In the planning process of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), an FMS must not be designed to fulfill its intended functions only, but also to perform the intended functions successfully. The latter requires the design of reliability into the system. The decisions involving the number of tools and tool redundancies need to be carried and executed in real time. This research discusses FMS tooling reliability in the context of the machine loading and part assignment problem. As manufacturing systems become more and more complex, competition and cost grow even more rapidly. Flexible manufacturing systems became the means to narrow the gap between the various different pressures. FMS promises more efficient and effective ways of utilizing resources, information and assets, due to its capability to carry a variety of different tools so that it can perform different operations required in the production of a variety of low to mid size part types. Integer-programming models are developed. The formulations consider an objective function with a set of governing constraints. A reliability level is decided for the tooling system, the models then will return with optimum number of tools and tool copies for each tool type. The overall objective is cost minimization while achieving maximum desired tooling system for the FMS under consideration. Two distinct scenarios are studied, the first considers an FMS where tool sharing is not allowed which implies that each tool magazine will be required to carry the required tools and tool copies to achieve the reliability levels decided and to carry the required machining operations on the different parts assigned to it during each production period. The second scenario is where tool sharing is permitted; in this case if a tool is not available on a particular tool magazine it can be borrowed from another magazine or from the tool crib. Two Genetic algorithms are developed and used to solve the two cases, the solutions are compared to solutions obtained by LINGO optimization software and conclusions are derived. The research conducted in this thesis is aimed at developing cost minimization models for the part assignment and tool loading in flexible manufacturing systems with reliability considerations. The thesis of this research states that tooling system reliability can be integrated in FMS planning decisions, and that such models will complement some of the apparent limitations in the existing models. The models aim at assessing decision-maker to decide a minimum tooling system reliability and to optimize overall processing and tooling cost of the part assignment and tool loading of FMS. A solution methodology is also presented in this thesis. The solution takes into account part assignment and tool loading along with tooling system reliability of FMS under consideration.Dept. of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses u26 Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2001 .A48. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 63-04, Section: B, page: 2009. Adviser: S. M. Taboon. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2001.
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