COMAND: A computer consultant for the design, operation, and control of flexible manufacturing systems
Abstract
Decisions involving design, operation, and control (DOC) of manufacturing systems, especially the flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs), to make them perform in a desired manner are extremely difficult. No effective approaches exist today that provide the necessary information processing support at all the crucial steps of this complex problem-solving process. In this research, a simulation-assisted, knowledge-guided, prescriptive framework is developed that allows a computer to manipulate expert knowledge to automatically search for a good FMS DOC strategy. A detailed, underlying FMS problem-solving structure consisting of generic primitive DOC problems, actions, and rules is constructed. A knowledge-based search approach is developed to intelligently reduce the overall dimensionality of the complex solution space in search of a feasible, desirable, and reliable FMS DOC strategy. This strategy combines actions from the four major FMS performance control variables: process plans, raw material input schedules, FMS design, and FMS operation control logic. A computer consultant, called COMAND, is developed that employs this decision-making framework to recommend an overall effective FMS DOC strategy for a wide range of FMSs. Use of COMAND can greatly improve the quality of FMS engineers' decisions by making the complex FMS problem-solving process efficient, expedient, and economical.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Talavage, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Industrial engineering|Computer science
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