Cell design and loading with alternative routing in cellular reconfigurable manufacturing systems

摘要

This paper deals with the design and loading of a Cellular Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (CRMS) in the presence of alternative routing. A CRMS consists of multiple reconfigurable machining cells, each of which has Reconfigurable Machine Tools (RMT) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, a setup station and an automatic material handling and storage system. Each RMT has a library of feasible auxiliary machine modules for achieving a particular operational capability of the RMT. Each CNC machine has an automatic tool changer and a tool magazine of a limited capacity. The machine cell design problem involves the grouping of machines into machine cells. This problem is performed once, prior to the cell loading, using two cell formation methods from the literature. Once the resulting cells are physically implemented, a mixed-integer linear programming problem is developed for determining the routing mix (i.e. which proportion of each part type to be assigned to each alternative route) and the tool and module allocation (i.e. how many auxiliary modules and tools of each available type to be assigned to each RMT and CNC machine within each formed cell) in order to minimize total intercellular movements of parts. An illustrative problem and experimental results are presented.