IMAC— An industrial material activity controller for electronic FMS

Abstract

Abstract An Industrial Material Activity Controller, termed IMAC, has been successfully in operation for over a year now, The IMAC performs material handling control for an electronic assembly flexible manufacturing system (FMS). The IMAC is a software package that integrates processes' and machines' monitoring, operators' and robots' interface, and data collection. The IMAC also interfaces with other systems outside the FMS (such as plant management information system). The IMAC is driven by a real-time dispatcher, which makes its decision based on current parts inventory and production status for each workstation. It provides automatic delivery of raw materials (operator or robot paced), simplifies engineering and part mix changes, and determines the work-in-progress (WIP) routing. The appropriate components arrive in a timely manner to each workstation, which results in reduced WIP and improved system performance.