the material
and utilise the machine, subjected to the technological and capacity constraints of
the FMS[17,18].

2.3.3 Scheduling Problem

The main scheduling problems occurring in an FMS are the following

• Input sequencing problem: the sequence of each product order entry into the
system. For example, it can input a small batch of one certain type of product and
switch to small batch of another product later, or it can input all products
simultaneously. It can be difficult to fix the decision of this problem at the
beginning of the implementation of an FMS, because this decision would impact
on almost all subsequent problems.
• Operation sequencing problem: this problem can be very easily confused with the
dispatching sequencing problem in an FMS. Most of the literature has not

15
 separated the definition of operation sequencing from dispatching sequencing with
a crystal-clear description. Operation sequencing normally refers to the sequence
of conducting all operations required to produce one specific product. It is only
focused on a single product. Dispatching sequencing, or dispatching rule refers to
the sequence of selecting one WIP to enter the system in the next moment with the
consideration of all WIP currently in the queue. Besides, each WIP has its own
states of what is the last operation completed and what is the next operation that
should be carried on according to the operation sequence. Operation sequencing
and dispatching sequencing can be one thing in a transfer line, such as working
with a linear work flow, because the dispatching sequence just repeats the
operation sequence again and again. However, in an FMS, it is able to input
multiple WIP into the system simultaneously, thus, the dispatch sequencing works
in a different manner from operation sequencing. With regard to the operation
sequence alone, it can be fixed for in the whole production period, or flexible so it
can change during the production period. The common assumption of an entirely
fixed 30 precedence of operation sequencing is an unfortunate renouncement to
releasing the flexibility of an FMS.
• Workstation selection problem: when an operation can be performed on several
work stations, the one to actually use has to be determined.
• Part dispatching sequencing problem: the part, namely, WIP that must be
processed first on a workstation has to be selected from the waiting queue or buffer.
This problem is also generally called the dispatching rule problem.
• Material handling carrier selection problem: in case automatic guided vehicles or
multiple transport tools are used in the FMS, one vehicle needs to be selected from
among the others to carry a specific part.
• Traffic control problem: in case several routes can be followed by a vehicle to
reach its destination, one of them must be chosen.
• Operator selection problem: if an operation is not totally automatic, an operator
must be assigned to it[17-19].

2.3.4 Controlling Problem

The main controlling problems within an FMS are listed below:

16
• Machine and tools breakdown: these are common problems in most of
manufacturing systems. There should be a plan to repair the machine, change to a
backup machine, or switch to alterative operation routings as 31 soon as possible;
by solving this problem, the production would remain in or return to the normal
state.
• Maintenance: the maintenance should be scheduled, whether within in the working
hours or occurring in the off shift regularly, so that the productivity of the FMS
could be remained sustainable.
• Inspection: the way to control the quality of product and the performance of the
process. It also needs to record the selected information of the product or process.
• Monitor and report: monitor and measure the performance of the system, such as
tool life, machine condition and inventory level. The controlling system should
warn the manager if error or failure has occurred. The diagnostic function should
also support the manager to find the source of the failure [17-19].

2.4 OPTIMISATION OF FMS

This section reviews the FMS optimisation research in literature, with regard to the
optimisation problems and the optimisation models. In order to analyse the behaviour
of FMSs and to develop a method for manufacturing optimisation, this section aims to
support the researcher in identifying suitable optimisation problems in FMS and build
the right model for the chosen optimisation problems. The optimisation algorithms
have also been reviewed, by focusing on how to apply the optimisation algorithms, not
on how to build the algorithm internal programming or coding, because the key logics
of optimisation algorithms have already been developed by computer science
researches. This research is targeted to apply these advanced computer science tools
to solve the problem in manufacturing systems.

2.5 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Tool reliability is one of the most important issues in a flexible manufacturing system.
If a tool fails to operate correctly, the performance of the manufacturing system is
reduced, the due date may be violated, or the product quality falls behind the standards.
This paper develops a bi-objective mathematical model for tool selection in a flexible

