According to the national standard definition, a flexible manufacturing system is an automated manufacturing system composed of CNC machining equipment, material transport and storage devices, computer control systems, and other components. It includes multiple flexible manufacturing units and can adapt to changes in manufacturing tasks or the production environment.
A rigid production system is a complex large-scale system in which various rigid automated processing equipment and auxiliary equipment are connected in a fixed sequence through a workpiece transfer system. Under the control system, it completes the processing of individual parts. It is suitable for mass production, with high efficiency, low cost, stable quality, and fixed procedures. A flexible manufacturing system, by contrast, is an automated production system built on group technology and controlled by computers. It can simultaneously process a group or category of products with similar shapes. It is suitable for an efficient manufacturing model with multiple varieties and small batches, reducing inventories of blanks and work in process and reducing direct labor. Requirements for flexible production First, machine flexibility. When a series of different types of products needs to be produced, it refers to the degree of difficulty for machines to process different parts as products change. For example, switching non-standard terminal facilities and automatically downloading and replacing control programs. Second, process flexibility. This is the ability to adapt to changes in products or raw materials while the process flow remains unchanged, and the difficulty of changing corresponding processes within the manufacturing system to adapt to such changes. For example, using neural networks to fit the relationship among raw materials, processes, and quality, and determine the optimal solution. Third, product flexibility. After product updates or a complete shift in direction, it is the system's ability to produce new products very economically and quickly. After product updates, it is also the ability to inherit and remain compatible with useful features of old products. For example, modular design and assembly. Fourth, software system flexibility. This is the ability to query and handle faults in multiple ways and ensure normal production. For example, building a knowledge base and using predictive maintenance. Fifth, production capacity flexibility. When production volume changes, it is the ability of the system to continue operating economically. This is especially important for manufacturing systems organized around orders. For example, reserving workstations, circulating workstations, and buffer workstations. Sixth, expansion flexibility. When production needs require it, this is the ability to easily expand the system structure, add modules, and form a larger system. For example, according to the process flow, dividing production into different workstations and expanding capacity in parallel at bottleneck workstations. Seventh, operational flexibility. This is the ability to use different machines, materials, and process flows to produce a series of products, and the ability to use different procedures to process the same product. "Which system has the highest flexibility?" It is people. All flexibility is imitating people. "If automation can achieve compatibility equal to that of people, then the flexibility of this production line will be extremely high." How can flexible production be achieved? First is "perception." This is the basis on which people obtain all kinds of information and make judgments. By integrating various sensors, machine vision, measuring equipment, and so on, a production line can be expected to gain perception. Second is "analysis." It means processing collected data in real time and forming knowledge through analysis and mining. Third is "decision-making." Decision-making means using production management based on knowledge to infer and apply new data, generating corresponding production decision data or instructions. Finally is "execution." It means using industrial robots, CNC machine tools, and various dedicated equipment to fulfill production requirements.
Back to List >>
