Simulation study of an agile high-speed machining system for automotive cylinder heads

摘要

There is a continuous need within most manufacturing environments for more flexibleudproduction equipment, particularly where customer satisfaction and responsiveness promote qualityudimprovement. In this paper, an automated agile manufacturing system that uses high-speedudcomputer numerically controlled (CNC) machines to make automotive cylinder heads is proposedudand evaluated by means of discrete event simulation using the ARENA simulator. Two alternativeudagile system configurations are constructed and simulated to achieve the production target. Theudsimulation shows some significant benefits in using the agile system and demonstrates thatudhigh-speed CNC equipment is a viable option for cylinder head manufacture at a production volumeudof 550 000 units per annum. It is shown that the agile system can provide more flexibility and halfudthe throughput time of the transfer line.