The FMS

Md. Wasif
What is an FMS?
 A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is
a manufacturing system in which there is
some amount of flexibility that allows the
system to react in the case of changes,
whether predicted or unpredicted.

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Two categories of flexibility
 Machine flexibility, covers the system's ability
to be changed to produce new product types, and
ability to change the order of operations executed
on a part.
 Routing flexibility, which consists of the ability
to use multiple machines to perform the same
operation on a part, as well as the system's ability
to absorb large-scale changes, such as in volume,
capacity, or capability.

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FMS and FMC
 Early FMSs were large and very complex, consisting
of dozens of CNCs and sophisticated material
handling systems. They were very automated, very
expensive and controlled by incredibly complex
software. There were only a limited number of
industries that could afford investing in a traditional
FMS as described above.

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FMS and FMC
 Currently, the trend in FMS is toward small versions
of the traditional FMS, called flexible
manufacturing cells (FMC).
 Today two or more CNC machines are considered a
flexible cell and two more more cells are considered a
flexible manufacturing system.
 Thus, a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS)
consists of several machine tools along with part and
tool handling devices such as robots, arranged so that it
can handle any family of parts for which it has been
designed and developed.

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Flexible Manufacturing System (Henry C. Co) 6
The FMS
FMS Components
 Most FMS systems comprise of three
main systems
 Work machines (typically automated CNC
machines) that perform a series of
operations;
 An integrated material transport system
and a computer that controls the flow of
materials, tools, and information (e.g.
machining data and machine
malfunctions) throughout the system;
 Auxiliary work stations for loading and
unloading, cleaning, inspection, etc.

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FMS Goals
 Reduction in manufacturing cost by lowering
direct labor cost and minimizing scrap, re-
work, and material wastage.
 Less skilled labor required.
 Reduction in work-in-process inventory by
eliminating the need for batch processing.

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FMS Goals
 Reduction in production lead time
permitting manufacturers to
respond more quickly to the
variability of market demand.
 Better process control resulting in
consistent quality.

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Advantages of FMS
 Faster, lower- cost changes from one part to
another which will improve capital utilization
 Lower direct labor cost, due to the reduction
in number of workers
 Reduced inventory, due to the planning and
programming precision

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Advantages of FMS
 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
 Savings from the indirect labor,
from reduced errors, rework,
repairs and rejects

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Disadvantages of FMS
 Limited ability to adapt to changes in
product or product mix (e.g., machines are
of limited capacity and the tooling necessary
for products, even of the same family, is not
always feasible in a given FMS)

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Disadvantages of FMS
 Substantial pre-planning activity
 Expensive, costing millions of
dollars
 Technological problems of exact
component positioning and precise
timing necessary to process a
component
 Sophisticated manufacturing
systems

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Thank you