Characteristics Computerized Scheduling And Control Manufacturing Systems

Introduction

This section illustrates the unique characteristics of CCS or Computer Controlled Scheduling. The uniqueness is because of the fact that only restricted human intervention is allowed throughout the operation of the system. Usually, main emphasis is specified to the complexity resulting from the explicit consideration of usual resource models, the utilization of programmable and flexible technologies, and also the short-term nature of the decisions.

For a specified set of production needs and physical system configuration, scheduling deals along with the coordination and timing of activities that are competing for general resources. For capable operation of manufacturing systems, scheduling is significant. This commonly corresponds to a complex combinatorial optimization problem, where the objective function contains conflicting and multiple performance criteria. Manufacturing scheduling and control is normally decomposed in a hierarchy of decision levels because of its complexity. This section focuses upon the control and scheduling decisions at the operational level of the hierarchy. At this stage, this is assumed that a supervisory computer is responsible for the automated storage systems, handling systems and auxiliary workstations. The equipment under the control of the supervisory computer may comprise CNC machining centers, automatic storage, conveyors, and retrieval systems, degreasing stations. During the time domain, the control decisions deal along with the instantaneous future and are directly utilized in the execution and coordination of part flow and processing.

The coordination, scheduling and control of the above systems are obviously a complicated task. The lack of a generic scheduling model appropriate to this automated environment is actually an inhibitor to its widespread implementation.  Providentially, the advances in computing and manufacturing technology here make this possible to deal along with this problem in an efficient way.

In this section, section introduction deals along with traditional job shop scheduling. Section of Characteristics of Computer Controlled Scheduling, illustrates the characteristics which make the computer scheduling problem unique.  Section of Dynamic Machine Routing, discusses the scheduling approaches utilized in research and practice aimed at the efficiently use of automated manufacturing systems.