Layout planning and analysis of a Flexible Manufacturing System based on 3D Simulation and Virtual Reality

Abstract

The high competition in the global market where the agile product launch and variable demand of goods by customers persuaded manufacturing companies to adopt Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) and many companies have already implemented FMS solutions. On the other hand, manufacturing digitalization such as digital twin development, Industrial Virtual Reality (IVR), virtual modeling and 3D simulation of manufacturing systems offer new possibilities for effective facility layout planning, quick and easy modification and validation of production processes, analysis, and optimize the workflow and activities conducted on a factory floor. These new technological developments in digitalization have changed the thinking of manufacturing companies and they are eager to use digitalization solutions in their factory operations. However, there is a lack of harmonized methods and procedures to implement virtual modeling, 3D simulation, and IVR for layout planning and analysis of FMS. This paper proposed an approach for performance analysis of a FMS that is based on the 3D layout creation and simulation in a virtual environment, monitoring of key performance indicators via a digital dashboard, and immersive visualization through virtual reality. The relevance and feasibility of the proposed performance analysis approach are demonstrated by a case study.