FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURABILITY AND HANDLING AUTOMATION IN METALCASTING SMEs

摘要

Flexibility can be defined as the ability to respond with adaptability to the changing demands of the customer and is different in SMEs (Small-to-Medium Manufacturing Enterprises) than traditional OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). Costs involved in implementing manufacturing flexibility to meet customer demand are more important in the SMEs, especially in labor-intensive manufacturing (i.e., metalcasting facilities/foundries). The "living lab" implementation of flexible part handling automation in two metalcasting SMEs is described (iron and aluminum). This technical report describes the context of the work from the viewpoint of the current literature on the machine and plant level metalcasting manufacturability and handling flexibility concepts. Although quite a number of flexibility definitions and mechanisms can be found in the literature, there is a lack of taxonomies on flexibility that could be relevant to metalcasting facilities. The paper intends to improve understanding by demonstrating the application and limitations of current part handling automation technologies to help metalcasting SMEs stay competitive in global competition.