17
manufacturing system in order to optimize both reliability and cost. The tools in these
environments are considered to have increasing failure rates as they are used over time;
a case closer to reality. This paper aims to evaluate the availability of different tools
used in a production system, in which the reliability of a tool is dependent on the failure
occurring to any other compatible tool. Two multi-objective genetic algorithms along
with the εε-constraint method are proposed to solve the problem. The Taguchi method
is also employed to calibrate the parameters of the proposed algorithms and to enhance
their performances. Finally, a hybrid AHP-TOPSIS is utilized to prioritize the solution
algorithms. The results indicate that while the εε-constraint is the best to solve small-
size problems, the non-dominated rank genetic algorithm performs the best in solving
large-size problems[12].Modelling and performance analysis of FM cells with
machine failure studied in this paper under operation of machine failures and repairs
in a situation of stochastic model. Three machines served by a robot for loading and
unloading purposes, and a pallet handling system is used in FMC.it simulated using a
ARENA software The simulation model validated with available exact solutions for
the selected cell operations. The model utilized to analyse the FMC performance such
as production rate, time in system for pallet and utilization of the system components
under equipment failures and repairs. The simulation results show that FMC
performance measures are sensitive to robot speeds, machining rates, pallet rates and
pallet capacity[13].FMS performance in US automotive industry. The team developed
a questionnaire based on the previous performance matrices and surveyed 420 facility
managers in the US domestic automotive industry. Five major questions were asked
in the survey and which are related to operational performance (quality, jobs per hour,
lead time, and productivity) and labour efficiency. Overall system utilization of
existing system was 88.53% and the proposed FMS has been designed to deliver
99.99% overall utilization with appropriate loading on all stations[14]

Automated scheduled nesting for FMS companies rely on nesting procedures to

organise the cut patterns of sheet metal. Most of the current nesting algorithms and
methods focus solely on laying out the cutting patterns only to reduce material usage.
Nesting is the process of placing multiple shapes to be cut on a work piece. systematic
approach is proposed, named scheduled nesting, as a way to combine the various
components of the scheduling problem into a joint cost function that can be used to

18
optimize production and lower its cost. It is desired to reduce this trade off, in a effort
to optimize the value chain digital technologies.[15].Augmented Reality (AR)
application that aims to facilitate the operator’s work in an industrial, human-robot
collaboration environment with mobile robots. In such a flexible environment, with
robots and humans working and moving in the same area, the ease of communication
between the two sides is critical and prerequisite. The developed application provides
the user with handy tools to interact with the mobile platform, give direct instructions
to it and receive information about the robot’s and the broader system’s state, through
an AR headset. The communication between the headset and the robot is achieved
through a ROS based system, that interconnects the resources. Partitioning Manual
Assembly Workstations for Flexible Manufacturing. Many production processes are
still realized with manual assembly, due to its flexibility and efficiency. The individual
needs of the customers lead to a bigger variety of products and components in manual
assembly workstations Method to counter this effect by dividing the manual
workstation into multiple subsystems. Method minimizes the number of times a
worker has to switch between the individual subsystems in order to search for
components. Experimental results indicate that this method performs better on this task
compared to other approaches and can this way be used to increase the productivity of
a manual assembly workstation[16].

2.6 MODELLING
Mathematical modelling for flexible manufacturing scheduling problem in an
intelligent transportation system. Automated transportation system are used for more
flexibility in production. Several AGV are considered to perform various jobs among
different machines and ware house. Minimize the maximum completion time and total
transportation cost. Mathematical innovation on how failure and repair time are
affected entire production scheduling. Proposed model belongs to mixed integer linear
programming (MILP). Small sized problem are generated and solved by the CERLEX
solver of GAMS software to show efficiency of proposed model [17]. Modelling of
flexible manufacturing system. Serves as a medium for investigation of work that are
accomplished by using different modelling techniques in FMS like mathematical,
artificial intelligence, hierarchical, multi criteria decision-making method, Petri Nets

19
and simulation. Research in the area of FMS modelling, by highlighting contribution
of available techniques in the field of FMS. deciding which modelling techniques can
be used for a given problem [18]. By implementing the developed mathematical
models, the major problems of flexible manufacturing systems were solved: adequate
representation of the large system (with customization for FMS design for processing
parts of the revolution), development of the system architecture, and its configuration:
sizing, configuration, and reconfiguration.dynamic modeling of the behavior of large
systems and therefore of FMS (Flexible Manufacturing System) and finding the
appropriate mathematical formulae for model representation: the static and the
dynamical simulations.study of the evolution and the spatial and temporal behavior of
flexible manufacturing systems: dynamic simulation, decomposition of the system into
subsystems and coordination of them by establishing interactions and causal links,
resulting in the designed analytical model being implemented in the management of
flexible manufacturing systems, as a future direction of research.[19]

