Essay On FMS

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An FMS can be defined as a production technology designed to produce a variety of parts in medium-sized volumes while utilizing the flexibilities of a job shop manufacturing model. Even though the term FMS has been extensively researched there is no globally accepted definition of flexible manufacturing system and a number of definitions have been reported.
The most referred definition is-‘an FMS can be defined as a manufacturing system which deals with a high level of distributed data processing and automated material flow, equipped with computer controlled machine tools, automated material handling and storage system, automated/semi-automated assembly cells, industrial robots and AGV’s, automated inspection systems’ and so on.[1]
An FMS can also be defined as [3] a ‘highly automated cellular manufacturing system designed on the basis of group technology, comprising a group of processing work stations such as NC/CNC machine tools, wholly interconnected by automated material handling and storage system and completely controlled by a distributed computer system’.

1.2 FMS components:
The key components that comprises an FMS are-
(i) Potentially independent CNC/NC machine tools.
(ii) An automated material handling and storage system.
An integrated computer control system to control the overall functions of the FMS, such as machine tool control, control of material handling system, inspection system so as to achieve the flexibility.

The FMS components mentioned above can be divided into two categories- Primary & Secondary. The primary components includes- CNC/NC machine tools, material handling and storage system and a supervisory computer control network. The secondary components includes machine tool processing technology, work...

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...meet the desired production volume. Klahorst [5]
• When processing of each part require more than two machines to convert it into finished product.
• When production volume is in excess of two parts per hour.
• The production system is process driven producing a variety of parts in batch mode.
• Parts can be grouped together to form part families.
• When phased implementation is planned so that the material handling provisions can be incorporated in the initial phases.

1.7 FMS Applications:
• GM’s Pontiac Division, Saturn plant and Locomotive plant, Erie, Pennsylvania.
• Hughes aircraft plant, EI Segundo, California
• Vought aerospace plant, USA
• Ford’s Sterling Heights transmission and chassis-axle plant
• Manufacturing and machining processes such as –Press working and forging, Sheet metal fabrication, Milling and drilling type operations and assembly lines.

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