|
The performance of a flexible manufacturing cell (FMC) is highly dependent on the effectiveness of its scheduling system. This paper presents an approach which consists of two parts: (1) order release and resource allocation, and (2) operations scheduling. A constraint satisfaction technique (CST) is first employed to determine the appropriate order release time and allocated resource (e.g., fixture in each pallet) for each part in the order pool. Then, a colored timed object-oriented Petri net (CTOPN), which owns the characteristics of an object- oriented approach (e.g., the high degree of modularity, reusability, and maintenanability of the model), is presented to model the dynamic behavior of a FMC and to obtain the daily operations schedule for each resource (e.g., machining centers, washing machine, RGV, and loading/unloading equipments) by considering the characteristics of concurrent behavior, alternative routings, resource sharing and conflict in a FMC. Research of this CTOPN-based FMC scheduling system is sponsored by the Economic Affairs of Taiwan and has been successfully implemented in the FMC developed by the local industry in Taiwan (i.e., VICTOR Taichung Machinery Works Co., Ltd.).
|