Exploring Adaptive and Flexible Manufacturing Solutions. smart factory is just a great
revelation of future developments in manufacturing facilities. The concept still needs
to progress before fully reaching its practical application in an industrial production
set up. The intelligence of such device can be revealed by cooperation in a network of
other smart devices, which have the ability to check the system state updates and
decide whether to act on them or not. applied supervisory control for flexible
manufacturing with a case study in the design and implementation of discrete event
system of real world complexity. Used realistic example to investigate the tasks to
required for the application of supervisory control door discrete event system to a
physical plant. signal Based behaviour that can modelled by a finite automation[20]

A Branch and Bound Approach for Machine Load Balancing in Flexible

Manufacturing Systems include the setup and scheduling problem in a special type of
flexible manufacturing system, where all the machines are of the same type, and tools
are 'borrowed' between machines and from the tool crib as needed. In this model, there
were limited tools. The objective of their model is to assign tools and jobs to machines
so that the 'borrowing' of tools is minimized while maintaining a 'reasonable' workload
balance. This is a nonlinear integer programming problem, and is computationally
expensive. All machine tools are assumed identical. hence, the jobs remain at one

20
machine, and the tools are moved to the machines as needed[21].Improving just-in-
time delivery performance of IOT enabled flexible manufacturing system with AGV
based transportation. AGV are driverless material handling systems used for
transportation of parallel and line side supply of materials to provide flexibility and
agility in the shop floor logistics. A decision support system capable of supporting
shop floor decision making activities during the event of manufacturing disruptions by
automatically adjusting both AGV and machine schedules in flexible manufacturing
system(FMS).The system uses the IOT enabled production data [22].

2.7 SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW

The tools available are not specifically tailored for FMS and their unique integrated
form. Because of the lack of integration, an FMS must be designed by examining the
four phases independently even though the design decisions from each area affect the
efficiency of the other areas. The design process for FMS can be broken down into the
following phases such as facilities design - including the choice of machines and the
layout of the FMS, material handling system design, which includes the choice of the
material handling equipment and control system design - including the choice of the
control scheme and methodologies to be used. One result is that the implementation
rate of FMS is much lower than has been expected. A review is given of the work done
to date on the design of FMS in the areas of facilities design, material handling system
design, control system design, and scheduling. Through examining the tools and
approaches that are used to design these four phases it is apparent that no integrated
design methodology exists for FMS.

21
 3 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY
In this project methodology has been adopted as given, it starts with scheduling of job
by using sequencing rules, and then according to scheduling a simulated small flexible
manufacturing is to be developed. The process variables those affects FMS objectives
will be designed and will be treated as input function for simulation model of FMS to
generate the throughput and working hours for each machine per year and then system
utilization and throughput will be optimized as discussed below

3.1 QUESTIONNAIRE
A questionnaire is a research tool used to conduct surveys. It includes specific
questions with the goal to understand a topic from the respondent’s point of view.
Questionnaire typically have closed-ended, open-ended, short-form, and long-form
questions.

3.1.1 Product Details

Q1) What types of products are manufactured in the production units?

Q2) What are the different components that go into making the products?

Q3) What is the processing time of all the operations involved in the manufacturing of
each product?

Q4) What is the facility provided for material handling and part transport in the units?
Is it manual or automated? State clearly the type if it is automated.

Q5) In case the material handling system is entirely manual, then how many workers
are involved in the same?

Q6) How is loading/unloading done on the machine, manually or there is automated

station provided?

Q7) How many machines are provided in production units for manufacturing each
product?

22
Q8) What is the level of organization in the production plant?

Q9) What is the idle time on various machines employed in the production of the each
product?

Q10) What is the lead time in production?

3.1.2 Production Facility Details

Q1) What is the total area occupied by inventories?

Q2) Is there any plant layout followed if yes then state the type.

Q3) What is the level of automation in production units?

Q4) Are the production units flexible enough to accommodate changes in?

a) Plant layout

b) Product variety

c) Production volume

d) Machine breakdown

e) Miscellaneous

3.1.3 Financial Parameters

Q1) What is the total projected cost of the new production facility?

Q2) What is the allocated cost of the following?

a) Machines and Equipment

b) Manpower

c) Inventory

d) Electricity

e) Labour training

f) Miscellaneous

23
Q3) Would you be interested in automating the new facility at additional cost?

o YES

o NO

Q4) Is there any process that you will prioritize for automation, if yes then name the
process(s)?

Q5) What is the total cost that the company is ready to bear for implementing flexible
manufacturing system (F.M.S.) in the upcoming unit?

