An operation sequence-based temporal multilayer networks model for production process in flexible manufacturing systems

Abstract

This paper focuses on flexible manufacturing systems, which is a typical discrete event system. Different from traditional approaches for the system, this paper provides a multidimensional, ordinal, temporal topology structure to depict the dynamic production process from the perspective of complex networks. Firstly, the factors of real manufacturing environment are mapped to the multilayer networks and the frameworks of the model are given. The proposed temporal multilayer networks model includes intra-layers and inter-layers, involving two aspects of task and resource nodes and time-depending graphs respectively. Secondly, the generation rules to construct the networks are presented. A novel approach for evaluating bottleneck resources in time blocks is presented to evolve the networks model. Finally, the temporal multilayer networks model is generated based on theory of constraints. The proposed model based on operation sequence is superior in measurement of time-dependent performance of the system. Moreover, an application case for energy consumption evaluation is confirmed that the proposed model can support exploratory analysis of the time-related performance criterion in discrete manufacturing.