Title: Automated guided vehicle configurations in flexible manufacturing systems: a comparative study

Authors: Ravindra Kumar; Abid Haleem; Suresh K. Garg; Rajesh K. Singh

Addresses: Mechanical and Automation Engineering Department, Guru Premsukh Memorial College of Engineering, 245, GT Karnal Road, Budhpur, Delhi – 36, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, Delhi – 25, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Delhi Technological University, Shahbad Daulatpur, Main Bawana Road, Delhi – 42, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Delhi Technological University, Shahbad Daulatpur, Main Bawana Road, Delhi – 42, India

Abstract: In the present competitive environment, manufacturing organisations have changed the trend from mass production to mass customisation. Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) has evolved as a solution to the requirement of modern manufacturing industries. Automated guided vehicle (AGV) system is the most widely used material handling system in FMS which enhances the flexibility in material transfer between the workstations (WSs). The pattern of AGV guide path layout also called as AGV configuration has become the main issue in the AGV system. This paper compares the three commonly used AGV configurations, i.e., single loop, tandem, and tandem loop in terms of AGV load/unload time, machine failure, processing time distribution and AGV speed. Simulation method is used to perform the study while Taguchi method is used for statistical analysis of results. It has been concluded that no single AGV configuration perform better in all the manufacturing environments.

Keywords: automated guided vehicles; AGVS configuration; flexible manufacturing systems; FMS; mass customisation; automated materials handling; AGV guide path; simulation; Taguchi methods; single loop AGVS; tandem AGVS; tandem loop AGVS; load time; unload time; machine failure; processing time distribution; AGV speed.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2015.071510

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2015 Vol.21 No.2, pp.207 - 226

Received: 19 Aug 2013
Accepted: 22 Feb 2014
Published online: 31 Aug 2015 *

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