3.2 SEQUENCING OF JOBS

The machines are arranged in a typical layout in a given FMS environment. The set of
jobs are processed, those have different operations. According to their processing time,
due dates these jobs scheduled to minimize make span. There are following rules
selected from many existing priority scheduling rules to obtain optimum sequence[18-
21].

First-Come, First-Serve (FCFS) - the job which arrives first, enters service first (local
rule). It is simple, fast, “fair” to the customer. And disadvantage of this rule is, it is
least effective as measured by traditional performance measures as a long job makes
others wait resulting in idle downstream resources and it ignores job due date and work
remaining (downstream information)[20].

Shortest Processing Time (SPT) - the job which has the smallest operation time enters
service first (local rule). Advantages of this sequencing rule is simple, fast, generally
a superior rule in terms of minimizing completion time through the system, minimizing
the average number of jobs in the system, usually lower in-process inventories (less
shop congestion) and downstream idle time (higher resource utilization), and usually
lower average job tardiness and disadvantages is, it ignores downstream, due date
information, and long jobs wait (high job wait-time variance)[20].

Earliest Due Date (EDD) - the job which has the nearest due date, enters service first
(local rule) and it is simple, fast, generally performs well with regards to due date, but

24
if not, it is because the rule does not consider the job process time. It has high priority
of past due job and it ignores work content remaining[21].

Critical Ratio (CR) Rule - sequences jobs by the time remaining until due date divided
by the total remaining processing time (global rule). The job with the smallest ratio of
due date to processing time enters service first. The ratio is formed as (Due Date-
Present Time)/Remaining Shop Time where remaining shop time refers to: queue, set-
up, run, wait, and move times at current and downstream work centres. it recognizes
job due date and work remaining (incorporates downstream information) but in this
sequencing, past due jobs have high priority, does not consider the number of
remaining operations [20].

Page Slack Per Operation - is a global rule, where job priority determined as (Slack
of remaining operations) it recognizes job due date and work remaining (incorporates
downstream information)

Least Changeover Cost (Next Best rule) - sequences jobs by set-up cost or time (local
rule).it is simple, fast, generally performs well with regards to set-up costs. it does not
consider the job process time, due date and work remaining.

In this work, four-part types and five machines has been considered. Processing time
for each operation on different part types on different machines. in this work shortest
processing time sequencing rule has been used for scheduling. According to shortest
processing time rule, the job with the shortest processing time is processed first and
here each operation can processed on each machine with different processing time.
Operation on part will be processed on that machine which machine takes less
processing time for operation [21].

3.3 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Performance measurement is the process used to assess the efficiency and
effectiveness of projects. It is a systematic approach to collecting, analysing and
evaluating the project is to achieve its desired outcomes.

25
Performance measures of an FMS:

• Throughput : the number of the product can be produced (𝐹𝑖𝑛i) in certain time
periods. Also called the production rate. In an FMS, there is overall throughput for
the whole system, and the throughput for individual products which share the same
FMS facilities.

eqn (3.1)

Where, Fini = no.of product

• Utilisation: the manufacturing entity should be 100% utilisation to make the best
return on investment, but in reality, idle time and breakdown time have to be
deducted. In most of the cases, in order to maintain the system operating
functionally in the long-term, planned downtime for the manufacturing entities is
necessary, so the manufacturing manager would never expect 100% utilisation in
the long term. The calculation of utilisation is typically the rate of value-added
time (process time) divided by available time of the entity.

eqn(3.2)

• Workload variation: the variation of workload among multiple manufacturing

entities under the same system. ‘Workload variation’ is an index figure and
indicates the level of balance/imbalance in the manufacturing system. Normally it
is calculated as the sum of the gap between the utilisation of individual
manufacturing entity and the mean utilisation of the whole system. The better the
workload variation (less indexed value), the less the impact of the ‘bottleneck’
phenomenon on the whole system, and it then closer to a balanced set-up of the
manufacturing system.

eqn(3.3)

26
 Where, Utii= utilization

• Level of WIP : The average number of WIPs in a manufacturing system. The

number of WIPs is directly linked to the buffer space and inventory cost and
indirectly linked to ‘time in the system’ and throughput. According to Little’s Law,
there is a minimal level of WIP required to warm up and maintain favourable
throughput for the whole system. However, if the WIP level is too high, it would
result in more blockage and waiting time in the system and gain higher cost for
inventory.

eqn (3.4)

