Impact of manufacturing flexibility and pallets on buffer delay in flexible manufacturing systems
by Ajay Singholi
International Journal of Engineering Management and Economics (IJEME), Vol. 5, No. 3/4, 2015

Abstract: In the current competitive scenario, it is essential to consider a manufacturing system which supports increased flexibility and automation. Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is one such alternative to meet the product variety condition and demand uncertainty. In this paper, Taguchi experimental design framework is used to evaluate the effect of varying levels of manufacturing flexibility (routing and machine) and number of pallets on the delay at buffers in an FMS. The effects of other factors such as scheduling rules (sequencing and dispatching) are also investigated. Results of simulation study indicate that number of pallets and routing flexibility are the two most important factors affecting the average delay at buffers (ADB); however, there is an optimal combination of factors which minimises the delay at buffers under the given set of operating conditions.

Online publication date: Mon, 19-Oct-2015

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Engineering Management and Economics (IJEME):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com