• Flow time : The amount of time a single unit of product spends between entering
the manufacturing system and leaving it. It is related to ‘time-in-system’ analysis.
The difference between flow time and ‘lead time’ is that latter only calculates the
total value-added process time, but the former would also include the non-value-
added time that happens in a manufacturing system, such as the waiting time,
blocking time, downtime, and so on.

eqn (3.5)

Where, T= time (seconds)

• System utilization: Small manufacturing system modelled in this project. Which
consists five work stations and five machines and there is four parts produced by
these machines. Every work station consist one machine. Here we have used four
factors which affects the objective of FMS: these factors and there levels are as
follows[18]:

1. Distance preference (X1): distance preference means what distance between two
stations. It can be smallest distance between two stations or largest distance between
two stations or the distance in cyclic order as shown in figure. So the level of distance
preferences is smallest distance(S), largest distance (L), cyclic distance (C).

27
2. Arrival (demand) time (min.) (X2): it’s the time of arriving demand of parts. Here
for in simulation three levels of demand time were assumed 10 min., 15min. and 20
min.

3. No. of carts(X3) = No. of carts used in simulation, here in simulation three levels of
no. of carts were assumed 2, 3 and 4.

4. Speed of carts (feet/min.) (X4)=it’s the speed of carts or AGVs, which is also affects
the FMS objectives. Here in this thesis three level of speeds were assumed 60, 65 and
70.

system utilization of system should be carried out by following formula

eqn (3.6)

Where, i = No. of machine

n = Total no. of machine

3.4 MODELLING OF FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

In this project, five machines and four different part types has been used. five
machines, and in this model, simulation has been run for 1 year with 3820 hours warm
up period which is calculate by using Welch’s method. According to this method we
obtained moving average of work in process then plot graph. AGVs has been used for
transfer parts from one station to other station and logical data module those has been
used in simulation modelling.

To build a FMS model and to carry out simulation runs with Arena, a user performs
the following steps:

1. Construction of a basic model. Arena provides the model window flowchart view,
which is a flowchart-style environment for building a model. The user selects and
drags the flowchart module shapes into the model window and connects them to define
process flow of the model.

28
2. Adding data to the model parameters. The user adds actual data (e.g., processing
times, resource demands, others) to the model. This is done by double-clicking on
module icons and adding data.

3. Performing a simulation run of the model. The user runs the simulation and
examines the results.

4. Analysis of the simulation results provided by the automatic reports of Arena. The
user can expand the statistics.

5. Modifying and enhancing the model according to the user needs. In this work we
have used 5 work station and 5 machines those produces 4 part types having different
operations. The processing time of operation is exponentially distributed.

In this project, processing time taken as exponentially distributed. Arrival of demand

also taken as exponentially distributed. It means that demand of part will come
exponentially distributed here in this research, arrival demand time taken as 10, 15 and
20 minutes that means each demand come in 10, 15, 20 minutes and the parts will
process according to given sequence[22].

3.5 SIMULATION
We simulate rather than experiment with the real world system because the system as
yet does not exist and experimentation with the system is expensive, too time
consuming, too dangerous. Experimentation with the system is appropriate is
inappropriate. A system is defined as a group of objects that are joined together some
regular interaction or interdependence toward the accomplishment of some purpose.
A system that does not vary with time is static whereas another one varies with time is
dynamic system.CAD software is used to design the product and represent it in a solid
model. While a CAM software is used to convert this solid model into part programs
incorporating all the information about the machining operations to be performed on
the work-piece. The information based on which the whole system performs its
functions is accessed from the central database system. The software is supplied
Artificial Intelligence capability to be able to take decisions based on the actions of
the system performed[14].

29
 4 CHAPTER 4

SCHEDULE AND BUDGET

4.1 PROJECT SCHEDULE

The project schedule of the work done in 2022-23 is shown in table 4.1:

Table 4.1 Project schedule

SL ACTIVITY 2022-2023

NO. OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY

LITERATURE
1 X X X
REVIEW
PRODUCTION
2 X
PLANT VISIT
SURVEYING
3 AND DATA X
COLLECTION
ANALYSIS OF
4 X X
DATA
MODELING OF
5 X X
FMS
ANALYSIS OF
6 X X
RESULTS
THESIS
7 X
PREPARATION

30
4.2 BUDGET ESTIMATION
The budget estimation of this work is listed in table 4,2:

Table 4.2 Budget estimation

SL NO. PURPOSE COST (Rs)
1 Travelling cost 5000
2 Industrial visit 1000
3 Training 5000
4 Miscellaneous 5000
TOTAL(Rs) 16000

31
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